Sarah Lacy at Big Omaha 2011 – Thursday, May 12, 2011
Today we’re pleased to share with the you the third video in our Big Omaha 2011 Video Series, brought to you by CoSentry.
In the video above, Sarah shares her experiences with emerging entrepreneurs from around the world, which she documented over the last few years for her book, “Brilliant, Cocky, Crazy: How the Top 1% of Entrepreneurs Profit from Global Chaos.”
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In her talk, Sarah said that the greatest barrier to innovation is making excuses. On this point, she shared two key lines with the attendees: “Every time you think you can’t do this in Omaha, think of these people.” And, “You guys have every bit as much of an opportunity to build things here as we do [in Silicon Valley] because everything is being turned on its head.” That is the energy and message we want to resonate with the broader community here.
To read a recap of Sarah’s talk, see our post:
“Big Omaha – Sarah Lacy: ‘Every time you think you can’t do this in Omaha, think of these people’ “
Sarah’s participation in this year’s event was especially memorable for us as the vision for Big Omaha came as a result of her 2008 book tour stop in Omaha. When she visited, the feedback she shared about her experience caused us to pause and realize that there was great power in connecting individuals not only online through Silicon Prairie News, but offline through events and gatherings.
From Sarah’s blog post, “UGBT: ‘I (Steak) Omaha!’ Also, ‘Des Moines HELL YEAH!’ ”
Silicon Valley is what it is because of decades of constructing a unique cultural primordial soup of entrepreneurship. You don’t just wave a magic wand full of economic development dollars to recreate that. Instead, Omaha is looking at what it has– a different culture of innovation, very low costs of living, and a creative class– and trying to build a community that will support anyone who has a good idea and the stomach to try to start something. In other words, these are not simply people looking for a self-interested economic bounce. They live and breathe the Web 2.0 movement, are excited by it, and want to jump in.
It was through this encouragement, and the energy that she found in Des Moines that same book tour, that led to the genesis of Big Omaha as we know it!
Please send your thanks to Sarah Lacy on Twitter, @sarahcuda, and let her know how much you enjoyed her time at Big Omaha (and invite her back when the little Lacy bambino is born)!
Big Omaha is Silicon Prairie News’ premier annual event held each May to inspire, educate and connect entrepreneurs, especially those with an interest in the tech industry. Visit BigOmaha.com to learn more.
Next up: Thinc Iowa. If you enjoyed Big Omaha, then you’ll want to be the first to know about Thinc Iowa, an event aimed at exploring the common ground between startups and corporations. Sign up to be the first to learn more at thinciowa.com.
