TiEcon 2004 Certainly One Step Ahead

Either the facilities at the Westin Hotel in Santa Clara California have expanded or the once standing room only crowds have thinned over the years due to the economic downturn, but as the annual TiE conference was held again at this location in the technology center of the world called Silicon Valley on May 14-15 2004, one aspect has not changed. In execution, profile and networking, there is as of yet no parallel to this annual gathering of South Asian business aspirants and veterans. It is here that the people with ideas (Entrepreneurs) meet the people with money (Venture Capitalists or VC’s) to form “Win, win” relationships. And any organization that can gather over 3000 people and invite speakers like Ted Turner (founder of CNN), Scott Kreins (Chairman and CEO of Juniper Networks) and Tom Siebel (founder and Chaiman of Siebel Systems) along with Padmasree Warrior SVP and CTO at Motorola and Movie Director (“Elizabeth”) Shekhar Kapur, may lack something somewhere that this reporter is yet to find, but that it is influential is a fact that nobody can doubt.

TiE or The Indus Entrepreneurs (www.tie.org) was founded in California’s Silicon Valley in 1992 and has now grown to 40 Chapters in 9 countries around the world (including Karachi and Lahore, Pakistan). In Silicon Valley the main players here are of Indian origin but Pakistanis and more recently Bangladeshis have been active in TiE over the years. This reporter immediately ran into Sohaib Abbasi a retired Senior VP at Oracle and Nazim Kareemi, President and CEO of “Canesta” at the registration booth. Canesta is a leader in Electronic Perception Technology whose product line includes a literally disappearing computer keyboard.

This year “TiEcon 2004 One Step Ahead” heralded the “Harnessing of Optimism” something that many attendees who have been in Silicon Valley for decades would certainly like to share. The Clinton Presidency saw an unprecedented boom in the Hi-Tech industry. But lately things have not been rosy here and any rekindling of that old optimism is certainly a welcome sign.

Both Scott Kriens whose speech this writer could not attend and Tom Siebel are well known for their business acumen. But what can one say about Ted Turner, a man whose ideas have been a financial success and had a major impact on the world? CNN is now watched around the world, around the globe. And now its charismatic founder is the recipient of TiE’s first Lifetime Achievement Award titled “Entrepreneur Extraordinaire” for his “social entrepreneurship.”

Ted started his keynote speech by reflecting on his struggles during his early years in business but soon followed with some strong anti-war sentiment saying “I’d rather be dead than kill somebody”, a message that one can only hope reaches the White House more sooner than later. He included many humorous one liners including “If you sell your company, don’t expect to stay there.” When Ted was worth 3 Billion Dollars, he donated 1 billion to the United Nations Foundation to promote a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. He is also an avid environmentalist along with being one of the largest ranchers in the United States. “You have to make it before you have the option of giving it away,” he said. He concluded his speech by saying that “Its better to have been a has been, then a never was.”

TiE’s outgoing President Sridar Iyengar and his group needs our commendation for continuing the tradition of TiEcon as a truly international event in both reach and stature. One hopes that the optimism that the Silicon Valley is trying to harness this year continues. In speaking with a diverse group of attendees such as Zoaib Rangwala of G1G.com, Arunima Singhdeo of Naukri.com, J.J. and Roshii from Emirates Airlines, Riaz Haq of Cautella Inc. and Dinesh Chandra to name just a few, one found that this optimism is destined to sustain itself beyond the change of Government in India and possibly the results of the November elections in the United States.