Comments for Wanted: 5 Startups To Change the World

Wanted: 5 Startups To Change the World

2008-04-29T22:40:29Z

Umair Haque is a smart guy. He studied neuroscience at McGill, did an MBA and econ/strategy research with Gary Hamel at London Business School, and began working towards a PhD in strategy and innovation at Oxford in 2004. He also founded Bubblegeneration, a consultancy that studies the economics of consumer-facing industries. Haque is now the Director of the Havas Media Lab, which advises entrepreneurs, investors, and firms with "craft, and drive radical management, business model, and strategic innovation." He also thinks Web 2.0 is full of crap.

]]> The Challenge

OK, Haque didn't actually use the phrase, "full of crap," but he may as well have. On a recent post on his blog at the Harvard Business Publishing web site, he calls out the so-called web revolutionaries of today, referring to them as:

"sheep in wolves' clothing...lost in the economically meaningless, in the utterly trivial, in the strategically banal: mostly, they're cutting deals with one another to...try and sell more ads. That is, when they're not too busy partying."

He continues to say that today's investors and startups are more interested in these deals and making money and not in anything that is so-called world changing. And he's not going to take it anymore.

Haque then issues an open challenge to Silicon Valley: find a problem to fix that will change the world for the better and he will help you do it.

His help will come in the form of free consulting time. Putting his money where his mouth is, Haque promises to take time away from setting up his lab to advise five startups, funds, or companies that he thinks have the most potential.

Perhaps serving as motivation for this idea, if not inspiration, Haque references Tim O'Reilly's speech at the Web 2.0 Expo (which we covered here, liveblogging style). O'Reilly's message was "not to follow the headlines" and the hot consumer apps, but go after "big, hard problems."

Does Web 2.0 Lack Innovation?

Those were harsh words by Haque...but are they accurate? Is Web 2.0 just a little self-obsessed? Are we wasting just a bit too much of our time throwing zombies at each other, watching YouTube videos, and posting ego-boosting tweets to revel in our 140 characters of micro fame to care about any big ideas?

Or is the problem even deeper than that? Jeff Nolan of NewsGator, for one, is concerned that all the money in the Valley is being funneled into businesses that are only offering incremental improvements over their predecessors. Sure, some will make it, he says, but only "a rare few" will find great success.

And while the VCs continue to fund startups in hopes one will be the "next Twitter," the real question remains unanswered. Nolan writes,

"What’s frightening is the inability to answer the basic question “What’s next?” The Valley thrives on “The New New Thing” (possibly one of the most poignantly titled books ever) and with every turn of a generation, there is an awkward moment where we’re just figuring out where we’ve been but have yet to see where we are going… Right now is that moment."

Tom Foremski of ZDNet agrees with Nolan, adding:

"Incremental innovation just won’t cut it...innovation has to be disruptive otherwise it won’t succeed, because there is little incentive to change."

So, will Haque be advising the next new thing, the disruptive technology which actually makes an impact on the world in a way that tweets never will?

We certainly hope so. However, in the meantime, we'll be tuned into Haque's blog, where he promises to post more about how these problems can begin to be solved in the coming days.

Comment from Bam Azizi on 2008-04-29

2008-04-29T23:55:18Z

i have several ideas under development which i have funded my self, (they are my own ideas with my own money)

one of my projects is going to change internet,

the other will change banking

another will change the financial market

but guess what i won't release a bit of information about any of them, this is a trick for people with money to get their hands on your ideas. we are living in an age where ideas rule money,

DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR IDEAS!!!

Comment from Workpost on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T01:06:08Z

Anybody want to change the way people find work on the Internet and beyond? With a few exceptions, the whole concept of classifieds, job boards and work sites is pretty stale and hasn't changed much. Craigslist is still the among the best ways to find work and workers and they haven't had to innovate much since 1997. Everybody knows the process could be made better, easier and more efficient but few people really know how to accomplish this.

Generally, progress IS only being made in incremental steps and that is a problem. For startups and especially first startups, it's exceedingly difficult to imagine, finance and build bold, disruptive technologies.

Maybe in the next wave, in the "read-write-semantic-web3.0-mobile-ai-revolution", more answers will become clear.

If there's anyone out there interested in fixing and improving how people find "work" using the Internet, you can find us at Workpost.com. It's no secret that we want to take the concept of "work classifieds" to a higher level.

And to Mr. Azizi, don't give up your ideas but make sure you follow through with as many as you can. Good luck.

Comment from Vida Mas on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T01:33:53Z

I personally value all those who understand the power of the Web and are frustrated with what is going on - enormous amount of resources wasting away making no difference in the state of our economy and other issues that truly matter.

I am also familiar with Umair Haque and "bubblegeneration" and am glad he is both speaking up and taking initiative towards a long overdue endeavor.

Creative application of Web technologies can remove major social and economic barriers. In fact, right now this is our only hope and ironically solutions are far simpler than we think.

