Yahoo acquiring Tumblr - Why should you care?

Chances are, the acquisition of Tumblr by Yahoo may not be something that makes any sense to you. The move definitely means something to Yahoo, and would be “the moment in history” for Tumblr’s founder David Karp and his team. In fact, when it comes to IPO, acquisition or “acqui-hiring”, it is a goal most startup is working towards. You may not think that the deal worth 1.1 billion USD (RM3.3 billion), but one thing is certain – Tumblr is nearing its exit. Yahoo-Tumblr deal aside, shifting our focus back to Malaysia, the recent news about the merger deal between Says.com and Catcha Media has once again gets the technology startup community talking. Why does this even matter to me? I am not an entrepreneur, why should I care? While most eyes are now on the startups that made it with an exit either through merger/IPO/acquisition/acqui-hired, I would say, let’s give an encouraging pat on the shoulder to those hundreds and thousands of entrepreneurs who are still working hard in making their vision a reality. To build a startup, you’ll need to dedicate an exceptional amount of time and energy to it in order to succeed. There was a time when I was ignorant about the existence of technology startups, until I come to meet some of the amazing individuals from the scene – the unsung heroes in the exploration of innovative solutions. Their stories inspired me and subsequently led to the production of several special programmes in my attempt to capture the essence of the startup culture. My greater purpose was to bring their story to you, with hope that their stories inspire you just as much. When I interact with entrepreneurs and those in the startup scene, I sensed a deep, burning desire in some of them to make a difference or in startup terms “to disrupt an industry” with the solutions they envisioned. They may not be the pioneer in their industry, but they are doers, despite the high propensity of failure. It takes a tremendous amount of courage (and a healthy dose of ego) to accept since day one that your startup may fail. Believe me, the first time I heard of FailCon, where the technology community comes together to celebrate and learn from failure, it was something unheard of. To learn from failure, you need to be able to first face the fact that you have indeed failed. Without putting an emotional or societal value to the fact that you’ve failed, you will be able to see beyond it and learn from it. Innovators may not be entrepreneurs, but entrepreneurs can be innovators. In order to move forward, our society requires innovative solutions from all aspects – and among those who bear the quality to bring forth innovation, would be entrepreneurs. When it comes to the subject of how to nurture our future generations with an entrepreneurial mindset, these are the topics that we can discuss in due time. But I do believe the process should start from young. We all play a part in building and supporting the ecosystem for a startup community to thrive. If you know someone in the startup scene, why not start sending them a simple text to check on how they are doing. Offer them an ear, help them improve. Life in a startup is an emotional ride; entrepreneurs need all the support we can offer. Support the doers, support those who live by the motto “you learn best when you are executing”. An entrepreneur never stops learning, and they appreciate feedback - talk to them and start engaging. You can also check out some of my earlier production focusing on startup culture/stories: Gadget Nation Technology vs. Idea vs. Ecosystem

In Focus - Singapore, Malaysia start-up industry

Gadget Nation: The startup communities in Singapore