An interesting thought developed after reading this and the follow up comments. The ultimate translation of the sentiments in this post is simply to focus your

An interesting thought developed after reading this and the follow up comments. The ultimate translation of the sentiments in this post is simply to focus your efforts on underexploited markets, not some push for greatness in innovation. Most people end up solving problems they see in their daily lives, which do indeed end up being trifles aka first worlds problems etc given the demographic of start up founders. Focusing on serving third world nations or less developed regions can work to enhance their lives, but its simple a shift in market focus, not a real push to further science or be on the cutting edge of innovation. IMO there is nothing particularly innovating about making a sms based service for Kenyan farmers, it's just a clever use-case of existing technology to serve an underexploited market. The reason we have a lull in true innovation is because we have hit a saturation point in the larger realm of technology. There is only so much you can do with computers, the internet, and lastly, smart phones. We're waiting on the next big thing.