
The only reason Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory moved to Mountain View, Californian (also where Google has its headquarters) is because William Shockley moved there to be close to his ailing mother, who lived in nearby Palo Alto.īy the late 1950s, the nascent semiconductor industry was headquartered in Silicon Valley, through a combination of government policy and private individuals making their own decisions. Two of the earliest such graduates were named William Hewlett and David Packard, after whom the now gigantic computer manufacturer Hewlett-Packard is named.Īnd sometimes luck was involved. It also helped that nearby Stanford University always had a strong engineering program that encouraged its graduates not only to become innovators and stay in the area to build out their businesses.
#WHERE IS KARACHI SOFTWARE#
Some of the world’s first radio companies were created in San Jose and Palo Alto, cities that are now more commonly known as the headquarters of software and internet companies. Somewhat by coincidence, in the early 20 th century, the area also became a hub for research and development by the United States Navy, particularly when it came to communications technology. Hence, the area always had an appeal to people who were willing to risk tremendous odds for the chance at monumental wealth. The San Francisco Bay Area originally became populated as a result of the Gold Rush of 1849, when people from all over the United States rushed to the area after an initial discover of gold in the area in 1848.

Silicon Valley began in part through a combination of historical accident and purposeful decisions on the part of both private entities and the United States government.

To understand why having a tech startup cluster even matters, it helps to look at the original cluster and how it came to be so dominant. Silicon Valley: what is it and why clustering matters Is there a similar clustering effect in Pakistan? The answer to that question is yes, though with a few caveats. They represent elevated expectations.īut whereas once the phrase Silicon Gali was only occasionally – and usually not seriously – used, there is now no doubt that Pakistan has a vibrant enough startup scene that needs a name, much like Silicon Valley in the United States.īut where exactly is Silicon Gali ? The heart of the US tech industry is unquestionably in the corridor of erstwhile sleep California towns between San Francisco and San Jose. The complaints, in other words, are a sign of progress. Because five years ago, Pakistan’s startup scene were the beggars who did not dare dream of palaces, but were grateful for any crumbs from the rich man’s table. But here is what those people complaining to you won’t notice: five years ago, they would not even have thought about complaining about any of these things.

Talk to any Pakistani entrepreneur or venture capitalist attending 021Disrupt, and you will hear that litany of complaints about what Pakistan lacks and what Silicon Valley has. And this is before we even get into things like an enabling legal and accounting infrastructure, effective networking and mentorship opportunities, and other avenues of the kind of collaborative competition that defines the startup culture in Silicon Valley. The number of startup incubators can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and the number of coworking spaces and service providers to startups is very limited. The country got its very first venture capital fund last month. It is no secret that Pakistan’s technology startup ecosystem leaves much to be desired. While much of the country continues to muddle on as though nothing much has changed, a few bold dreamers dare to envision a country that is different: more optimistic, more future-oriented, more technology-friendly, more connected. Something different is afoot in Pakistan, and if you know where to look and where to be, you can feel it.
