lousy company and lousy acer

Whilst this is still high relatively, you can bring up a single server system for about $70, collaboration tools such as google apps for domains, google docs and project hosting services like unfuddle, base-camp etc all mean that for virtually nothing you can put the collaborative infrastructure for a project together for almost nothing, having engineers and product folks spread around the globe is now pretty common, skype and email takes the sting out of the cost of keeping co-ordinated.

Peace!

However another problem came….the recession.

I can’t blame them though. Earning a sure 4000+ USD for them is much better then literally betting on the “house and farm” on a Start-up venture that might fail and melt away their time and money investment with it.

Also Silicon Valley have ADVENTUROUS venture capitalist who are willing to bet millions/billions on startups. I don’t think the Rich in the Philippines would be so daring as they would rather put their money in more traditional businesses.

I think the Philippines have most of the necessary ingridients, but these ones get me:

* horrible infrastructure. Yes, I know that there are places with their own generators, that will survive a nuclear attack; but having routine brownouts and electrical spikes that can bust a toaster is, as you understand, very discouraging.
* developers are frequently treated as “computer guys” who do everything from administration of the local network to system programming. For serious development one needs specialists who spend 100% of their time programming or administrating, not jacks of all trades.
* Some of the software infrastructure, which doesn’t really require a lot of investment, simply doesn’t work. How difficult is it to make sure that emails on a website work? If after 3 attempts all of the emails to a huge telco’s return with “account doesn’t exist” errors, what kind of impression does it make about the company? And why everybody insists on using Yahoo and GMail as their work emails?

However, on the positive side:
* people are extremely accommodating, and willing to learn
* the senior execs are more approachable than in other countries
* the skill level is reasonably high
* people are willing to tinker with things, when it’s not in the books. They don’t have it in India nor in China, and this is IMHO what has primarily built Israeli hi-tech.

1. what’s that?
2. puwede ba yun?
3. no, it can’t be done

there, you could have a niche product or service. No one knows it pa eh.

1995 I setup an ISP, my friends told me, what’s a modem? what’s Internet?

1997 Setup a Network Security company, I sell firewall, businesses says what’s a firewall?

1999 I co-founded a pioneering company that develops mobile content. Some of our contemporary laughs at us, from security to ringtones and wallpaper daw.

Also, there could be parallel thinking but what matters is the execution.

A simple step: Pinoy probloggers using their earnings to hire developers (or do the code themselves!) for apps.

@hip2b2 – ahh, the exit strategy.

@brianb – I know, it’s kinda late but it’s still possible. Spill-overs maybe?

@rogerd – if and when that niche presents itself, someone else might have thought of it already.