I am an African.
I am the founder and CEO of Skyrove, a Cape Town based Wi-Fi Hotspots company.
This blog is mostly random. It is sometimes serious but most of the time just thoughts that come to mind.
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Gartner Emerging Trends 2009
I was at the Gartner Symposium & ITXpo last week and thought I'd briefly report what Gartner believes are the most important emerging technology trends for the next 5-10 years.Some of the topics are linked to articles on the topic that I found interesting. Here they are, as presented by Nick Jones:1. Social Platforms in the Enterprise: From "Life Stream" to "Work Stream"2. User Interface: The Environment is the Computer. Touch, gesture, display types (3D, flex, projected, ambient)3. Real World Web: Unifying the Digital and Physical Worlds. Sensor networks, object id, location id & geo-tagging4. Augmented Reality. Wearable or 'glanceable' interface, context-based info at 'point of decision'.5. Mobile Robots. Humanoid companions & workers, carrying, lifting, rescue, vacuuming, clearning, mowing, delivering.Nick Jones: "Robots will only be successful if we're not afraid of them. Best way to overcome this is to deliver relatively dumb robots to consumers and then the owner can train the robot as you would an 'apprentice' to perform certain tasks."
6. 3D Printing - industrial prototyping, product design, 3D faxing, 3D printing bureaus, hobbyist modeling, and also home printing of replacement parts.Imagine printing plastic/metal spares at home!Or imagine printing plastic toys at home! And speaking of plastic toys:Nick Jones: "Imagine the fun the adult content industry would have with 3D printing? Now combine it with chocolate printing"
7. Human Augmentation - Today: restoring normal performance. Tomorrow: Achieving above-normal performance.See video below:
Bionic Arm - Free videos are just a click awayI found Gartner's predictions from last year (for the years 2008-2012):Personally, I'm most excited about Robotics and 3D home printing. Perhaps I can even 'print' all the parts I need to build my own Robot!Raising Money in a Recession
About a month ago we decided to raise a small round of capital for Skyrove. We decided to shorten the business plan to an Executive Summary/Investment Proposal of a few pages and to distribute it to potential angels, rather than VCs or larger acquisition partners.
We weren't sure that we were going to be successful, considering the the current depressed economy, but we felt that we had value to offer and that savvy investors would recognize it.
Within days we signed our first investor.4 weeks later we have 3 new and 1 old investors putting in a few million Rand. All the investors will add significant strategic value to the business. All the investors are 'sophisticated' investors with established track records.So how did we do it?Business at the Speed of TrustI'd say trust was the single biggest factor in raising this round of capital.One investor didn't even bother talking to us! He stated simply:"I met Henk last year some time at East London airport, and he has good references from very good mates of mine, x* and y*. Executive summary is self explanatory and I have no questions at this stage. I just need your banking details and subscription documentation so that we can deal the formalities."
* Not their real names ;-)The new investors were people we already had a strong trust relationship with or were close to people in our "trust network".In a recession, investors are much more likely to invest in people they trust. This is a natural protection against risk. I could cope with losing my own money, but I'd have a much harder time explaining to friends why I lost theirs.Entrepreneurs for EntrepreneursAll the new investors have very strong entrepreneurial backgrounds with two of them active in the ICT space. They understood the product and could clearly see the potential for growth.I've often been frustrated in the past when people start asking questions such as: "How big is the internet going to be 5 years from now? Is your business still going to be relevant?".Anybody who's ever started a high-tech business realises that nobody really knows whether your current model will be relevant 5 years from now.For example, let's say you're selling anti-virus software. 5 years from now, Microsoft may have open-sourced Windows and added a security layer that makes anti-virus software irrelevant. It's possible, though highly unlikely.But even if it did happen, you'd have built up a team, a strong brand and a client-base. You should be ready for any challenge.Either way, I think any business model that solves a customer's problem right now is worth more than one which might take off in a few years.Looking into the future brings me onto my next point:Cut the CrapIf you don't know something, admit it. I don't know how much money we'll make 5 years from now.Ater 4 years of running this business I have a pretty good idea what's possible in the next 3 years if we continue to grow organically, but even then I'd say the margin of error is 50%. Beyond that, it just gets murky. I start to thumbsuck variables. I say things like: "If we raise R50M in year 3, then we can..."That's not planning. That's speculation. I think in general, computer scientists struggle to speculate. And I think in times of high economic growth, this could count against you, as everyone is looking to make speculatively high returns.I think in a recession, you'd find everyone is less likely to believe any hyperinflated projections, especially if your projections are dependent on further investments in the future at higher valuations.It's About ValueDuring high economic growth, investors will take risks by backing bad ideas and throwing mud against a wall. They can't do do that when money (and exit opportunities) are scarce. You have to invest in value, in companies that are going to be cash-flow positive before running out of money.This is especially true in South Africa where there aren't nearly as many exit opportunities for startups as in Silicon Valley.So What Can You Do?Admit that your company's valuation is probably too high. We dramatically lowered our valuation from what we previously pegged it at. Although P/Es are irrelevant for startups, there are also fewer exit and trading opportunities for investors.
