Steven Drost - The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer (and What is "Tech Scaler"?) (Turing Fest 2022)

CodeBase was recently announced as Scotland’s first Tech Scaler. But what is Tech Scaler?

Steven’s presentation sets out to answer this question by, firstly, looking at tech ecosystems in general and then, secondly, explaining the new specific role Tech Scaler is aiming to play for the local ecosystem.

Head to www.turingfest.com to find out more about Europe's best cross-functional tech conference.

Transcript

1. Steven Drost, July 2022
   “What is Tech Scaler?”
   or
   The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
   What is Tech Scaler? How can it impact the ecosystem?
   

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2. - Brief introduction to CodeBase
   
   
   - Very brief introduction to me
   
   
   - Quick zoom out for context: what is a tech ecosystem?
   
   
   - What is a tech ecosystem?
   
   
   - Who defines what a tech ecosystem is?
   
   
   - Who are the components, and how do they see the world?
   
   
   - Metaphor time: the Graphic Equalizer
   
   
   - Different examples of settings globally
   
   
   - The current Scottish tech ecosystem setting
   
   
   - Tech Scaler
   
   
   - What does this mean for the Scottish Tech ecosystem?
   
   
   - Some final thoughts
   Index
   

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3. Founded in 2014
   
   
   Largest tech incubator in the UK
   
   
   8x growth in 5 years
   
   
   3 locations - Edinburgh, Stirling, Aberdeen
   
   
   100+ tenant companies
   
   
   3000+ net new jobs created
   
   
   $4.8bil+ invested into tenant companies
   
   
   Education programmes and mentorship delivered to 100s of startups
   CodeBase
   

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4. 3 x founder
   
   
   1 successful exit and 1 failure
   
   
   CodeBase CSO for 6 years
   
   
   Strategy
   
   
   Partnerships
   
   
   Startups
   
   
   Ecosystems
   
   
   Corporate transformation
   
   
   About me
   

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5. Three stages:
   
   
   1) “Ecosystem” coined and de
   fi
   ned by British botanists Roy Clapham and Arthur Tansley in the
   1930s:
   
   
   “The whole system,… including not only the organism-complex, but also the whole complex of
   physical factors forming what we call the environment.”
   2) “Predators and Prey: A New Ecology of Competition” HBR 1993, James F Moore
   
   
   “Every business ecosystem develops in four distinct stages: birth, expansion, leadership, and
   self-renewal…”
   3) Many, many de
   fi
   nitions that all involve the word “network”. “What is a Technology Ecosystem?”
   Joe O’Callaghan, Vation Ventures
   
   
   “An ecosystem is a community of complex networks of interconnected organisms or systems.”
   What is a Tech Ecosystem?
   

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6. Three stages in heightened abstraction:
   
   
   1) Seeing things in context, not isolation
   
   
   2) Looking for patterns in business in order to be more competitive
   (biological analogies , e.g. competition, death, birth, …)
   
   
   3) Showing that context and patterns form a complex network that
   can help all
   fl
   ourish (including new focal points e.g. ethics, diversity,
   green initiatives, inclusivity and social impact)
   
   
   What is a Tech Ecosystem?
   

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7. Components - Who names things?
   

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8. What is a Tech Ecosystem? - Component examples
   Paul Graham, 2006 “How To Be
   Silicon Valley” (Rich nerd)
   “I think you only need two kinds of
   people to create a technology hub:
   rich people and nerds.”
   

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9. What is a Tech Ecosystem? - Component examples
   Joe Darko, 2019
   
   
   (Developer Outreach, Snap!, Meta, Microsoft)
   
   
   

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10. What is a Tech Ecosystem? - Component examples
    Joe O’Callaghan, 2022 (VC)
    End Customers
    Solution Providers
    Distributors
    Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)
    Emerging Technologies
    Venture Capital Firms
    

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11. (1) Startups
    
    
    (2) The State
    
    
    (3) Academia
    
    
    (4) Agencies
    
    
    (5) Big Corp
    
    
    (6) Investors
    What is a Tech Ecosystem?
    Each component sees the world very
    differently!
    
    
    Just consider:
    
    
    - personal agency levels
    
    
    - timeframes
    
    
    - income, bonus, equity, exit,
    pensions
    
    
    - risk pro
    fi
    les
    
    
    - revenue quanta
    
    
    - founders vs. employee mentality
    

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12. The Graphic Equalizer
    

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13. The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
    +
    -
    +
    -
    Startups Academia
    State Agencies Big Corp Investors
    

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14. The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
    +
    -
    +
    -
    Startups Academia
    State Agencies Big Corp Investors
    

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15. View Slide

16. The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
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    -
    +
    -
    Startups Academia
    State Agencies Big Corp Investors
    

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17. View Slide

18. The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
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    -
    +
    -
    Startups Academia
    State Agencies Big Corp Investors
    

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19. View Slide

20. (1) Education
    
    
    (2) Place
    
    
    (3) Community
    
    
    What is Tech Scaler?
    

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21. (1) Education
    
    
    Online startup basics
    
    
    Startup 101
    
    
    Startup 102
    
    
    Mentorship
    
    
    Reforge
    
    
    Bridge programmes
    
    
    What is Tech Scaler? - Education
    

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22. What is Tech Scaler? - Reforge
    

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23. (2) Place
    
    
    7 of
    fl
    ine locations
    
    
    and online
    
    
    What is Tech Scaler? - Place
    

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24. (3) Community
    
    
    Meetups
    
    
    Slack channels
    
    
    Mighty Networks
    
    
    Events
    
    
    Outward looking global connections
    
    
    What is Tech Scaler? - Community
    

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25. The Tech Ecosystem Graphic Equalizer
    +
    -
    +
    -
    Startups Academia
    State Agencies Big Corp Investors
    

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26. What is Tech Scaler? - Final thoughts
    

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27. What is Tech Scaler? - Final thoughts
    

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