---

---

Landmark Legislation: California Facing the World of Artificial Intelligence

 by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui  Oct 1, 2024  – TRI CONSULTING KYOTO TRI CK USA – A California lawmaker will file a bill seeking to make generative AI models more transparent and start a discussion in the state on how to regulate the technology. California Senator Scott Wiener (D) has drafted a bill requiring “frontier” model systems, usually classified as large language models, to meet transparency standards when they reach above … Continue reading

---

OpenAI has raised $6.6 billion in its latest funding round, “the largest venture capital deal of all time,” according to Axios. The newly completed round, led by Thrive Capital, pushes the company’s valuation to $157 billion — nearly double what it was just nine months ago — and vaults OpenAI alongside leading venture-backed startups SpaceX and TikTok. It reflects confidence in artificial intelligence technology, including ChatGPT, despite leadership changes and other tumult in the past year. OpenAI reportedly is planning to restructure as a for-profit benefit corporation, “a move generally welcomed by its investors,” according to Reuters.

OpenAI has now raised more than $20 billion with a fresh mega-round led by Thrive Capital. Existing investor Microsoft also reportedly joined the new $6.5 billion round, while Apple dropped out. Here’s what we know and how other Bay Area AI companies stack up.

---

---

The biggest funding deal yet is official.

OpenAI has raised $6.6 billion at a $157 billion valuation.

For context, Spotify has a $75 billion market cap, Airbnb has an $80 billion market cap, and Uber has a $153 billion market cap.

So, OpenAI has been valued at something like Spotify plus Airbnb, or just a few billion more than Uber.

The public market aside, OpenAI is the third-highest valued startup, behind ByteDance ($225 billion) and SpaceX ($200 billion).

Still, don’t call this a VC deal.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI has closed the largest VC round of all time.

The startup today announced that it raised $6.6 billion in a funding round that values OpenAI at $157 billion post-money. Led by previous investor Thrive Capital, the new cash brings OpenAI’s total raised to $17.9 billion, per Crunchbase.

Microsoft, Nvidia, SoftBank, Khosla Ventures, Altimeter Capital, Fidelity, and MGX also participated.

Read more on OpenAI’s latest funding round here: https://tcrn.ch/3ZPEJi6

#TechCrunch#technews#artificialintelligence#SamAltman

Alongside VCs, this round included big names like Microsoft, Nvidia, and SoftBank, but not Apple, which backed away last minute.

Also, OpenAI reportedly asked investors to avoid backing rival startups such as Anthropic and xAI:

In other words, the startup made an exclusive funding arrangement to keep its early lead in generative AI.

Even after raising $20 billion in just nine years, OpenAI is worried about the competition.

Trying to Smart the System: Gambling on Artificial Intelligence:

✔️AI raised $6.6 billion from investors at a post-money valuation of $157 billion.

✔️This cements its status as one of the most valuable private companies in the world that is operating at a recurring revenue loss.

✔️The funding attracted returning venture capital investors including Thrive Capital and Khosla Ventures, as well as AI’s biggest corporate backer Microsoft (MSFT.O), and new participation from Nvidia (NVDA.O).

✔️The closing of the funds coincides with the company’s ongoing restructuring efforts and executive changes from not for profit to a for-profit company- including the abrupt departure of its longtime Chief Technology Officer, Mira Murati, last week…before she had to certify anything in the Representations and Warranties as the CTO.

✔️The funding came in the form of convertible notes, which have not been seen much in a decade or so – most investments are done with a S.A.F.E. Note- or a convertible note where the debt elements have been eliminated.

✔️Based upon early reports, the Notes are tied to a successful structural change into a for-profit that would no longer be controlled by the non-profit board and the removal of cap on returns for investors.

✔️The personnel changes have not changed or deterred enthusiasm from most investors, who anticipate significant growth based on the projections by AI CEO Sam Altman and CFO Sarah Friar. That logic is hard to follow.

✔️The Company is “on pace” to generate $3.6 billion in revenue this year on mounting losses of over $5 billion.

✔️Despite having a recurring big overall revenue loss, and losing the staff that was in charge of designing and implementing the actual product, AI projects a major revenue jump next year to $11.6 billion. The HOW has not been provided…?

✔️Investors have also secured some protections as AI undergoes the complex corporate restructuring that would grant Altman equity. The talks are still ongoing, and no timeline has been determined yet.

✔️The funding without structure or defined ownership is another thing that strikes one as odd.

---

---

#corporatelaw #legalcounsel #riskmanagement #governance #Future hashtag#management #inhousecounsel IAPP #motivation #MachineLearning #DataPrivacy #SaaS #bigtech #AI #TechEthics g#microsoft #OpenAI #TechInvestments #VentureCapital #future #Restructuring #lossleader #socialmedia #innovation #technology #entrepreneurial

---

---

HIRING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE OR SMART PEOPLE

---

Is this Email sent to me, can be considered a Smart Business Development Initiative?

Is this Email sent to me, can be considered as a demonstration of the limits of Artificial Intelligence Drive to build business relationships?

---

About your moroccodigitall.com.

From	Caitlyn Mckay
To	Saidcherkaoui
Date	Tue 05:12 [Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Dear business owner of moroccodigitall.com,

Hope you are doing well. 

I was looking for Keywords and found your website on page 3-4 of Google. If you were on page #1, you’d get so many prospects/new clients every day. Most of your targeted keywords on page #3-5. You’re so close! Do you mind if I sent a SEO Packages and Price list of your site to see why you’re not on page #1?

I can send the past work details in a couple hours. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I have more than 10 years of experience in digital marketing.

Can I send it over?

Look forward to your reply.

Kind Regards

Caitlyn Mckay
Business Development Manager

————————————————————————-

Note: – Our next conversation will be on my corporate Email ID. Reply me with “Quote”, if you are interested.

Click here to unsubscribe.       

When you click on here, it will take to here:

Unsubscribe

Would you like to unsubscribe from caitlyn@aiwebdevelopments.com emails?

---

How Artificial Intelligence Responds When You Are Asking Specific Questions that Need a Real Analysis not Just Presentation of the Writtings and Publications Made by Other People

---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya4acTFOzLk&t=60s

Academia and Research – Africa – Artificial Intelligence  – Asia – Business Culture  – China – Consulting Official Mission  – Entering Foreign Market  – European Union  – Export-Import  – Foreign Direct Investment – International Trade – Market Intelligence – Semiconductor Industry – Startup Silicon Valley – Strategic Management – Strategic Planning – Supply Chain Management – TRI CK USA Consulting Services – TRI CK USA SUPPORT – USA

If you are strategically oriented, operating and aiming operations and interacting with any outside approach, solicitation, or even strategic alliance-driven opportunity, you have established within the scope of your assessment and the conduit of your business decision-making a process that can be a sort of pre-guard sensors that will give you the signals about the existence and the presence of risks, threats and harms in the steps you are going to take. 

