The Silicon Valley Edge: A Habitat for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

by Henry S. Rowen and William F. Miller

Book Overview

The enormous and sustained success of Silicon Valley has excited interest around the globe. Startup companies the world over are attempting to emulate its high tech businesses, and many governments are changing their institutions in order to foster Silicon Valleys of their own. What accounts for the Valley's leading edge in innovation and entrepreneurship?

This book gives an answer by insiders, by prominent business leaders and academics from the heart of the Valley. They argue that what distinguishes the Valley is not its scientific advances or technological breakthroughs. Instead, its edge derives from a "habitat" or environment that is tuned to turn ideas into products and take them rapidly to market by creating new firms.

This habitat includes supportive government regulations for new firm formation, leading research universities that interact with industry, an exceptionally talented and highly mobile work force, and experienced support services in such areas as finance, law, accounting, headhunting, and marketing, all specializing in helping new companies form and grow. Not least is a spirit of adventure and a willingness to take risks.

The elements of this habitat are packed into a small geographic area. In it, networks of specialists form communities of practice within which ideas develop and circulate and from which new products and new firms emerge. Feedback processes are strongly at work: the successes of Valley firms strengthen the habitat, and the stronger it becomes, the more new, successful firms are created.

Among industries, electronics came into the Valley first, followed by semiconductors, computers, software, and, in the 1990s, biotechnology, networking, and the Internet. This extraordinary ability to keep adding new industrial sectors itself affects the prospect for the Silicon Valley's future. What lies ahead? From within, the Valley faces serious challenges in defining a new generation of entrepreneurs, addressing a growing digital divide, and maintaining quality of life. At the same time, the Valley must redefine its global role with respect to other rising innovative regions worldwide. Nevertheless, the proven ability of its highly effective habitat suggests that in both innovation and entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley will maintain its edge.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804740631
• ISBN13: 9780804740630
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Stanford Business Books
• Length: 456 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent guidebook to Silicon Valley

This is an excellent book to describe all thinkable crosssections of Silicon Valley through interviews in the social science methods and through writing by prominent figures in Silicon Valley. The only drawback I found is that the book has too rich contents for a reader to read through casually. I strongly recommend this book to those serious readers who are engaged in Silicon Valley, associated with venture businesses, interested in mechanisms and histories of Silicon Valley, or interested in business models. The book has a big reference table to illustrate how different Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are from small business owners and traditional entrepreneurs, and describes four distinct types of entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. The book also enumerates ten reasons why Silicon Valley has been prosperous. This is really a good book for a reader to learn what Silicon Valley is like.

A Fantastic Book with Intensive Stuffs

Practically useful for entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and professionals.