The Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship Model Can be Toxic, Fortunately There are Other Models

Great ideas regarding entrepreneurship come out of Silicon Valley.  After all, it is one of the key centers of innovation-driven entrepreneurship, however, the product is often specific to that context.  The entrepreneurial process should be studied.  You can learn from anyone, but it should not be thought of as unassailable or the only way.

In fact, I have seen firsthand that when Silicon Valley Entrepreneurship models like “Blitzscaling” (it is not the only one!) are transported to other regions, they can be toxic to the entrepreneur. Fortunately, there are other models, and they need to be taken seriously for entrepreneurs and regions that do not have the resources of Silicon Valley, which is just about every place else in the world (even within Silicon Valley).

In this light, I was ecstatic to see a new piece of work, released by brothers Ben Hallen and Ed Hallen, called “The Mighty Middle” which is a new model that is relevant to many entrepreneurs across diverse regions. Ben, a highly accomplished academic in the field of entrepreneurship, graduated from University of Virginia, holds a PhD from Stanford, and is currently a Dempsey Endowed Professor at the University of Washington.  His brother, Ed, is a seasoned practicing entrepreneur who co-founded Klaviyo and co-led it for 13 years – it is now a publicly traded company worth over $7.5 billion. This is a fabulous partnership of research and practice, which we need to see more of.

In their Harvard Business Review article and in a LinkedIn Post by Will Rush, an entrepreneur who is actively practicing, they illustrate a noble and appropriate entrepreneurial path accessible and adaptable to all. This approach would build stronger regional, national, and global economies.  In my mind, it is very clear that it would also create a more harmonious society due to a decrease in income inequality and economic fluctuations – imagine that! So many benefits. And, there is a good rough analogy for this model which has created enormous value and has been the foundation of the German economy for decades—”Middelstands”.

Entrepreneurship is a mindset, skill set, and way of operating that should not be confined to only one journey. Every entrepreneurial journey is unique, embodies a variety of different species, which is a positive aspect to the process. We need to have more than one model for entrepreneurship. We can do this and we will do this!