<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif;font-size:12pt"><div style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; ">Hi,</div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; "><br></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">We are getting lost in </font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif">rhetoric, I would advice all of us to watch the following documentaries</font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3"><br></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new
roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">1. Triumph of the Nerds: The Birth of accidental entrepreneurs </font></div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>2. Google: behind the screen</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>3. Social Media</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>4. Google Documentary (<a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1508211417393454786#">http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1508211417393454786#</a>)</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>5. The Evolution of Facebook (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp5y5ifxfvU">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xp5y5ifxfvU</a>)</div><div><span
class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>6. Search the web for many other documentaries</div><div><br></div><div>This will give you an insight into how we can go from being a talk shop and baby cries and get down to doing some serious productive work.</div><div><br></div><div>Without fear I will repeat what I commented previously "money follows great ideas; period". I also like a comment from a Google employee, in one of the documentaries, "Google is an extension of college"</div><div><br></div><div>Regards</div><div><br></div><div><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3"> </font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">Robert Yawe</font><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">KAY System Technologies Ltd</font><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new
roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">Phoenix House, 6th Floor</font><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200</font><br><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif" size="3">Kenya</font><br><br><div style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; ">Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696<div><br></div><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><br><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:13px"><font size="2" face="Tahoma"><hr size="1"><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">From:</span></b> Agosta Liko <agostal@gmail.com><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cc:</span></b> KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke><br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Sat, 11 June, 2011 19:48:06<br><b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: [kictanet] Kenya's "Silicon Savannah" to challenge India on IT<br></font><br>Joseph,<br><br>Private sector players have found a way to grow their businesses and<br>there are success stories anywhere where the founders were focused and<br>executed.<br><br>3 years ago, we said internet is a problem, at that time, people had<br>setup 50+ seat call centers ...<br><br>2 years ago, the talk was capacity building, certification and how to<br>prepare the natives.<br><br>Now, everyone is talking about lack of access to capital... And I am<br>seeing everyone become or want to become an incubator.<br><br>Can we have a sitting as private sector players and chart the course<br><br>Also.. I don't see Bretton Woods, worldbank etc coming to help...<br><br>Thanks<br><br>On 6/11/11, Joseph
McDonald <<a ymailto="mailto:mcdonaldoj@gmail.com" href="mailto:mcdonaldoj@gmail.com">mcdonaldoj@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> The local IT community need to work more closely and with collaboration,<br>> look at problems and lobby the government, because technology is not about<br>> programming and coding only or having web this and that or mobile this and<br>> that. It is addressing a national or global problem by enriching life to<br>> make it more efficient. Having said that IT people cannot work in isolation<br>> they need to work with Business Planners, Business Model Specialist, Product<br>> Managers and Marketers specialist,Investors,Value Chain Specialist, Lawyers<br>> etc.so ihub should also allow other non-IT people into the hub.<br>><br>> I know there has been lots of debate on Investors and funding, if the<br>> funding from Bretton Woods and the government is not forthcoming how about<br>> people who
have made their careers and riches through IT, if people who have<br>> made all their careers and riches in IT can not support others then who<br>> will? I know of many IT companies owned by people in this list who make<br>> between 24-75 million USD a year.e.g Craft Silicon has made 10 billion in<br>> the last 10 years, MJ, Seven Seas, East Africa Capital Partners etc have the<br>> resource and clout to start venture capital or act as angel investors. As<br>> insiders if they made a deliberate effort to support other young and<br>> upcoming innovators we can head somewhere. Silicon Valley was largely built<br>> by networks of people and companies whose interlocking relationships help to<br>> spawn new start-ups e.g. After selling Paypal for 1.5 billion USD to eBay,<br>> its founders and alumni have helped both financially and intellectually to<br>> start up numerous internet start-ups e.g. Yelp, Youtube, LinkedIn,
Slide,<br>> Room9Entertainment, Spacex among others. So much that in October 17 2006 NY<br>> times run a story called It Pays to have Pals at Paypal.<br>><br>><br>><br>> The government also has a very important role; they can create an enabling<br>> environment especially to protect the ideas through effective and efficient<br>> copy right laws and patenting system, creating subsidies for research etc<br>> the government can also give more business to local IT companies, and<br>> fundamentally the government need to streamline our educational systems so<br>> that we can have 16-25 year olds who are ready to go into innovation and<br>> venture into business. India is reaping from the decisions their government<br>> made in 1948 by setting up Business and Technology institutions in every<br>> major city. The government is making efforts through building the<br>> techno-parks etc techno-park is good but is it a
real estate investment or<br>> an investment to spur ICT growth? As a-country we need to assess our place<br>> in the global IT value chain, we need to find out what we are good at and<br>> can do better than everyone else. China, Malaysia and Taiwan used their<br>> population to offer cheap labour, India used excess bandwidth to set-up call<br>> centers, America is good at marketing etc<br>><br>><br>><br>> Having said that I think that the debates are healthy because it shows<br>> people are genuinely worried and are ready to take action.<br>><br>><br>> On Fri, Jun 10, 2011 at 10:22 PM, Agosta Liko <<a ymailto="mailto:agostal@gmail.com" href="mailto:agostal@gmail.com">agostal@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>><br>>> Mark<br>>><br>>> I can't agree more on an easy api to enable Kenyans to pay on the<br>>> phone....<br>>><br>>> This would be a killer app<br>>><br>>> On
6/10/11, Mark Mwangi <<a ymailto="mailto:mwangy@gmail.com" href="mailto:mwangy@gmail.com">mwangy@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>>> > These wonderful stories are just that. Stories. I know Dr. Ndemo will<br>>> start<br>>> > calling me unpatriotic and negative but I stand my ground. We are not<br>>> > America and we are not India and so attempting to replicate the same<br>>> model<br>>> > is rather unimaginative. I believe we should focus our efforts with<br>>> models<br>>> > that work here.<br>>> > Instead of introducing a Visa card that can be loaded via mpesa, push<br>>> local<br>>> > developers to develop a secure API that allows for easy payment online<br>>> via<br>>> > phone. Make the phone number the unique identifier e.t.c<br>>> ><br>>> > We don't want to be Bangalore. We want a Kenyan Identity cultivated here<br>>>
not<br>>> > by a western journalist.<br>>> ><br>>> > Making grand announcements and mentions in articles allover does not<br>>> develop<br>>> > the tech scene. I am smelling a tech bubble. Lots of talk, very little<br>>> > on<br>>> > the ground.<br>>> ><br>>><br>>> --<br>>> Sent from my mobile device<br>>><br>>> _______________________________________________<br>>> kictanet mailing list<br>>> <a ymailto="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br>>> <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a><br>>><br>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at<br>>> <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mcdonaldoj%40gmail.com"
target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mcdonaldoj%40gmail.com</a><br>>><br>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform<br>>> for<br>>> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and<br>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT<br>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and<br>>> development.<br>>><br>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors<br>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,<br>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do<br>>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.<br>>><br>><br><br>-- <br>Sent from my mobile device<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>kictanet mailing list<br><a
ymailto="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br><a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a><br><br>Unsubscribe or change your options at <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/robertyawe%40yahoo.co.uk" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/robertyawe%40yahoo.co.uk</a><br><br>The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.<br><br>KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge,
don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.<br></div></div></div><div style="color: black; font-family: 'times new roman', 'new york', times, serif; font-size: 12pt; position: fixed; "></div>
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