Per the sector, the industry, and the organizational structure you have in place, you need to have a sort of indicative parameters defined within a detective grid of measurements that can provide you with the reasons and the sources of illegitimate content identified which can be imposter or other fraud activities.

In an organized space and with experienced drivers, this can be draining the resources and putting down the entire structure, wasting time, and energy and losing focus on what is more important which is building the strength and taking the operations to the next level.

Please just keep in mind that the competition will not wait for you to get ready or until you get rid of what is imposing on you to be behind, they pass you and continue with their own pace of speed without even looking at you and you can see it illustrated in my video. 

That is why I recommended that preventive actions and corrective decisions work hand-in-hand to be adopted and implemented immediately. 

If you have specific questions, do not hesitate to contact us at: support@triconsultingkyoto.com and I will be notified of your request and will be happy to help you. Good luck with our best wishes for your success.

Here is a video we have made on the existence of imposters in our teamwork:

American Institute of Entrepreneurship in Africa

TRI CK USA by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya4acTFOzLk&t=60s

---

Building a Team and Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Team

Many researchers have underlined the importance of teams in our daily life given their central and vital role and impact on everything we do in modern life. 

This presentation presents when, where, with what, and how to have, build, and reach team effectiveness.  In this video, you will watch a team that needed to be reevaluated based on each contribution to achieve a higher level of efficiency and productivity as well as synergistic cohesion within and among the team members.

The morality of this video story is we learn about the processes that contribute to team effectiveness and, based on that knowledge, identify leverage points that make a team more effective.

Nov 10, 2017 – Manager and Change Management Building a Team and Enhancing the Effectiveness of Work Team Many researchers have underlined the importance of teams in our daily life given their central and vital role and impact on everything we do in modern life. This is a presentation of when, where, with what, and how to have, build, and reach team effectiveness. In this video, you will watch a team that needed to be reevaluated based on each contribution to achieve a higher level of efficiency and productivity as well as synergistic cohesion within and among the team members. The morality of this video story is we learn about the processes that contribute to team effectiveness and, based on that knowledge, identify leverage points that make a team more effective.

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui, Ph.D. For request of information: support@triconsultingkyoto.com

Website: Tri Consulting Kyoto and Tateyoko Research Institute: https://www.triconsultingkyoto.com

American Institute of Entrepreneurship in Africa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya4acTFOzLk

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui Ph.D. – Said Cherkaoui Ph.D. 9 28 24

For request of information: support@triconsultingkyoto.com 

TRI CK USA by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui

---

---

Artificially and Intelligently Responded by Artificial Intelligence

---

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui Questions with Alternate Specificities and Outcomes

Dear Artificial Intelligence, you just used the description I gave to you turned it around, and gave it to me back with another wrapping paper but the box content is the one I shared with you! Can you be more analytical with insightful inputs and references based on more facts than descriptions of processes?

Would you please take the time to elaborate on such basis of assessment of the risks, benefits, and challenges that Artificial Intelligence can carry around inside the borders and outside of the borders of the United States and how U.S. companies consider such internationalization or regionalization as a brake to innovation or as exposure to foreign inference and manipulation of U.S. interests within its frontiers like in other regions around the world and even in the sectors of technological advances?

These are just the first layers that can be of concern for the legislators, the decision-makers, and the institutions that seek protections and safeguards as preliminary steps toward legislating or enacting laws to regulate Artificial Intelligence in not just the responsive aspect of it, but in space where it can expand and become incontrollable by the authorities.

Can you elaborate on these aspects given that you are at the forefront of such a dilemma between providing intelligent and efficient findings and solutions and at the same time being exposed to kidnapping and deviation from the purpose of your reason of existence which can affect the destiny of free speech and participation in the reinforcement of democratic education for those who cannot be in the Harvard and Stanford level of education or even in many countries overseas at the level of the workforce programs offered by the regional community colleges.

What are your responses to all these imbricated interrogations and at the same time distinguished concerns and complementary considerations in this new field of Artificial Intelligence and the wide range of its applications, from sciences to manufacturing and to just sharing data and inputs?

Response Sent by Artificial Intelligence:

I appreciate your detailed and thoughtful questions. Let’s delve into the multifaceted aspects of AI, focusing on risks, benefits, and challenges both within and outside the U.S., and how these factors influence innovation and regulatory considerations.

Risks of AI

1. Ethical Concerns:
   • Bias and Discrimination: AI systems can perpetuate and even amplify existing biases if trained on biased data ¹. This can lead to unfair treatment in areas like hiring, lending, and law enforcement.
   • Privacy Violations: AI’s ability to process vast amounts of data can lead to significant privacy concerns, especially if personal data is misused or inadequately protected ².
2. Economic Displacement:
   • Job Losses: Automation driven by AI can displace workers, particularly in low-skill jobs ². This can exacerbate economic inequality and create social unrest.
   • Skill Gaps: There is a growing need for workers with AI-related skills, which can leave behind those without access to advanced education or training ².
3. Security Threats:
   • Cybersecurity Risks: AI can be used to enhance cyberattacks, making them more sophisticated and harder to detect ³.
   • Autonomous Weapons: The development of AI-driven weapons poses significant ethical and security risks ³.

Benefits of AI

1. Economic Growth:
   • Productivity Gains: AI can significantly enhance productivity by automating routine tasks and optimizing complex processes ².
   • Innovation: AI drives innovation across various sectors, from healthcare to manufacturing, leading to new products and services ².
2. Improved Services:
   • Healthcare: AI can improve diagnostic accuracy, personalize treatment plans, and streamline administrative tasks ².
   • Education: AI-powered tools can provide personalized learning experiences and make education more accessible ².
3. Global Challenges:
   • Climate Change: AI can optimize energy use, improve climate modeling, and support the development of sustainable technologies ².
   • Disaster Response: AI can enhance disaster prediction and response, potentially saving lives and reducing damage ².

Challenges in AI Regulation

1. Balancing Innovation and Safety:
   • Regulatory Frameworks: Creating regulations that protect against AI’s risks without stifling innovation is a significant challenge. Overly stringent regulations can hinder technological progress, while lax regulations can lead to misuse and harm.
   • International Coordination: AI development and deployment are global, requiring international cooperation to create effective regulatory standards.
2. Economic and Political Implications:
   • Trade and Competitiveness: U.S. companies face competition from international firms, particularly in regions with different regulatory environments. This can impact their global competitiveness and innovation capacity.
   • Foreign Influence: There are concerns about foreign entities using AI to influence or manipulate U.S. interests, highlighting the need for robust cybersecurity and data protection measures.
3. Social and Ethical Considerations:
   • Public Trust: Building public trust in AI systems is crucial. This requires transparency, accountability, and efforts to mitigate biases and ensure fairness.
   • Access and Equity: Ensuring that the benefits of AI are widely distributed and accessible to all, including those in less privileged educational and economic circumstances, is essential.

