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As an Australian I always find it bizarre this desire to goto the US when so much untapped opportunity exists in the region. Indonesia (240m), China (1344m), Ja

As an Australian I always find it bizarre this desire to goto the US when so much untapped opportunity exists in the region. Indonesia (240m), China (1344m), Japan (127m), Australia (22m) . All of which have have very little competition in so many areas. I know there is a lot more money in the US but without any connections the only way you're going to get anywhere is by having a proven product. So why not exploit advantages closer to home.

mdkess 14y ago
The heart of the problem is that outside of the US, the software industry just doesn't pay very well. So the people who are interested in tech leave to go to the US, then start companies there, and when these companies are successful, they fund people in the US because that's where they are and the scene that they are familiar with. I'm Canadian, it sucks how much talent the country bleeds, but it's really hard to get critical mass.
jacques_chester 14y ago
As a fellow Australian, I think you've oversimplified. 1. America is a better fit for Australians. We ostensibly speak the same language; thanks to cultural exports we are highly familiar with American popular culture and domestic affairs. 2. There are 15 Americans for every Australian. 3. America has a gigantic middle class. Only mainland Europe is its rival. 4. It's easier to start and run a startup business in the USA than it is in Australia. Capital is much easier to come by, regulations are better suited to startups and you're not a pariah if you fail. Comparing your list: Indonesia and China don't speak English, have highly distinctive cultures from Australia and each other, neither has a middle class that's bigger than the USA's, capital is scarce unless you are politically connected, regulations tend to be based on personal schmoozing rather than impersonal rule of law and they are not tilted to favour small startups. Right now, if you speak English and you want to launch an internet business, the USA is by far and away the most advantageous country to do it in.
- c1oder 14y ago
  If you want to launch mobile internet business, there is lots of opportunities in developing countries. Quess what country leads mobile banking? It's Kenya. Something like 60% of Kenyans have made mobile money transfer. Money transfer via mobile phones has expanded to 16 percent of the total population in sub-Saharan Africa in just few years. Most of the third world people will never get landlines for the last mile, they just skip the whole step and turn wireless. Mobile business in developing countries is just going crazy. Threre has been huge revolution in just few years and it's currently ongoing. I predict that cheap below $100 smartphones will turn the life of hunreads of millions people around in less than five years. They have less money, but they already use mobile phones more innovatively than we do. The main difference in comparision to developing countries seems to be that mobile internet will provide much bigger productivity boost for developing countries than it will do for us. New iPhone app in U.S is nice but it will not turn your life prospects around. Lacking infrastructure (like roads that work in rain season) makes the ability to use mobile Internet more important.
KoulMomo 14y ago
I take exception to your mention of China as a viable market. There's a lot of red tape you need to overcome in order to not only operate in China, but also to get money out of China. It requires a lot of money to be spent on legal fees, as well as connections in China.

mdkess 14y ago

The heart of the problem is that outside of the US, the software industry just doesn't pay very well. So the people who are interested in tech leave to go to the US, then start companies there, and when these companies are successful, they fund people in the US because that's where they are and the scene that they are familiar with. I'm Canadian, it sucks how much talent the country bleeds, but it's really hard to get critical mass.

jacques_chester 14y ago

As a fellow Australian, I think you've oversimplified. 1. America is a better fit for Australians. We ostensibly speak the same language; thanks to cultural exports we are highly familiar with American popular culture and domestic affairs. 2. There are 15 Americans for every Australian. 3. America has a gigantic middle class. Only mainland Europe is its rival. 4. It's easier to start and run a startup business in the USA than it is in Australia. Capital is much easier to come by, regulations are better suited to startups and you're not a pariah if you fail. Comparing your list: Indonesia and China don't speak English, have highly distinctive cultures from Australia and each other, neither has a middle class that's bigger than the USA's, capital is scarce unless you are politically connected, regulations tend to be based on personal schmoozing rather than impersonal rule of law and they are not tilted to favour small startups. Right now, if you speak English and you want to launch an internet business, the USA is by far and away the most advantageous country to do it in.

c1oder 14y ago
If you want to launch mobile internet business, there is lots of opportunities in developing countries. Quess what country leads mobile banking? It's Kenya. Something like 60% of Kenyans have made mobile money transfer. Money transfer via mobile phones has expanded to 16 percent of the total population in sub-Saharan Africa in just few years. Most of the third world people will never get landlines for the last mile, they just skip the whole step and turn wireless. Mobile business in developing countries is just going crazy. Threre has been huge revolution in just few years and it's currently ongoing. I predict that cheap below $100 smartphones will turn the life of hunreads of millions people around in less than five years. They have less money, but they already use mobile phones more innovatively than we do. The main difference in comparision to developing countries seems to be that mobile internet will provide much bigger productivity boost for developing countries than it will do for us. New iPhone app in U.S is nice but it will not turn your life prospects around. Lacking infrastructure (like roads that work in rain season) makes the ability to use mobile Internet more important.

KoulMomo 14y ago

I take exception to your mention of China as a viable market. There's a lot of red tape you need to overcome in order to not only operate in China, but also to get money out of China. It requires a lot of money to be spent on legal fees, as well as connections in China.