Be profitable within the next 6 months. It doesn't matter what stage your business is in, if you can't be profitable within the next 6 months, you'll have a hard time raising money. If your startup is already a few years old, now is the time to make some tough decisions if you're still burning cash.
Add real value to customers right now and bill them for it. Now's not the time to build pie-in-the-sky projects and hope that you'll figure out the business model when you have millions of users (and paying millions for server infrastructure).
Look for investors who will add strategic value. The best investor is someone who's been through what you're going through and in the process built up a team, a brand and a large network of advisors that you can also tap into.Most importantly, don't give up on finding investors just because we're in a recession. There are many people with money looking for good investment opportunities - we sent our investment proposal to just over a dozen people, and have another 4 interested to invest - and investing in a startup could be a better bet than putting money into the stock market.Lifting the Venture Capital Skirt PDF
Click here for my 2009 NetProphet presentation in PDF. (Video to follow)Also see the NetProphet Website and the very active Twitter Stream.The Truth About Natura Rescue Remedy
I've heard a couple of friends and family swear by Natura Rescue Remedy, "for Shock, Anxiety & Sleeplessness". So I thought I'd do a bit of research. Here's what I found: Firstly, let's have a look at the ingredients listed on the Natura website. (The ingredients don't actually matter, but more about that later.)
- Ambra grisea D6
- Banisteropsis caapi Spag D60
- Clematis vitalba (Clematis) aqua inf.
- Helianthemum nummularium (Rock Rose) aqua inf.
- Impatiens glandulifera (Impatiens) aqua inf.
- Melissa officinalis Spag D3
- Moschus moschiferus D6
- Ornithogalum umbellatum (Star of Bethlehem) aqua inf.
- Prunus cerasifera (Cherry Plum) aqua inf.
Ambra grisea.
Natura says: "supports the functioning of the nervous system to treat anxiety, fear, hypersensitivity, shyness and numbness of the body."
Wikipedia says: "biliary secretion of the intestines of the sperm whale ... was used as a fixative in perfumery"Banisteriopsis caapi
Natura says: "helps calm extreme nervous hypersensitivity"
Wikipedia says: Hallucinogenic used by native American tribes and some religious sects. Entheogenic. Clematis
Natura says: "is a flower essence indicated for inability to focus on reality and the present and is useful in the treatment of shock."
Wikipedia says: Essentially toxic. Causes internal bleeding of the digestive track. Despite its toxicity, it was used by Native Americans in small amounts to treat migraines.Rock Rose
Natura says: "is the flower essence that relieves extreme fear and a feeling of panic"
Wikipedia says: "This is a good nectar source for bees"Impatiens glandulifera
Natura says: "acts on the nervous system to relieve irritability, restlessness, hyperactivity and impatience"
Wikipedia says: When crushed has a strong musky odour.Melissa Officinalis
Natura says: "has a carminative and sedative action to help induce restful sleep, prevent insomnia, soothe irritability and help cope with stress and tension."
Wikipedia actually notes one study that did find it may relieve stress, though even the authors of this study state that further research is needed to confirm it.
I say: Don't expect much from this as Natura dilutes this ingredient 1000 times before adding it in with the mix of other ingredients.Moschus moschiferus
Natura says: "acts on the central nervous system to relieve fainting, shock, anxiety and fear."
Wikipedia says: Siberian Musk Deer. Hunted for its musk gland (believed to have aphrodisiac qualities). Classified as a threatened species by CITES.
I say: Now Natura is helping to kill endanged animals! Star of Bethlehem
Natura says: "is the principle flower essence specifically indicated for shock"
Wikipedia says: "The plant is toxic."
Cherry Plum
Natura says: "is a flower essence that acts on the nervous system to treat anxiety and fear"
Wikipedia says: "excellent for jam making"Hopefully by now you've figured out that Natura is trying to fool people and relieve them of their money, rather than their anxiety. Firstly, not a single one of the ingredients has been proven to have any of the effects Natura proclaims. Furthermore, the ingredients are so dilute that they wouldn't have any effect in any case. If you thought that you'd at least get a little bit high from Banisteriopsis caapi as the Native Americans did, think again. It is diluted 1x10^60 times before it's added. This means that there is 1 part of this in every 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 parts of water. That's a pretty big number. Let me try put this another way: It will take 2 billion doses, per second, to 6 billion people, for 4 billion years, to deliver a single molecule to any one patient.