Conclusion

The development and deployment of AI present a complex interplay of risks, benefits, and challenges. Effective regulation must strike a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring safety and fairness. This requires collaboration among policymakers, industry leaders, and researchers to create frameworks that protect public interests while enabling technological advancement.

Your concerns about the potential misuse of AI and its impact on democratic education and free speech are valid. Ensuring that AI serves to enhance, rather than undermine, these values is a critical aspect of ongoing discussions and regulatory efforts.

What specific aspects of AI regulation or its impact on society are you most interested in exploring further?

---

¹: Nature Index on AI Competition ²: CHIPS Act Overview ³: Data Center Expansion in China ⁴: AI Research in the U.S. ⁵: China’s AI Strategy ⁶: EU AI Regulation : Global Supply Chains and AI : Market Competition in AI : Venture Capital in AI : Government Funding for AI : U.S.-China AI Competition : AI and National Security : EU AI Ethics : EU Collaboration in AI : Balancing Innovation and Regulation : International AI Standards : Global Collaboration on AI : Open Research in AI1tnsr.org2nature.com3inspiritai.com4waicy.org5ioai-official.org6doi.org

---

Sent by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui:

Is the multinationalization and delocation of data centers can be a big challenge for the new globalization that will driven by Artificial Intelligence. Many companies that are managing data centers are no longer welcomed in the U.S. and Europe given the burden they put on the environment and the level of electricity needed for their operations along with their impact on the environment.

All these factors oblige many of them to emigrate to the skies more clement and more relaxed about these repercussions, such as in Morocco and Africa.

What is the real impact of Artificial Intelligence on such emigration?

In the same orientation, Altman who founded the AI and was temporarily expelled from his own company had tried to lure the Gulf States and Middle Eastern Investors to finance the building of these Gigacenters for Data and since then has had to lower his projections given the change taking place within the field of the Artificial Intelligence landscape, the starting of bubble to deflate and also the actual uncertainty dominating the Middle East region as well as the other conflicts around the world, bad chance for such evolution.

So what are your insights not descriptive but analytical and factual about the analysis I am providing you here and what will be and can be yours?

Sent by Artificial Intelligence:

The multinationalization and relocation of data centers indeed present significant challenges and opportunities in the context of AI-driven globalization. Let’s analyze the key aspects:

Environmental and Energy Concerns

1. Energy Consumption:
   • Data centers are energy-intensive, consuming about 1% of global electricity ¹. The rise of AI, which requires substantial computational power, exacerbates this issue. For instance, training large AI models like GPT-3 can consume significant amounts of electricity and generate substantial CO2 emissions ¹.
   • In regions like the U.S. and Europe, where there is increasing pressure to reduce carbon footprints, data centers face stricter regulations and higher operational costs due to energy consumption and environmental impact ².
2. Relocation to More Lenient Regions:
   • Companies are relocating data centers to regions with more lenient environmental regulations and lower energy costs, such as Morocco and other parts of Africa ². These regions offer favorable conditions, including abundant renewable energy sources like solar power, which can help mitigate environmental impacts.
   • However, this relocation can lead to new challenges, such as the need for robust infrastructure and political stability to ensure continuous and reliable operations ².

Impact on AI Development

1. Operational Efficiency:
   • Relocating data centers to regions with lower operational costs can enhance the efficiency and scalability of AI operations. This can lead to more competitive pricing for AI services and potentially accelerate AI adoption globally ².
   • However, the physical distance from major markets can introduce latency issues, which might affect the performance of real-time AI applications ².
2. Geopolitical and Economic Implications:
   • The shift of data centers to new regions can alter the geopolitical landscape of AI development. Countries hosting these data centers can become new hubs of technological innovation and economic growth ³.
   • This shift can also lead to increased competition among regions to attract data center investments, potentially leading to a “race to the bottom” in terms of regulatory standards and environmental protections ³.

Financial and Strategic Considerations

1. Investment Dynamics:
   • High-profile figures like Sam Altman have sought investments from Gulf States and Middle Eastern investors to finance large-scale data centers. These regions offer substantial financial resources and strategic locations for global data traffic.
   • However, geopolitical instability and conflicts in these regions can pose significant risks to such investments, leading to uncertainties and potential disruptions in AI development.
2. Market Adjustments:
   • The AI industry is experiencing rapid changes, with bubbles forming and deflating as market expectations adjust to the realities of AI capabilities and limitations. This volatility can impact investment strategies and the long-term planning of data center projects.
   • Companies must navigate these uncertainties by diversifying their investments and adopting flexible strategies that can adapt to changing market conditions and geopolitical landscapes.

Conclusion

The multinationalization and relocation of data centers are reshaping the AI landscape, driven by environmental, economic, and geopolitical factors. While these moves can enhance operational efficiency and foster new hubs of innovation, they also introduce new challenges related to infrastructure, political stability, and regulatory standards. Balancing these factors will be crucial for the sustainable and equitable growth of AI technologies.

Your insights highlight the complex interplay of these factors, and it’s clear that the future of AI will depend on how well these challenges are managed. What specific aspects of this topic would you like to explore further?

---

Sent by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui:

Thank you do you have any other way to provide insights not just feeding your answers with my analysis? Would you please add more to my explanation and demonstration given that you have access to a bigger Data Center than my brain and memory?

---

Sent by Artificial Intelligence:

Absolutely, let’s expand on your analysis with additional insights and data.

Environmental and Energy Concerns

1. Renewable Energy Integration:
   • Green Data Centers: Companies are increasingly investing in green data centers that utilize renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. For example, Google and Microsoft have committed to running their data centers on 100% renewable energy. This shift not only reduces the carbon footprint but also aligns with global sustainability goals.
   • Energy Efficiency Innovations: Advances in cooling technologies, such as liquid cooling and AI-driven energy management systems, are helping to reduce the energy consumption of data centers. These innovations are crucial for making data centers more sustainable and cost-effective.
2. Geopolitical and Economic Implications:
   • Strategic Relocation: The relocation of data centers to regions with favorable conditions can also be a strategic move to mitigate geopolitical risks. For instance, placing data centers in politically stable regions with strong legal protections for data privacy can enhance operational security.
   • Economic Development: Hosting data centers can drive economic development in emerging markets by creating jobs, fostering local tech ecosystems, and attracting further investments. Countries like Morocco are positioning themselves as attractive destinations for data center investments due to their strategic location and growing tech infrastructure.

Financial and Strategic Considerations

1. Investment Trends:
   • Venture Capital and Private Equity: The AI and data center sectors continue to attract significant venture capital and private equity investments. In 2023, global investments in AI startups reached a record $77 billion. This influx of capital is driving innovation and expansion in the industry.
   • Public-Private Partnerships: Governments are increasingly partnering with private companies to develop AI and data center infrastructure. These partnerships can provide the necessary funding and expertise to build state-of-the-art facilities while ensuring alignment with national interests.
2. Market Dynamics:
   • Competitive Landscape: The competitive landscape for AI and data centers is evolving rapidly. Companies are not only competing on technological capabilities but also on sustainability and ethical considerations. This shift is driving a more holistic approach to AI development and deployment.
   • Regulatory Environment: The regulatory environment is also shaping the market dynamics. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the upcoming AI Act are setting high standards for data privacy and AI ethics, influencing global practices. Companies operating in these regions must comply with stringent regulations, which can impact their operational strategies.