It really is time to get real.

Comment from rick on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T01:45:20Z

Of course he's right. How many photo sharing, social bookmarking, video sharing sites have been funded in the last few years? But...

1) VCs don't fund the next company to change the world they fund the next company to hit it big economically. Those CAN be the same thing... but let's face it VCs care about the latter FAR more than the former.

2) not every company HAS to have 'change the world' as it's motivation. While the Nth iteration of a concept is a waste, some things are small by nature (chicagocrime.org) or evolutionary by their nature (Yelp, Citysearch). There's nothing wrong with doing something useful if you're amoung the first to do it. If you're defining yourself as a 'better X' though, you might want to look at something else.

Comment from Kishor on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T02:09:46Z

Hariq is somewhat correct, we are building apps that target more and more people and keep them engaged. If this time was invested in something important, world would be so much better.

Comment from omfut on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T03:10:23Z

Hariq is in a way right about some of the startups that are playing the me too game. And talking about twitter, its spot on. I guess it has become a tool for some ego famiac individuals who want to flaunt their popularity.
Coming back to hariq's intentsion, off late i have been hearing too many individuals or organizations that want to help entreprenurs get their ideas to next level. I dont think these people are willing to spend time for nothing. Honestly i dont know hariq's intention, but im tired of hearing this shit from many people. If you want to get someone's idea to next level, does it mean these individuals dont have idea of their own. Is this the new trend to get your hands on the next big idea

Cheers,
omfut

Comment from Mac Flash on 2008-04-29

2008-04-30T05:34:22Z

CHANGE THE WORLD? Forget computers! education is a good start! Sorry when I read this I figured ha... I have an idea!

How about educating the masses about how to make money not how to be employed!
Also educate the masses to think about what people in power are actually doing to the planet and to your children's minds through media and education!
Even educate the masses on how to have a good relationship with their family? hehe sounds too simple right, but You would get shot quickly for trying any of the above!

Comment from B. Chandra on 2008-04-30

2008-04-30T07:05:38Z

It depends on what you define as Web 2.0. Is Yelp crap? Try telling that to the 8M people who visit every month and rely on it, instead of the yellow pages, to choose which businesses to patronize. Digg? It has replaced editorial selection of the news with crowdsourcing. When you change something as fundamental as who determines what's news, that is transformational. Of course there are a glut of frivolous companies- every technology expansion has an onrush of ideas- some great, some mediocre, some were probably best left on the napkin they were conceived on. Haque has wonderful credentials, I just wonder if having first-hand entrepreneurial experience would be more useful in this context than having a "PHD in strategy and innovation".

Comment from Mircea on 2008-04-30

2008-04-30T10:00:44Z

One chinese saying:
------------------
Who talks too much doesn't know too much...and the reverse.
------------------

Having PhDs helps but it's not mandatory to change the world (citing "PHD in strategy and innovation")...

Comment from Jason Kolb on 2008-04-30

2008-04-30T15:14:38Z

"but guess what i won't release a bit of information about any of them, this is a trick for people with money to get their hands on your ideas. we are living in an age where ideas rule money,

DO NOT GIVE UP YOUR IDEAS!!!"

Good luck with that. If your ideas are innovative enough you will have to beat people over the head with them, I wouldn't worry about anyone stealing them.

Comment from Peter on 2008-04-30

2008-04-30T16:58:58Z

Check back tomorrow to see all the relevant and useful things that Umair Haque has accomplished thus far in his life!

Oh, wait...

Comment from Marc on 2008-05-01

2008-05-01T07:01:16Z

Peter,
His accomplisments are ones that get people thinking, get people to pull their head out of their ass, open their minds to new ideas etc and not necessarially directly relational to "ive created x number of companies and made x amount of $$".

Comment from Alberto Nardelli on 2008-05-01

2008-05-01T09:13:19Z

Having read Umair's post (and having followed him now, on both Bubblegeneration and on the Harvard blog) for quite some time now, I think a key point is being missed.

Umair is not saying that Web 2.0 is lame, but quite the opposite (who has followed him for a while, knows that he actually has written positively of both Twitter and YouTube for example): Web 2.0 economics (communities, markets and networks) can be radically disruptive and generate great impact. The point is not about what will the next big thing be, but the very defintion of what is big and revolutionary: investors aren't supporting deep innovations and economics, and the spotlight of (most, RWW is often an exception, hence you covering this story) coverage is not on such innovations.

This leads to a vicious cycle within which, for example, talented people focus more on what is needed to get investment and coverage, and less on purpose.

Here's another open challenge to innovators in the UK: UnLtdWorld is the social media partner of the Catalyst Awards: http://ukcatalystawards.com/ - a recently launched scheme designed to recognize and award initiatives and ideas for projects which are changing, or potentially can change, communities, or the world, for the better.
If you're running a project, or have an idea, then apply to Catalyst for an opportunity to not only be recongized and awarded, but potentially also receive support for the project or idea (Catalyst is in fact partnering with several agencies that resource, with grants and support, social entrepreneurs, innovators and projects).

