The Differences Between the Ecosystems Around the World.

This article is written by Nardine B. M’barek, a Contributor Author at Startup Istanbul.

Mrs. Andrea Barrica is a Venture partner, a pitching coach, and a member of the investors’ company called ‘500 Startup’. She was with us during Startup Turkey 2016, she talked to us about the company for whom she works. She also described to us how satisfied and happy she is with her job since she has the possibility to travel all over the world to see each country’s emerging markets. During her speech, she also talked to our audience about what she learned the most while being a Venture partner in 500 Startup. 

When she visits other countries and meet other entrepreneurs, most of them would be asking Mrs. Barrica about how their ecosystem compares to the one existing in Silicon Valley, and how do entrepreneurs in their ecosystem compare to other entrepreneurs everywhere else. The first thing that Mrs. Barrica has learned during the first year that she spent with 500 Startup is that entrepreneurs are great everywhere, no matter from which country they are, or which field they are actually working in.

Every entrepreneur has talent and can develop the ability to make a change. She also believes that the thing that all entrepreneurs have in common is that everyone is delusional and crazy, everyone has a big dream that could change the world if only it is achieved, and almost everywhere in the world, there are groups of people who are there trying to solve the problems that the world is currently going through, and trying to make a significant amount of change for the community.  

As for the differences that we can notice between these ecosystems, Mrs. Barrica states that Tolstoy best described it when he said that “ all happy families are alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way”. She believes that the same saying could describe entrepreneurs and ecosystems as well. The things that make every startup business amazing and successful are without any doubts, entrepreneurs.

The people who spend night and days working really hard in order to make that startup as successful as they want it and expect it to be. On the other hand, the way an ecosystem is not that amazing, and still needs work could be a huge help to the global ecosystem as a whole. 

Issues that an ecosystem could go through vary from the lack of mentorship and operators, to the fear of risks and failure, the lack of experienced investors, and some infrastructure problems to start with. People talk about how amazing Silicon Valley is, and how successful are the entrepreneurs there.

But, it is one of the fewest ecosystems in the world where you could go out there and establish a company, raise funds and get investors, but then end up failing and finding yourself getting funds again from other investors. They will write you a check again because there is this culture that accepts failure as being part of the entrepreneurial field instead of preventing that entrepreneur from trying again and succeed. 

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