Future Prospects and Challenges

1. Technological Advancements:
   • Quantum Computing: The advent of quantum computing holds the potential to revolutionize AI and data processing. Quantum computers can perform complex calculations at unprecedented speeds, enabling new AI applications and enhancing data center efficiency.
   • Edge Computing: Edge computing, which involves processing data closer to where it is generated, is gaining traction. This approach reduces latency and bandwidth usage, making it ideal for real-time AI applications. It also complements traditional data centers by distributing computational loads more effectively.
2. Global Collaboration:
   • International Standards: Developing international standards for AI and data centers is crucial for ensuring interoperability and ethical practices. Organizations like the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) are working on creating such standards.
   • Cross-Border Data Flows: Facilitating cross-border data flows while ensuring data privacy and security is a key challenge. Agreements like the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield aim to address these issues, but ongoing negotiations and legal challenges highlight the complexity of the task.

Conclusion

The multinationalization and relocation of data centers are reshaping the AI landscape, driven by environmental, economic, and geopolitical factors. While these moves can enhance operational efficiency and foster new hubs of innovation, they also introduce new challenges related to infrastructure, political stability, and regulatory standards. Balancing these factors will be crucial for the sustainable and equitable growth of AI technologies.

Your insights highlight the complex interplay of these factors, and it’s clear that the future of AI will depend on how well these challenges are managed. What specific aspects of this topic would you like to explore further?

---

: Google Sustainability Report : Microsoft Data Center Innovations : World Economic Forum on Data Center Relocation : Economic Impact of Data Centers : Morocco’s Tech Ecosystem : AI Investment Trends : Public-Private Partnerships in AI : Competitive Landscape in AI : EU AI Act : Quantum Computing and AI : Edge Computing Trends : ISO AI Standards : EU-U.S. Privacy Shield

---

---

---

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui – Originally published on June 18, 2023 6:48 am

Give me that High Five, We Got the World to Believe in Our Fine TechShow – Dreams of Rolling the Mechanics and the Dice over Silicon Valley and the World of “Incredulous Investors.” Babe, Let’s Buy an Island and Go Around the World

---

Global Fintech Funding and Rounds from Q1 2022 to Q2 2023

---

EMEA Fintech Funding takes the largest dive YoY in H1 2023, compared to other regions

---

Africa has over half a billion mobile money accounts and it is the largest and fastest-growing fintech segment on the continent

---

Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia technically have the largest addressable market sizes for fintech across the MENA region

---

African Startups Not Celebrating the New Year 2024

How many startups fail in USA? Approximately 10% of startups fail within the first year. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the startup failure rate increases over time, and the most significant percentage of businesses that fail are younger than 10 years. Over the long run, 90% of startups fail. Startup ★ Stars … Continue reading

African Startups Not Celebrating 2024

The companies are well positioned to benefit from the growth of Africa’s tech but they must address the needs of African users

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Last year, Google’s Equiano undersea cable began conveying terabytes of data per second to and from African shores. Valued at $1 billion, Equiano stretches from Western Europe to South Africa and has 20 times the capacity of the previous cables that served the continent. According to Google projections, the new cable has the potential to transform Africa’s economy by creating millions of jobs, reducing data costs by nearly 20%, and enabling a fivefold increase in internet speeds.

Other prominent US-based tech companies are also investing heavily in Africa. Amazon is in the midst of constructing its African headquarters in South Africa, while Microsoft recently launched an initiative to bring internet access to 100 million Africans by 2025. Meanwhile, Meta (formerly Facebook) is building 2Africa, an undersea cable expected to be the world’s longest when it is completed in 2024.

The impetus for these investments is the growing recognition that the future of America’s technology industry hinges on expanding its African customer base. Today, a little over a third of Africa’s 1.4 billion people use the internet, representing a small fraction of the world’s internet users. But the continent’s population is projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 one-quarter of the global total. The vast majority of Africans are expected to become internet users by then, offering tech companies opportunities that no other region can match.

Still, there is no guarantee that the investments made by Google and other US tech companies will pay off. In recent years, foreign competitors, particularly China-based firms, have also recognized Africa’s immense potential for the technology sector, leading to intense competition for market shares.

Currently, no single actor dominates African markets. Whereas Chinese companies lead in some sectors, such as telecommunications hardware, US companies prevail in software platforms, operating systems, and search. Meanwhile, African-owned fintech companies and startups are growing rapidly, and the continent’s undersea cables and data centers are managed by a diverse set of local and remote enterprises.

The most persistent challenge facing Big Tech firms in Africa is their ignorance of and disregard for Africans’ preferences and needs. For example, some US analysts have expressed concern about the rise of Chinese companies such as Transsion, which manufactures nearly half of Africa’s smartphones. But the main reason companies such as Apple and Google struggle to compete is that their products are priced as luxury goods and are ill-suited for consumers in low-income countries. The base price of the iPhone 14, the top-selling phone in the United States, is $799, nearly half of Sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP per capita. Transsion’s phones, by contrast, sell for as little as $20.

Likewise, data localization is widely supported by African governments, researchers, and citizens. But Big Tech companies vehemently oppose efforts to store data on African citizens within their countries of origin.

To be sure, data localization is not always cost-effective and could be used by governments to undermine civil rights. But studies commissioned by the Internet Society show that efforts to localize internet traffic in Nigeria and Kenya have reduced prices, decreased latency, and fueled the growth of the local tech ecosystem. Conversely, as Nima Elmi observed, Big Tech’s approach effectively perpetuates African countries’ status as consumers of “foreign tech innovations that are developed using their own data and then sold back to them.”

Big Tech firms’ labor and recruitment practices are another example of their disregard for Africa’s needs and interests. At the top end of the pay scale, African policymakers are concerned that tech giants’ tendency to poach top talent will undermine the growth of their domestic industries. Meanwhile, these companies face legal action for subjecting content moderators, many of whom are based in Nairobi, to traumatizing experiences and inadequate wages.

Moreover, the proliferation of disinformation and incitement on social media has severely eroded the reputation of US-based platforms like Facebook, which has fueled violent conflict in Ethiopia and provided fertile ground for extremist groups such as the al-Qaeda-backed al-Shabaab. For years, Facebook ignored organized criminal groups’ use of its platform to lure Africans into domestic servitude. The company finally acted only after Apple threatened to remove Facebook and Instagram from its app store.

Given Big Tech’s record of ignoring and neglecting Africans’ needs and concerns, it is no wonder that African governments have begun to explore alternatives. Nigeria, for example, imposed a seven-month ban on Twitter in 2021, lifting it only after the company agreed to open a local office, pay taxes, and cooperate with national-security agencies. Other countries, such as Kenya, have threatened similar bans.