Comment from anonymous on 2008-05-01

2008-05-01T11:50:28Z

"His accomplisments are ones that get people thinking, get people to pull their head out of their ass, open their minds to new ideas etc and not necessarially directly relational to "ive created x number of companies and made x amount of $$"."

To give People Hope.

Comment from Bam Azizi on 2008-05-01

2008-05-01T14:29:49Z

we have a paradox here, between changing the world for the better and making it BIG

"if it doesn't change the world the i won't hit it big"

"if it doesn't make it big it won't change the world"

what is this obsession with changing the world or making it big!!!! who gives a crap about VCs, In the first comment of this post, which was mine, i was being sarcastic towards the stupidity of this community.

don't change the whole world, just focus on a tiny bit of it but make it great for all of us, it is only together that can we change the world!!!

Comment from Adam Greene on 2008-05-01

2008-05-02T03:16:50Z

This is how it always goes; big money chases after the ideas that everyone is talking about right now, but not the ideas that are starting to percolate and are hidden from the spotlight. The same goes with observations like this. Unless you are in the thick of it, you'll be looking at the same hot-topic material as everyone else.

There is plenty of cool stuff going on out there, and its time in the spotlight will come.

Comment from Morten Skogly on 2008-05-02

2008-05-02T19:27:19Z

Ideas I belive in:

1. Anything that uses the web to connect people to each other in a physical location, any service that makes it as easy to approach people on the street etc as it is on Twitter or Facebook. There are heaps of services that touches on this field, but not many that works or have enough members to make it work. So maybe there is room for a service that connects it all, and shows you on a mobile map where people who are open to "hellos" are. It could be a facebook app (facebook has 1 million members in Norway, of 4.7 million inhabitants). Your mobile phone would simply broadcast itself with a "hello, talk to me" to a google map or a perhaps bluetooth. A cross between facebook, twitter and friendfeed, but with the purpose of connecting physical beings in a physical location.

2. A web based service that lets you record video from any television channel. It makes no sense for everyone to own their own PVR/TIVO/Mediacenter and record to disk at home, when you could do it sentralized and distribute it at night. The business model is like this: 10 gb storage for free, if you are too lazy to delete, or simply want to keep things online longer, you pay extra. Everything you program to record is automatically downloaded to your harddrive if you want to. The gold: You get access to EVERY channel on the planet. I wanted to create this in 1998, but never got around to it, and never will, so you can have that idea :)

3. 24/7 live streaming video from your mobile device, which exists today, but with a few twists: 1) a small sensor analyses your brain-response to what you see or hear, and anything that creates an "unusual" reponse is indexed and flagged for later. 2) it also has a built in visual "thesaurus" (think wikipedia meets the terminator), that can look up information on your surroundings in semi-realtime. So if you wanted to know wether or not to eat that delicious-looking red mushroom with the white dots, the system could advice you not to. Did you know that american kids can identify 1000 products before they start school, but only know the name of 10 local plants (according to the movie The 11th hour)?

4. A google earth for the body.

Comment from Girish on 2008-05-04

2008-05-04T17:35:37Z

A similar thought process led me to start lytecube.com a non web 2.0 startup, I feel that the world needs more real world solutions than web candy. Good to know that so many of us exist!

Comment from Paul Edwards on 2008-05-04

2008-05-04T23:58:02Z

Whilst I agree that disruptive innovation is where the big bucks can be found, that doesn't invalidate other good ideas that are fun and also make money. And I might add, that money need not always be the driver. What about ideas that have a social or environmental benefit?

At Bookhabit.com we established a community site for readers and writers that enables authors to find a global audience for their unpublished work. We accept that it is not the only game in town, but as avid readers and writers ourselves, we'd like to think we have differentiated the service by taking a community approach and eschewing confusing add-ons like ads for unrelated products.

Incremental progress may not be as sexy, but it is still progress.

Comment from Alex on 2008-05-07

2008-05-07T09:20:00Z

I would an application, where i can together the huge heap of information that come from day to day (email, rss, twitter, etc.). Now I use a laptop and many programs. I tried Google (gmail, reader...) but not the best. I have some old email (i cant change to gmail).

Comment from Brendan Dunphy on 2008-05-09

2008-05-09T14:39:57Z

The 'next big thing' lay not be in Silicon Valley, the USA or a VC's office but in India, China and Brazil, where the needs and rewards are greatest, however we choose to measure them. In these markets the mobile rules today but the Internet will slowly follow. When it achieves mass (50% penetration by 2015?) we will witness a groundswell of meaningful and profitable innovation unlike the pointless flotsom of web 2.0.