I came to Silicon Valley in 2009 as an expat for a global, world-leading communication company – Ericsson. It was an exciting experience arriving from Swedish culture to Silicon Valley culture, from a technology company that has been around for 140 years to Silicon Valley companies that have been extraordinarily successful and “only” ten or fewer years old. In my first days in Silicon Valley – it all became clear – Silicon Valley is all about innovation.
Globally, Silicon Valley is considered as a cradle for innovation, or as some refer to it as a “vortex” of innovation, talent, and money.Very soon, I asked myself – what differs innovation from inventions? There are many thoughts and smart elaborations on this topic. My take on this subject – you can invent and create many things but to classify invention as innovation, there are two key questions:
First, it has to be “Usefulness,” what issue or problem it can solve? Second, What “Values” proposition does it create?
I have met many creative, innovative entrepreneurs that aspired and started to materialize their ideas. As a member of the Golden Seeds Angel Investment group, I have met many female entrepreneurs. It became clear that women entrepreneurs focus on innovations that are very practical and aim to improve and simplify different aspects of daily life.
Women innovate all over the world, every day, resolving problems and finding ideas and solutions that can improve their lives, businesses and create new values.
We should enable more women around the world to innovate. We should create an innovation platform accessible globally where women could place their ideas, look for similar ideas and solutions, contribute/comment on thoughts that are shared on the innovation platform. By enabling access globally and ideas placed on an open forum, we could create a “hive mind” of innovation where ideas could be evolved by other women that would comment, elaborate existing or similar problems and solutions.
The platform for this global innovation should be called “WomenInnovaWorld.”
Today there are several global and many localized innovation funds for women. Many VCs started looking into bringing more eligible female entrepreneurs into their portfolios. And there is a reason for it – the vast majority of VC investment is going to male-dominated startups.
All global and local funds for women innovation should be connected to “WomenInnovaWorld,” enabling investors and entrepreneurs insights and opportunities to meet over the platform.
Recognition of women entrepreneurship gives positive momentum to engage the global women population into innovation. The results are going to have a global positive effect – better lives for all, better health, new value creation, better education, and the most important – empowered women around the world – and the world becomes a better place for all.