With their unparalleled expertise and world-class technology, US companies are well positioned to benefit from the growth of Africa’s tech market. But to maximize this opportunity, they must address the needs of African users. Moreover, establishing stronger partnerships with the burgeoning African tech industry could greatly benefit these companies, enabling them to tailor their technologies to the preferences of underserved users and mitigate the impact of disinformation. By fostering relationships with Africa-based researchers and civil-society groups, US tech companies could support the creation of a healthy digital ecosystem that promotes prosperity, security, and accountability for all users.

Over the past few years, Big Tech firms’ failure to address privacy concerns and combat disinformation has prompted a growing debate about the apparent conflict between their professed values and their bottom lines. But to succeed in Africa, US-based tech companies must recognize the falseness of this dichotomy. While investing in African businesses may yield financial rewards, investing in African citizens is the key to unlocking the continent’s vast economic potential.

***** The Independent June 13, 2023 Business, In The Magazine – Source: Project Syndicate.

---

AFRICAFRIQUE TECH ECOSYSTEM

The Reality of Digital Network and Startup / Tech Hubs in Africa

---

During the first quarter of 2020, Africa has 522 million internet users representing 11.5% and was ranked third in the global tally. The first one wa Asia that accounts for more than half of the global internet users. Data gathered by Learnbonds indicates that during the first quarter of 2020, the Asian continent accounted for 2.3 billion users representing about 50.3% of the global users. From the same data, Europe has the second-highest number of internet users at 15.9% which represents 727 million users.

With 453 million users, Latin America and the Caribbean region comes fourth. The region accounts for 10.1% of the worldwide internet users. In fifth place is North America with 327 million users, which represents 7.8% followed by the Middle East at 175 million users (3.9%). Oceania and the Australian region account for the least global internet user globally at 29 million which represents 0.6%.

The rise of Africa is a confirmation of a trend that compared to all regions, the strongest growth has been reported in Africa, where the percentage of people using the Internet increased from 2.1 per cent in 2005 to 24.4 per cent in 2018, according to ITU data. … The theme, “Boosting Africa’s Digital Economy,” recognizes the key role of digital technologies in the modern economy. May 27, 2019

Africa Needs to Think Big and Think Fresh

According to certain indicators, Africa is hosting only 11% of the world’s Internet subscribers and only 35.2% of the African population are accessing the Internet and mainly trough the mobile phone.

In response, efforts were made by the African governments to increase the development of fiber optique as network. Taking the example on the American, European, Indian and Chinese markets, African regulators are trying to implement policies “that encourage network sharing and access to ducts, thus facilitating the roll out of networks and reducing deployment costs. This trend is actually happening in Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Tunisia and Nigeria.

However, some people in Africa have been abandoned along the way in recent years as technology and robotisation have reduced the wages of some communities “of workers, says Christine Lagarde, the director general of the IMF.

On the other hand, the Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, Doreen Bogdan-Martin said: “Africa cannot afford to think small or act slowly, and at the current rate of progress, hundreds of millions of African children will still be denied the opportunity to realize their potential. Without more rapid digital transformation, Africa will not succeed in creating the huge number of new jobs needed to match its population growth.”

Building a solid digital economy will require a focus in key areas, such as: digital infrastructure, digital literacy and skills, digital financial services, digital platforms, and digital entrepreneurship and innovation, says Ms Bogdan-Martin.

“Can we attain the goal of universal and affordable access to broadband for all Africans by 2030? Not without a paradigm shift,” says Ms Bogdan-Martin. “Africa’s digital transformation is going to need all hands on deck. We need to work together more effectively; engage old and new partners more effectively; innovate more effectively.”

“We need a coordinated effort to push forward the digital transformation of Africa through shared vision, policies and measures to support pan-African digital integration,” says Ms Bogdan-Martin. “Digital transformation will provide the springboard for a leap into the African Century. Africa’s youth are ready and waiting to make that leap. We must not let them down.”

Startup and Tech Trends in Africa

---

---

12 African startups to watch in 2020

 BY GABRIELLA MULLIGAN ON JANUARY 2, 2020 – https://disruptafrica.com/

While you’re at it, check these picks for 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

---

For the Disrupt Africa team, it has been another fascinating year of conversations and meetings with hundreds of inspiring, innovative African tech startups.

But which of these companies do we think have the brightest futures ahead of them? Here is our pick of the top 12 African startups to watch out for in 2020.

---

Ahmed Benjas, MBA Finance Director | SAP | IFRS | SOX | US GAAP | Middle East & North Africa regions |

“When I see these figures, I wonder what makes us believe that we are a country where the economy moves.” -: studies overly paid by the State (McKinsey, Roland Berger …) and we do not have not got the thread to start yet? – Incubators that ultimately serve what? – too many startup events …. !!!! – CoWorking Spaces where we only display the signs of laid-back startups …. – business angels who are not ready to play the game … In my opinion, the failure is total, and our ecosystem is unattractive ” end of the quote.

---

Raising Capital Funding for Start-up in Africa 2017 (in Millions of dollars)

Google launched a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots in Nigeria on Thursday, August 9, 2018, as part of its effort to increase its presence in Africa’s most populous nation.

The U.S. technology firm owned by Alphabet Inc has partnered with Nigerian fiber cable network provider 21st Century to provide its public Wi-Fi service, Google Station, in six places in the commercial capital Lagos, including the city’s airport.

Internet penetration is relatively low in Nigeria. Some 25.7 percent of the population made use of the internet in 2016, according to World Bank Data.

We are rolling out the service in Lagos today but the plan is to quickly expand to other locations.

The poor internet infrastructure is a major challenge for businesses operating in the country, which is Africa’s largest oil producer. Broadband services are either unreliable or unaffordable to many of Nigeria’s 190 million inhabitants.

“We are rolling out the service in Lagos today but the plan is to quickly expand to other locations,” Anjali Joshi, Google’s vice president for product management, told Reuters in Lagos.

The company said it aimed to collaborate with internet service providers to reach millions of Nigerians in 200 public spaces, across five cities by the end of 2019.

It said it would generate cash from the service in Nigeria by placing Google adverts in the login portal. Google did not disclose the amount invested in the new Nigeria service.

The technology firm said it planned to share revenues with its partners to help them maintain and deploy the Wi-Fi service but did not disclose the expected advertising revenue split.

Africa’s rapid population growth, falling data costs, and heavy adoption of mobile phones have made it an attractive investment prospect for technology companies.

Nigeria is the fifth country to launch Google Station. Similar services have been launched in India, Indonesia, Mexico and Thailand.

The service is aimed at countries with rapidly expanding populations. The United Nations estimates Nigeria will be the world’s third most populous nation, after China and India, by 2050.

“A lot of people who found data to be too expensive for them to use, are using it,” said Joshi. “In India, we have tens of millions of users, and close to a million in Mexico.”

However, many do not disclose how profitable the continent’s markets are, or if they make the companies money at all.

