Hacking Silicon Valley? Inspiration for European entrepreneurial ecosystems

After some months in Silicon Valley, I had several conversations regarding its entrepreneurial ecosystem, and even the potential of other areas worldwide to foster startups with the same impetus.

From a fruit orchard area to the current epicenter of technology, the Valley has evolved thanks to different stakeholders, on top of entrepreneurs and startups. Some people has already celebrated the 100th anniversary of Silicon Valley. The challenge is about the combination of research, ideation, product-market fit, capital and consumer engagement. We can summarize this complex ecosystem:

Stanford University has been key, with bright people as Frederick Terman, Bill Hewlett and David Packard. And still it is key to connect research and entrepreneurs. As an example, this week we had a conversation in Stanford Engineering with Omar Tawakol, father of Oracle’s Bluekai DMP, sharing entrepreneurial advice with the students.

Another example of how the ecosystem helps entrepreneurs, in this case connecting startups and final customers is b8ta. This retail store in Palo Alto serves as presentation centers for disruptive consumer electronics and other MVPs from startups: from electric skateboards, to multi-functional robots or therapy devices.

How can this complex ecosystem be expanded in other countries, whether Spain, UK or other European areas?