The YouSendIt Blog

My name is Derek Dowling, I am a second year Computer Science student at the University of Alberta. Being both the youngest student, and the only one without an actual start-up in mind, I was different from the other participants. Despite this fact, I learned a great deal during my time in the valley in terms of the basic steps to creating a successful business and in determining what I wanted to do after graduating from the U of A. I am currently employed at Invidi Technologies Corporation, which is the most non-traditional start-up you can imagine. I am working in the research group as a summer student. I believe the reason I was chosen to participate in this trip was due to my enthusiasm for start-ups and my ability to connect and relate with people.

I learned so many great things on my trip down to the Valley, but I will try to share only the best advice I was given. The first and arguably the most important thing I learned is that failing is not the end of the world. In the Silicon Valley, failing is very much a part of the learning process and what you learn from those failures is very valuable as well. Often the experience you gain, the people you meet, and the team you build will be enough to get make your second or third attempt a success. Something like 1 in 10 start-ups actually survive and make a profit. With that being said I was also told that if you are going to fail, fail fast!

Another lesson I learned, was to sincerely meet and talk to as many people as possible. There are so many interesting people in the San Francisco area that are from all over the world. Not only are you likely to make a business contact, but also hear cool stories about their travels and time spent in other parts of the world. Oh, and get some business cards printed, contact information is important!

Finally, a strong team is more important than a great idea. Your team is who you will be spending all of your time with, for this reason it is important that they are efficient, easy to get along with, and are able to adapt quickly. If you have a team that can execute quickly and with good quality, it is easy to pivot or try new ideas. A good team is often more valuable to investors as well.

For the future, I plan to continue my work as the co-creator of the University Game Programming Club in which we are making arcade games for the Xbox360. I am also dabbling in web languages for personal use, and hopefully in the near future will be acting as a Startup Edmonton representative at the University of Alberta. Next summer I hope to find summer work in the Silicon Valley to increase my knowledge and get a first hand experience of the start-up culture. I am currently looking for the right opportunity in terms of a  team and an idea to conduct my own start-up as well.