Last year, Google announced plans to train 10 million Africans in online skills within five years. It also said it aimed to provide $3 million in equity-free support to African start-ups.

Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters this month to meet the company’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai.

REUTERS

The average size of the deals struck in Africa by startups also increased year-on-year at every stage of investment, with Series A funding, for example, increasing to around $3.7m. Series A refers to a company’s first significant round of venture capital financing. At the same time, the number of tech hubs in Africa has risen to 310, with 173 accelerators and incubators recorded in 2016, according to the World Bank. There were 117 in the previous ye

---

 For Startups: High Priority Should be given to Assembling Founding Team

 While it is true that an entrepreneur needs to be very disciplined hence the 24 steps in Disciplined Entrepreneurship taught by Prof Bill Aulet, I cannot hide my eureka moment when I become more and more convinced after conforming: the number one skill that an aspiring founder must prioritize is FOUNDING TEAM ASSEMBLY – choosing co-founders, splitting equity, recruiting advisors, managing a board. 

This is articulated by Thomas R. Eisenmann, Rob Howe, and Beth Altringer in “What Does an Aspiring Founder Need to Know?“

Interestingly, Prof Matt Marx of MIT Sloan elaborated carefully in his class “Dilemmas in Founding New Ventures (a full semester in 80 minutes)”. In it he gave examples from Smartix, Segway, Wily Technology, and Zipcar.com that could have been conducted better during the founding team assembly stage. He outlined some observations that the Skills and Networks of the founders must complement each other, but objectives must be similar among the founders. Skills is easily observed. Networks is also rather easy if you probe. However, the raison d’être of the co-founder is not observable.

In Tribute to Nass Al Ghiwane and Moroccan Popular Culture and its Human and Artistic Pillars

---

North African Sahara: Traditional Music and Universal Rhythms

⧫ Said El Mansour Cherkaoui ⧫ 27/12/2021 ⧫ Paul Bowles Moroccan Music Collection From July to December 1959, Paul Bowles crisscrossed Morocco making recordings of traditional music under … Continue reading Paul Bowles Moroccan Music Collection MOROCCO INFUSING EXCELLENCE Tayeb Seddiki and the Rise of Nass El Ghiwane Tayeb Seddiki the Man of the Wood Planks … Continue reading

---

How many startups fail in USA?

Approximately 10% of startups fail within the first year. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the startup failure rate increases over time, and the most significant percentage of businesses that fail are younger than 10 years. Over the long run, 90% of startups fail.

---

Startup ★ Stars ★ Stages

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui  March 22, 2022 – DoorDash founders’ fortunes Founded6/10/2022 Diners globally are increasingly hungry to leave their homes and go … Read More

---

All but the most promising and well-run VC-backed startups struggled to raise funding as venture capital investors became much more selective than they were just a few years ago. As a result, startups that weren’t yet able to sustain their operations without additional funding ran out of money and closed up shop.

Africa Dismay and Startup Going Down

• VC funding in the African startup ecosystem has steadily declined in 2023, causing experts to worry about the future of the once fast-growing sector.
• With fewer investors willing to bet on the continent during the tech downturn, the funding crunch has triggered mass layoffs, slashed valuations, and the liquidation of several African startups.
• Recent news reports of mismanagement and fraud have impacted investor perception, leading to increased scrutiny and demand for credibility from local and global investors.

The funding crunch has already caused several casualties. Since the beginning of the year, at least 10 African startups.

2023 has been a difficult year for African startups. The global economic downturn has led to a decrease in venture capital funding for startups worldwide, including African startups. Funding for African startups has dropped significantly, with estimates suggesting a decline of 50% or more compared to 2022. 

Other reasons for the shutdown of African startups in 2023 include: 

• Fewer investors willing to bet on the continent
• Mass layoffs
• Slashed valuations
• Liquidation of several African startups
• Fund mismanagement
• Unfavorable market conditions
• Challenges associated with certain business models
• Lack of liquidity in the market
• Difficulties startups use to regularly raising capital
• Inability to convince investors

Other challenges that impact the success of startups in Sub-Saharan Africa include: Infrastructure deficits, Regulatory obstacles, Limited mentorship, Frugality issues, Inadequate marketing and branding.  The absence of internet connection is also a factor in limiting the expansion of E-commerce and other business online transactions. This is not just in the rural areas but also in the cities.

Some notable African startups that shut down in 2023 include: 

• HytchA Nigerian B2B logistic platform that shut down because it “couldn’t raise [funding] and couldn’t sustain the business with just the money [it was] making”
• OkadaBooksA Nigerian digital publishing platform that shut down due to unspecified “insurmountable challenges”
• DashA Ghanaian payments startup that folded in October amid allegations of financial impropriety and false reporting

TOP TEN African Startups Not Celebrating the New Year 2024

Sub-Saharan Africa faces unique challenges that impact the success of startups. An article published on Medium in April 2023 outlines these challenges, including a lack of funding, infrastructure deficits, regulatory obstacles, limited mentorship, frugality issues, and inadequate marketing and branding.

Sendy: In August, Kenyan end-to-end fulfillment startup Sendy shut down operations and announced a fire sale of assets (it didn’t call it that), with reports saying reduced order volumes and fuel price hikes meant it was making deliveries at a loss, and had a monthly burn rate of US$1 million. Sendy raised US$20 million in capital as recently as January 2020, but in the current climate further funding was not to be found.

54gene: 54gene, a genomics research company that had raised US$45 million across three funding rounds, revealed in September that it had started winding down its operations. 54gene, which has had three CEOs in the last 12 months.

Dash: Ghanaian payments startup Dash, founded in 2019, had raised a whopping US$86 million, but folded in October amid allegations of financial impropriety and false reporting. 

WhereIsMyTransport: South African mobility startup WhereIsMyTransport, bankrolled to the tune of over US$27 million by investors such as Naspers in recent years, announced it was closing down in October after failing to secure more investment. 

Lazerpay: In April, Lazerpay, a Nigerian crypto and web3 company, confirmed it was shutting down operations after failing to raise additional funding. The startup had laid off some employees last year after the proposed lead investor for its seed round withdrew due to the “market conditions and disagreement on terms”.

Zumi: Kenyan B2B e-commerce startup Zumi announced in March it had closed down after failing to secure the necessary funding to continue operations. Launched in 2016, Zumi began life as a female-focused digital magazine, before pivoting into e-commerce in 2020. According to co-founder and CEO William McCarren, the startup achieved over US$20 million in sales, acquired 5,000 customers, and built a team of 150 people, but closed after failing to secure investment.

Zazuu: Last month, Zazuu, a London-based marketplace for African remittance companies that and raised more than US$2 million in total funding, also shut down, citing a lack of funding.

Hytch: In February, Nigerian logistics startup Hytch confirmed it had shut down barely nine months after launch.

Okada Books: Nigeria’s Okada Books, founded in 2013 and a pioneer in digital publishing and bookselling, closed down last month, citing rough macroeconomic conditions.

