Insights and ideas

Explore thought-provoking perspectives from my long-running entrepreneurial blog.

The link between cultural complexity and innovation

Prof Cesar Hidalgo of MIT recently argued that a country’s level of economic complexity (and therefore wealth) is linked to

SA is winning the currency war

(tongue in cheek post)   Many publications are reporting that the USA has started a global currency “war” by printing

3 reasons why teams fail

3 reasons why teams fail   I’ve just finished a short executive education course during which we had the obligatory

How the middle class affects political unrest

Ishac Divan of the Harvard Centre for International Development has an interesting theory on the cause of the Egyptian revolution.

3 keys to maximising collaboration between people

  The people must get along at a personal level. There must be a common language. Collaboration is maximized amongst

Start-ups vs Government on innovation

Comparing tech start-ups and the government is strange, I know. Nevertheless, having just finished a short course on economic development,

Using economic theory for innovation in your company

This post is an adaption of a theory know as The Product Space used by Hidalgo & Haussmann to describe economic complexity

3 reasons government should pay attention to big business

 Dear government,   Please don’t forget small business (i.e.: me), but pay attention to big business.   Yours truly, Alan

Apples vs Apple

(Repeated from a presentation by Professor Cesar Hidalgo of MIT Media Labs)   The apple of Adam & Eve fame