I.e. you haven't a snowball's chance in midsummer to get any effect from Banisteriopsis Caapi.And that ain't the end of it! Hold on to your chair for this one: According to homeopathy principles, the more dilute the solution, the stronger the effects! I kid you not. Now, I know some of you reading this are saying: "But I've tried homeopathy and it works for me!". And this may well be true, because of the Placebo Effect, and of it has indeed been scientifically proven that Placebos do help with symptomatic relief. The question is: How much are you willing to pay for a Placebo?---References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescue_remedyPlease share this article with your friends and family. Even if Rescue might have no effects on your body, the long-term effect on the environment from manufacturing and distribution of these remedies is highly destructive.Entrepreneur Quote of the Day
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.- GoetheSynthasite raises $20 million
Vinny Lingham just announced to the the world that he has raised $20 million for Synthasite, a simple online website building tool. After Twitter, this investment is probably the 2nd largest VC deal since Lehman Brothers hit the fan.TechCrunch has more details, but seems skeptical and questions whether SynthaSite would be able to grow in the "current economic climate". I think this is a silly question. Services such as SynthaSite are perfectly positioned to take advantage of the situation.There may be an economic crisis afoot, but TechCrunch is mistaken if it thinks it means every economically active person is going to go into hiding after being laid-off. There will be many small businesses founded by laid-off workers in the next year. These businesses will need websites, quick! With SynthaSite you can set up a brand new website, choose a professional looking template, add some basic info about your business and even create an online store that automatically integrates with your PayPal account. You can then publish to a synthasite.com subdomain or simply pay $15 to buy a custom domain through SynthaSite. You can literally do all of this within 10 minutes.The other question TechCrunch raises is the Me-Too players in the market. Geez, do they even deserve mentioning? Synthasite has been growing 34% month on month (see compete.com) over the last year, and there's a simple reason for this: Small Town South African born Vinny Lingham is smarter and faster than all the sheltered Stanford kiddies in Silicon Valley combined. Good luck to them though... Disclaimer: Vinny is an investor in Skyrove WiFi Hotspots.Wi-Fi in the Developing World
Joy Tang recently sent me a bunch of interesting links anyone involved with Wi-Fi in the developing world should check out:Wireless Networking in the Developing World (This is a brilliant practical guide everybody should read - h.)
http://wndw.net/Wireless Africa wiki
http://www.fmfi.org.za/wiki/index.php/Wireless_Africa_WorkshopWireless Africa Outcome Mapping Workshop at Winneba Open Digital Village, OVF Ghana
Winneba Open Digital Village wireless mesh set up
Last year (2007) through my role as the VP in a Taiwan OEM for networking equipment, I faciliated the process of making open mesh routers based on open source SW:
http://drupal.airjaldi.com/I am currently part of a force to intiaite Open Hardware. The 2nd conference will be held in Taiwan in March time frame.
http://wiki.openpattern.org/index.php/OpenTechSummitTaiwan2008oneVillage's Open Digital Village network key points:
http://www.opendigitalvillage.net/index.php?title=Main_PagePaintbrush 2.0: MS Paint Clone for Mac OS X
I often need to take a screenshot, crop it and save it to a web-friendly format. In Windows this is a quick and easy process using MS Paint. However, there's nothing bundled with Mac OS that can perform this basic function. (Which is odd, considering they do bundle software that assumes I will start a garage band...)Enter Paintbrush 2.0 by Soggy Waffles Software.
Paintbrush does all the basic things you need:Paintbrush can open and save to most major image formats, including BMP, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, and GIF. Full support for transparency is available for image formats which support an alpha channel (currently PNGs and GIFs). You can also paste images copied from many common Mac applications, including Microsoft Office and Apple iWork.
Best of all, it's entirely free. (Free as in beer, and free as in open: the full source is distributed under the GPL.)Gmail Now Offers Offline Access
Gmail has just become perfect by offering offline access using Google Gears. No longer do you have to download your mails using a separate application for those times you're running around without internet. Best of all, almost all the functionality you could want is there: read it, write it, label it or star it. Once you're connected to to the internet again, Gmail will send all mails in your outbox. I think this makes Gmail qualify as the first fully fledged browser-based email application. I've criticized Google (and others) in the past for overlooking developing countries, but this will be a huge boon to anyone familiar with Flaky Internet Connections in Africa and will further help Google in establishing a global base. Let's hope that 37 Signals and Salesforce.com will also wake up and smell the roses.Demo Video Below (link): -
Henk Kleynhans's Posterous
I am an African. 