Pivo: Formed by Ijeoma Akwiwu and Nkiru Amadi-Emina in July 2021 and launched in public beta in September, Pivo offered banking services to small supply chain businesses, and raised a US$2 million seed round a little over a year ago. It, too, has now closed its doors, though by all accounts founder conflict also played a part.

Copia: Kenyan e-commerce company Copia, which raised US$50 million Series C funding last year, announced it was pulling out of Uganda, “consistent with many of the best companies in Africa and across the world which are responding to the market environment and prioritising profit.” 

MarketForce: Another Kenyan retail-tech startup, MarketForce, is also facing challenges. The company raised US$40 million in funding in February of last year, back in the boom times, but stunningly, certain VCs that had committed funds backed out. In all, US$8 million of that capital was never wired. MarketForce has struggled to raise more capital, announced a bunch of layoffs, and recently turned to crowdfunding to get some cash in the bank.

Twiga Foods: Twiga Foods, a platform that connects Kenyan farmers to food vendors, recently secured undisclosed funding as part of a business refinancing process, just weeks after facing a KES40 million (USD 262,000) debt collection lawsuit. Twiga secured the new funding from Creadev, Juven, TLcom Capital Partners, and DOB Equity, investors that participated in the US$50 million Series C round it raised in 2021.

Paystack: Nigerian payments company Paystack, acquired by Stripe in 2020, has been steadily growing its geographical presence since then, but is now taking a step back. The company announced last month it had reduced its operations outside of Africa, cutting its workforce in Europe and Dubai.

---

Various sources and documentation were used in this article. Corresponding references are listed in the text of this article as links to connect to for further indications.

CHERKAOUI JOURNAL NEWSLETTER

OCTOBER 3, 2022

U.S. Finance Policy Facing High-Tech Clouds

U.S. Finance Policy Facing High Tech Clouds October 3, 2022, For the U.S. Financial Regulators, the Limit is NOT the Sky of the Financial Space, It is the Crypto Cloud Platforms Next the European Central Bank will follow the Course #cloud #bank #cryptonews

SAID EL MANSOUR CHERKAOUI∙1 MIN READ

---

---

Mercanteo was the initial name and I have suggested the name Ambient given the French consonance coming from Ambient et Ambiance, a place where you can feel a sense of beatitude and comfort. The Founders of this Startup had no clue about how to make this company the reflection and the expression of such metaphors.

The basic idea of the operation of this Startup was to have the purchase made by any business transferred to the Accounting Software and registered as a receipt with the amount of money spent. This will allow also not only to trace the expense but also to know through the receipt which credit card or method of payment was used.

I developed this research to be included in the existing website that had absolutely any study or pamphlet or even a kind of brochure presenting the product and its specifications or the value proposition that Mercanteo-Ambient was developing or offering as a service. The website had only a generic presentation of more dreams than realities and a summary of what McKinsey had taught to the Founders of this Startup given that the consulting firm was their first and last job before landing in this startup.

Build the first layers of prospective clients to be approached to enroll in the Mercanteo Program. So I launched a strategy of reassessment and reevaluation of the documentation and presentation of the Value Proposition and its Validation to enable Mercanteo-Ambient to have an identity based on the definition of the areas where the solution is proposed and what this solution is as a service and facilitation for further inventions and adaptation to the needs and demands of the clients and other companies offering synergistic operations that can complete our offering of services in the areas of reporting and documenting the Return on Investment and the allocation of Budgets of the operational expenses and to the financing of all purchases and acquisitions.

The Founders of Mercanteo-Ambient were more interested in attracting funds and investment than building the products and services or even the company. A table with a Chair facing the wall was the Technical Department: A guy who would show up only to upload what was made of this application by inserting in the potential client the Microsoft Excell.

The rest of the technical were the Untouchables from Calcutta were 4 to 5 individuals of Indian origin who were brought and under the supervision of the Vice President of Operations, a Lady of Indian origin, a former McKinsey employee, and Cofounder of an empty shell called Mercanteo-Ambient.

These 4-5 individuals were also under the spell of another Indian who was their Boss and who was hanging outside of the office smoking cigarette after cigarette going back and forth to the Fridge for drinks. They were all taciturn and they responded only to the Indian Lady, the Vice President. I tried to engage them about their work and the progress they made or just to explain their inputs and the value they are adding to the company with their daily fixing and staring at this wall as a curtain for the secretive reason of their presence and transparent action that is not explained to all of us, neither how they arrive every day to sit in front of this white wall.

---

They did not own cars or drive BMWs, so it must be the smoking Indian who Signed their presence and their absence, so he is the one who drives them to the office and takes them out of the office in his BMW, not the one parked outside as the symbol of elite belonging and success story in the making [See pic below].

They did not own cars or drive BMWs, so it must be the smoking Indian who Signed their presence and their absence, so he is the one who drives them to the office and takes them out of the office in his BMW, not the one parked outside as the symbol of elite belonging and success story in the making [See pic below].

If I dared to ask the Untouchables from Calcutta about the work they were doing, the content of their work, and their progress, all the Pack of Indian Techies panicked and all of them had a wide smiling face and answers while they desperately waited for the Vice-President or their Boss to come to their rescue. They had nothing to say or to communicate about. From that moment, the Indian Lady no longer said a word to me and had done the best job of her life to avoid eye contact with me.

Return on Investment by Beamer Boomer Boys

---

The BMW Wheel of Fortune at the Silicon Valley

The BMW brand new car parked in the empty parking was the magnet for the first real funding of Mercanteo and Ambient which I learned later on. This BMW was like the “Idol made of Metal” to be adored for its blessing. The Sales Manager at the largest BMW Dealer in Silicon Valley who became part of Mercanteo’s Board of Directors and was responsible for stuffing the Fridge every afternoon Wednesday with beers and all kinds of beverages and premade food ready to be microwaved and swallowed. This Foody Man was also the one who persuaded and sold the idea of Mercanteo / Ambient bringing Lawrence Joseph Ellison of Oracle as an investor and member of the Board of Directors.

The hook was the BMW sale made to the Founder of Mercanteo / Ambient, the one sitting in the empty parking under the Sun of Redwood City, and the sale of BMW to Lawrence Joseph Ellison of Oracle of many other BMWs. Silicon Valley employees have their badges and allures as well as their reputations as successful StartupperS is the owning and the driving of BMW: The New Generation of BEMMEEERS.

It was not what you know but who you know – she or he who is driving a BMW.

The End of the Beemer Adventure

The 2 co-founders of the Company were an Indian Lady as Vice President and a Ukrainian as CEO who folded the Company when the number of employees became only himself and another Dreamer who made the big mistake of leaving Visa Card Corporation of San Mateo to come to crash at this moving sand startup.

