Entrepreneurs are a rare breed and IT entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka are even more rarer. I had been pleasantly surprised to see how countries are having strategic plans to nurture these Entrepreneur skills. Silicon valley is considered as the mecca for an IT Entrepreneur and it has some of the most illustrious success stories which can only rival fairy tales. It has created a culture for start ups with plenty of venture capital and financing options being available for bright start ups.
I used to think THE dream is only possible in the Silicon valley, but from the day I walked in to the m-lab in Kenya I couldn't stop thinking that its a another silicon valley in the making and that you can dream from Nairobi too! The eagerness in the eyes of the community and the long term vision with which they run the incubator programs for the start ups is exemplary. The returns from these will not be over night but in 5 years or 10 years down the line. I am sure, if these communities are brought up in the right way, they will definitely transform the countries fortunes. Most importantly the hubs are run with private sector participation, hence creating the right culture and the mind set, instead of a lethargic government sector mindset.
Its not just Kenya, but I see its taking off at a lot of places. I read about how they are trying the same in Egypt, where Google is fishing for the entrepreneurs to support technology start ups.
This left with me with the question why not in Sri Lanka? why not in Jaffna? We sure have the potential but the issue is to make our people believe that we can could do!
read these,
1. http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/30/tech/innovation/google-tech-bus-egypt/
2. http://mlab.co.ke/pages/home.php
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