What leaving Silicon Valley taught me about tech

I arrived at Liverpool Street Station, drooping under the weight of three suitcases and a heady mix of jet lag and shock. I’d just flown in from San Francisco, where I’d spent years cutting my teeth in tech’s heartland. And now, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting and wanting, I’d made it: I moved to London.

I’ll never forget the slow walk through the station, venturing out onto the street in the middle of rush hour. What struck me then, and what strikes me every day as I maneuver through this bustling city, is just how alive it is — and how many different types of people call it home.

I’m far from the only tech worker to find my way to this side of the pond. Indeed, some one in five UK tech founders are foreign nationals, according to a 2016 study from DueDil. And even amid Brexit uncertainty, London has attracted more international tech talent than any other city in Europe for the second year running.

I moved around the corner from the famed Silicon Roundabout, London’s sister to the tech environment I’d just left. Before relocating to the Big Smoke, I’d spent nearly a decade in Silicon Valley, soaking up everything it had to teach me about innovation, entrepreneurship and the realities of Bay Area startups.

I owe a lot to that education. But one thing I realized after moving to London is that, in the words of AOL cofounder Steve Case, “Silicon Valley [does] not have a monopoly on creativity.”

While it was once true that both dollars and digital titans all congregated around Northern California, the world has changed. “The rise of the rest is global,” says the Center for American Entrepreneurship, as resources and funding expand to new hubs. The share of non-U.S. investment is growing. Everything from coworking spaces to the cloud makes it easier to launch companies from anywhere. And you don’t need to live near Stanford or Berkeley to have access to talent or ideas. Now, the most important thing an entrepreneur can do is hang out as close to potential customers and business builders as possible — and that makes London a great place to be.

As a transplant, I’m a firm believer in the power of past experiences. Fresh perspectives and diverse backgrounds are good for business, period, and crucial for innovation. And that’s why I’m launching this series: I’ll be speaking with tech leaders from across the globe who have come to the UK — and are transforming it. Join me on the journey.

Any tech leaders you'd love to learn from? Any advice for others looking to move abroad, or get into tech outside the Bay Area? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Other articles in this series:

• London's tech scene is a bright spot in Brexit darkness: An interview with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati's Daniel Glazer
• Millennials are clamoring to work abroad — and that's changing how companies grow: An interview with 11:FS's Sophie Theen