Bitspiration 2015- Silicon Valley beyond Tech. What else can you build (Tytus Cytowski )

### Overview In this Bitspiration 2015 presentation, attorney and investor Tytus Cytowski presents an argument that Silicon Valley and San Francisco should not be seen exclusively as the domain of software engineers and technical founders. Drawing an analogy between contemporary Silicon Valley and Renaissance Florence—a capital of ideas, smart people, and capital—Cytowski urges non-technical European entrepreneurs to move to California. He emphasizes that major technology firms and venture capital ecosystems are in search of liberal arts perspectives, humanities backgrounds, and innovative ideas to disrupt massive, traditional non-technical sectors.

### Key Topics Cytowski outlines several key trends driving the demand for non-technical talent and traditional industry disruption: - **The Need for Non-Tech Talent:** Citing Oliver Samwer and Steve Jobs, Cytowski stresses that technical skills alone are insufficient to build large-scale consumer and internet businesses. Significant capital is trapped in non-technical assets and traditional business sectors awaiting transformation. - **Disrupted Non-Tech Sectors:** The talk focuses on four specific non-technical industries ripe for innovation: education, fashion, food, and art. - **Geography and Market Roles:** Cytowski contrasts the US East Coast and West Coast, arguing that Silicon Valley is optimal for pilot testing, early feedback, and product development, whereas the East Coast serves as a platform for broad distribution and marketing.

### Technical Details & Industry Examples Cytowski examines four sectors undergoing technology-led evolution: - **Education:** Traditional educational companies and universities are stagnating due to a lack of data, poor UX, and inadequate transparency. Contemporary ed-tech requires real-time interaction, project-based learning, mobile accessibility, and strong social experiences. Examples cited include Stanford, Google-funded Singularity University, GSV Capital (investors in General Assembly and Coursera), Lynda (acquired by LinkedIn for $1.5 billion), Khan Academy, Udacity, Udemy, and Platzi. - **Fashion:** Despite Silicon Valley's informal reputation, high-margin fashion businesses are adopting personalization, mobile interfaces, and supply-chain efficiencies. Noted entities include Forerunner VC (investing in Warby Parker, Everlane, Bonobos), Stella & Dot, Chubbies, Pinterest as a distribution channel, and incumbent brands like Gap and Levi's struggling with digital transitions. - **Food:** Shifting lifestyles and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors are transforming the food sector through kitchen appliances, delivery networks, and data aggregation. Examples highlighted include grocery delivery platform Instacart (reporting 20% weekly growth), Postmates (reporting 10x annual growth), Yelp, Fooducate, and sensor companies like 6SensorLabs (gluten detection) and Mark One. - **Art:** Highlighting art's role in inspiring technology trends, Cytowski points to Instagram as a bridge between artists and collectors. Silicon Valley tech leaders (Marc Andreessen, Marissa Mayer, Larry Page's wife, Mark Zuckerberg via Facebook's artist-in-residence program) actively invest in art, while platforms like Vango build marketplaces connecting collectors with artists.

### Takeaways & Advice for Founders During the presentation and subsequent Q&A, Cytowski provided tactical advice for European and Polish founders: - **Relocation Mentality:** Success depends on showing up, proactive networking, and adopting a pay-it-forward mindset rather than fixating on the monetary costs of expansion. - **Validation Process:** Founders seeking to establish a presence should first undertake a 'soft approach'—visiting Silicon Valley for feedback and mentorship rather than immediate aggressive fundraising, returning home to iterate on product revisions, and using those mentors for later VC introductions. - **Market Entry Routes:** European companies can enter the US market through three primary paths: prolonged Series A preparation (typically 12–18 months), US accelerators (such as Y Combinator, 500 Startups, Techstars, or Dreamit), or early product-market validation and traction via crowdfunding campaigns like Kickstarter. Dev shops and software houses must specialize heavily (e.g., medical, IoT, or bio-health SaaS) to overcome global outsourcing competition.