7 Characteristics of Silicon Valley You Won’t Find in Asia

There are a few things that are rather unique about Silicon Valley that you won’t see in Asia. They play a huge role in what kinds of startups come out of the ecosytem. And although it’s not Asia’s heyday yet, and Silicon Valley is still the indisputable Mecca of startups, we’re starting to see the inklings of a distinct culture in Asia. Here are seven things in the Valley you just won’t see in Asia:

1. Strong Early-Adopter Culture

I was sitting with a bunch of non-tech friends the other day, when one of them whipped out her iPhone. She says, “Hey guys, check out this new app I found called VendMo. It allows you to be able to transfer money to your friends after you get the bill.” I was mesmerized. You just don’t have this kind of situation in Vietnam. Most of the time, if you’re hearing such talk in Asia, you’re probably hanging out with other tech people. In San Francisco, startups have the convenient advantage of being able to assume that early adopters are in abundance. Read more...