Startups in the Real World
Got an invitation for a World Bank Board of Directors meeting which was held in Kyiv. I already have a great experience taking part in such events and was pretty sure that it will be a casual gathering of active venture players and startups. Therefore, without a second thought about dress code, I got to the meeting place in my favorite jeans and sneakers. To my surprise, it appeared to be a formal event which brought together chairmen of big international companies. My casual style was out of line but when I tried to explain myself, the head of IFС in Ukraine said: ¨No worries. We were waiting for you to come as you feel comfortable, not as it is expected by dress code¨.
Shortly, our roundtable discussion focused on the possible reforms which can stimulate the economy. Someone asked the question about the priority of anti-corruption activities or the land reform. Somehow the microphone appeared in my hands. I explained my point of view saying that we — IT people are living in a bit different dimension of reality. The reality where we don’t experience corruption and where the land reform is not affecting our productivity. Our priority is to have less SSU (Security Service of Ukraine) inspections and more transparent conditions for international cooperation and activity.
After that phrase, one of the board members showed his strong disapproval by commenting that the innovative sector is holding on a general reality and we cannot live apart from the rest of the world.
The atmosphere suddenly changed, someone tried to smooth the situation, others were trying to focus the discussion on the different subject. I got a bit nervous. However, a guest from the UK who was sitting next to me smiled and whispered that I should explain better my position. So I take the microphone once again, all eyes on me and I say: “Certainly, we all sit at this table and enjoy the food which methods of production have not changed a lot over the past 100 years. Moreover, we would not even be able to gather here if the farmers stopped doing their business. However, at the same time, we used an email to receive the invitation to this event and communicate with each other. We also actively used messenger users and needed a GPS navigator to get to the restaurant. Business is about growth, efficiency, competition. In order to achieve these goals, we need to invest in research and technology. Also, do not forget about the economic effect which can be noticed when looking at the capitalization of the top 5 public companies”.
One of the most active players of the agricultural sector in Ukraine continued after me. He said with a smile that his company uses three Ukrainian tech products, which significantly increased the company’s efficiency in recent years. And that our task is to further integrate innovations into the real sector because this is the best way to win the competition. All the guests gave him a round of applause. The discussion ended on a high note. It was nice to realize that two opposing points of view, as a result, can lead to synergy.
After finishing our dinner we embraced each other and decided to capture the moment in a photo taken by one of our smartphones.
Just at the end of the event, I learned that I had a debate with the head of the World Bank of 10 countries in South and Central America.
Friends, just wondering, what is your point of view on this real sector vs tech sector discussion? To which reality belongs your business?
Cheers!
