by Erick Mott
There is something about the San Francisco Bay Area, and Silicon Valley in particular, that is addictive and rewarding. Sure — we have quakes, high living costs, long lines, congestion, etc. but all that seems trivial when your employer gives you a platform to innovate, help customers and provide well for your family. The Valley has seen its share of good and bad times, and I'm no stranger to extreme swings in the bubble/burst pendulum, but I'd say this region of the world has been good to me, and it's nice to have my entrepreneurial spirit back!
I recently joined Habeas, an early stage Internet company in Mountain View focused on email reputation intelligence and services (SaaS). I'm excited about Habeas because it brings me to a place where I can be creative, wear multiple hats, and work with a small team of committed and talented people that are focused on building a solid company; oh, and they're fun too! Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed and been successful at large companies like Nokia, Sun, Cisco, and Philips. But it occurred to me last week that "small, private and growing" gives me more of what I want as a senior, technology marketer at this stage of my career.
Last week, I had the pleasure of accompanying Des Cahill at the 2007 AlwaysOn Stanford Summit. Des presented in the CEO Showcase, Enterprise segment and then we listened in on a panel with notable VCs and investment bankers. I give the AlwaysOn team, led by Tony Perkins, a thumbs up for the quality of speakers, content, venue, attendees and ideas that one hopes to experience at this type of event. Des and I spoke to a handful of interesting people, and I even ran into a friend from Cantor Fitzgerald, a Florida resident I had dinner with at the Four Seasons Hotel NYC in March 2007.
You never know what's going to happen, or who you're going to connect with, in Silicon Valley. I like it that way.
Your comments, ideas and links?
