They called it “Silicon Alley,” a clumsy play on words meant to evoke an East Coast urban version of the California place where microchips made fortunes grow and digital devices work. It was a marketing play really, designed to lure public funding and convince established business to locate in New York. But the term was always flawed.
Venture Labor: How Ambition, Technology And Opportunity Trumped The Career Ladder In 1990s New York - Forbes (via fred-wilson)
I have always preferred the term “Digital Skyline”, but alas we got Silicon Alley instead. NYC is not alone however in getting the “Silicon” + “distinctive feature” moniker. Some of the ones I have heard over the years include:
- Silicon Beach - Santa Barbara/Santa Monica
- Silicon Prairie - Various Midwest US cities
- Silicon Forest - Portland, Oregon
- Silicon Tundra - Minnesota; various Canadian cities
- Silicon Slopes - Utah
- Silicon Desert - Arizona
- Silicon Mountain - Tahoe area
- Silicon Hill - Washington, DC
- Silicon Swamp - Florida
- Silicon Gulf - Davos City, Philippines
- Silicon Oasis - Dubai
- Silicon Wadi - Tel Aviv; extends to other parts of Israel
- El Barrio Silicon - Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Silicon Cape - Cape Town, South Africa
- Silicon Dragon - Beijing/Hong Kong; other Chinese cities
- Silicon Plateau - Bangalore, India
As you can see, there are quite a few here and this list is not even getting started with the various other Silicon Valleys circling the globe. Whether they last, I have no idea. It is promising to see the rise in technology entrepreneurship, but these blips have a history of petering out quickly.
Building a culture of innovation and a true technology hub requires more than simply copping a name and having a couple of tech companies. The NYC tech community has begun to outgrow its “Silicon Alley” name to emerge as a real industry with measurable economic impact to the region. The key is not to be another “Silicon Valley” and leverage the strengths inherent in the city and region.
(via fred-wilson)
Source: forbes.com
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