Congrats to Nikki. Well done and well deserved. I think it's good to go to the US, though I think a lot of Aussies forget about home when they go. A bunch don't, like Elias, Alisdair and Adam Broadway (through my personal experience anyway) but I'd like to see a bit more investment back into Australian startups from the US. That will improve things all round.
Mick "True Blue" Liubinskas On Nov 22, 6:02 am, Andrew Roberts <andrew.robe...@ephox.com> wrote: > As an Aussie who moved to the US I would say that the more encouragement > and support we can give for Australian entrepreneurs to move here the > better. I appreciate the patriotism to keep the best and brightest at home, > but I think it is misguided. > > The San Francisco Bay Area is different. You can stay in Australia and be a > big fish in a small pond or come here and be a small fish in a big pond. > The more entrepreneurs we can get learning to thrive in the primordial > swamp of Silicon Valley, the better Australia will be. > > Right now we have less than 100 influential Australians in the tech > community of the Bay Area. That is pathetic and I would love to see that > double within the next 2-3 years. One of the biggest barriers to success > that Australians have is that we are too cautious in making the jump here. > We need to suck it up, come to the big smoke and prove we can make it. > > Australia only loses a relative few tax dollars by another 100 people > residing, often temporarily, overseas. The net benefits to Australia of > having more influential tech entrepreneurs expats has to exceed any lost > tax dollars. As an example, my company (that I founded in Brisbane but now > have the HQ in Palo Alto) employs more than 20 highly paying jobs back > "home". Their collective taxes far exceed in one year the amount of tax I > have paid in my lifetime. A lot of Aussies based here are also angel > investing back in Australia creating yet more jobs. > > Your argument regarding acting is also flawed. Actors are not born with all > of their skills - they need to develop them. Australian actors coming to > Hollywood makes them better actors because they get exposed to the world's > best directors, producers, script writers - even makeup artists. They have > to work harder at their trade to rise above the competition. And the > network matters... the people there help them get to where they want to > go - the agents, the PR people, the older generations of actors who can > mentor them, etc. etc. Working in Hollywood takes them from being merely > good to being great. > > I commend Nikki on everything she is doing but her story is a dime a dozen > over here. There are almost 100 YCombinator startups this 'intake'. And > from previous years' graduates, only a small percent make it. She should be > here for at least the next ten years learning, growing and proving what she > is made of with her current startup, and new ones. Can you imagine her > skills when she returns back to Oz? Or if she stays here, the help she can > provide to the next generation of Aussies trying to make it? > > IMHO, as a community we should be encouraging more Aussies to make the > jump. Australians win almost 5% of the medals at the Olympics ... We should > be aiming to be at least 5% of all funding rounds, YCombinator intake, > 500Startups, etc. > > On Sun, Nov 20, 2011 at 8:17 PM, Jonathan Clarke > <clarke.jonat...@gmail.com>wrote: > > > > > > > > > There seems to be a trend happening in Australian startups. Get into > > an Australian incubator, move to an American incubator, get > > investment from the US, move to the US. > > > What gives? Australia is losing tax dollars as a result, it also is > > losing the future mentors for the next generation. > > > On Mon, Nov 21, 2011 at 3:13 PM, simran <sim...@dn.gs> wrote: > > > Congrats to Niki... :) > > > and me thinks the first smh comment is a troll... > > > I do absolutely love the fact that people are finding success (hopefully > > in > > > the shape and form they are looking for it in), but why our obsession > > with > > > the US? > > > It's almost like an "australian actor is no good till they have made it > > in > > > hollywood"? Perhaps they will have a chance to do bigger and better > > things > > > as the facilities and context is bigger there, but they lose a lot along > > the > > > way... in the same way as nicole kidman is hardly an "australian actor", > > > people that go there will become "american successes", they will take a > > > tinge of australian in them, but they will become every bit the american! > > > i think it's great that people do find that path, but i believe more in > > > those that stick it out here, and really are "australian successes", not > > > "will be considered australian successes iff they succeed in the US in > > their > > > context, in their environment, with their money". > > > signed, > > > (surprised by our obsession with the US!!!) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Silicon Beach Australia mailing list. Vist http://siliconbeachaustralia.org for more Forum rules 1) No lurkers! It is expected that you introduce yourself. 2) No jobs postings. 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