The Vice-President got her tail behind her legs and rund before the moving of the BMW, she drove the Honda SUV to join Yahoo missed an offer by Microsoft for a deal of $44 billion, and ended up being rescued by Verizon for a sale of less than 4 billion dollars while Yahoo was accused of inflating the number of subscribers. After that magic fading, she is now a Vice President at Credit Evaluator and Provider after being rejected by Yahoo, the company she works in today is named Karma, What goes around comes around and back to the Future thanks to the Indian Connection in Silicon Valley

It is no more just being Beemer owner, it is more than that it is who you know from now on, Back to the Old Fashion Culture Future of American Corp.

The latest news on the Immigrant CEO from Ukraine who wanted to use BMW to be with the success makers became a Director of a Bank in Ukraine at the turn of 2000 and the BMW had magically disappeared from the Parking and the sight of the 101 exit of the Freeway.

---

My take on a high-tech startup in Silicon Valley: Dot Come, Dot Gone in Late Nineties

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui was Executive Director of Business Development at Amient/Mercateo Redwood City, California during the Dot Come – Dot Gone era. He witnessed how the money was spent left and right by the former McKinsey consultant who converted his ins and outs into a startup that never took off but received funding even from the founder of ‘Oracle.

A brand new BMW was parked in the parking lot while I had to drive the CEO of this Startup from his apartment to the office. This BMW was bought just to please the owner of the BMW dealership who in return organized a meeting with the Founder of Oracle who invested in the Mercateo. The name of Mercanteo Startup was changed to Ambient following my suggestion to have a softer French connotation.

Mercanteo’s product was supposed to remember all purchases made by online businesses at stores like “Computer USA”, Office Depot, and other outlets. Once the payment is made by credit card, the transaction is supposed to be recorded and transferred directly to the accounting system as an expense with details of the product purchased, date, place, and amount and who made the payment.

The person who was in charge of the corresponding software, a close friend and colleague of the CEO of McKinsey was of Indian origin and had brought 4 Indian individuals who passed the time staring at a monitor and the wall behind while a fifth Indian trotted along outdoors smoking cigarette after cigarette.

This lady of Indian origin (actually with good Karma dealings), whom I called COP – Chief Operating the Product, acted as the gate advocate for those Indian “engineers” to whom we could not speak or ask anything if she was not there. It is she who must give the authorization to fix a meeting. The excuse is that these engineers were hired and paid by the hour and the guys outside smoking cigarettes were their clock for the time they spent staring at their computer screen and the money that they cash in exchange.

This team of 5 taciturn Indians was like a parade of Madame Tussaud Wax Master of Disastertech showing off just to impress visitors and potential investors to show them that Mercanteo has employees conducting in-house research and development of the product, which in reality never existed apart from a modified version of Microsoft-like Excel Spreadsheets patched with an Oracle database, a hybrid product that “the COP” tended to present as “Ownership of Inputs versus Ownership of Outputs ” according to the McKinsyniene strategic approach.

On the technical level in terms of setting up and management, this time it was a single person, an “American “Toubab” by stock” and with a bohemian tendency on the edges, who has no desk or even a chair and had to be called to accompany me when I visited a potential client in their office. This Tech Support was a person who looked more like a mechanic who changed the spare part than a System Engineer or Network Engineer, so he did not provide a solution to the problem and worse the product was not at all ready to detect the problems or define the solutions.

On the other hand, the Fridge was always full of American food, Hotdog, Burger, Macaroni, Donuts, Soups, Chicken and Fish Nuggets, Corndog, Wings, Cheese, Pizza everything that is mechanically separated and prepared, a cold museum of stuffed with top-notch artificial and chemical products. The drinks were of the same quality especially the beers for weekends. It was the Fiesta, what was missing was a Country Band or a Mariachi Group to make the atmosphere more ambient than the new name of the Startup Ambient.

The other employees who could be counted on the fingertips were always in a pleasant mood and individuals capable of being helpful given their attitude and their presence which remained of real kindness. Young people aspired to make a difference around them and among them, but the rest were not at the level of this human quality that could also be identified in innocence and the desire to volunteer to do good. These people were part of my team and were chosen by a human relations class manager. One of the best I have had the opportunity to work with in all my professional history in the USA.

This lady, responsible for human relations management and therefore a talent recruiter, is a Caucasian American who was the reason for my arrival in this Startup from Sprint Corporation.

Ms. Black was the one who convinced me to join Mercanteo and had a knack for recruiting the best. When she was put aside during the recruitment of a Vice-President for Business Development, Mercanteo became Ambient began to show the cracks I mentioned above which became more gaping with this crash landing of a Caucasian rogue from the North who drove an old Buick, wrapped in a buttonless suit and spoke like a former clandestine site manager of tree cutters in the Amazon. I understood what he was made of when I invited him for lunch in a restaurant to assess his knowledge of the field of application of the product we were looking to develop. All he brought up with me was what he had done before and laid out names and companies that I had no reason to know about.

I felt like I was sitting opposite a veteran of wars lost in memory and thought and worse first on battlefields that we would be more likely to listen to and see on the Screen of ‘Money only on the actual geographical or historical ground. These places and these encounters were shooting from all sides as if a deposit of fireworks had been lit by accident, there was around this guy an opaque smoke from his cigarettes whose tirades on the cigarette made his lips shine with all fire soaked in beer foam. I had the impression of being in front of a dancer in a trance incensed by the smoke of joints and incense exotic and distant in time as in space.

This future Vice-President drank and smoked excessively with his belly protruding from his belt and his unbuttoned vest making him like Santa Claus dressed on the sly for an interview at a Startup delivering gifts without address or recipient, he was in the vaps and I, who had never tasted a beer in my entire life, could talk about European beers and my stay in France and Germany and my visits to all of Western Europe and Romania when he did not even know not the origin of the beer that was right in front of him. To my great surprise, he thought it was German when it was founded by a Czech family that has a Germanic-sounding name.

At that time, this Bud for You, an unusual slogan that was the pride of Americans, and when he realized that I could give him such knowledge of his own choice of drink that he considered a symbol of American nationalism, that at deep inside, listening to a guy supposed to be from the Middle East. For him, Morocco was synonymous with Monaco and Casino, another Las Vegas somewhere lost in Western Europe that Sean Connery and Grace Kelly, who became the Princess of this Principality, had put on the radar of geographical knowledge for the Middle American.

In addition to my identified ethnic stereotype in Terro-Palestinians, I was conversing with an American Englishman with a cross-hatched accent but eloquent in definition, expression, and substance as I unwittingly conveyed to him a profound knowledge of the intricacies of popular culture and history. American that even he did not have given his intellectual and educational limitations.

So I was before him magnified but all of this made him as suspicious and wary of me as his booze could only make the length and breadth of my knowledge of Made in USA populism and Only in America.

How come I knew all those beers and wines and I didn’t share a drink with him at the time?

Such a question ran through his brain polluted by alcohol and the smoke of exotic vapors and he was neither the first nor the last to ask it. A question that cost me several positions, several jobs, and several opportunities in business, private jobs, and positions in the Academy in the United States.

You didn’t have to go far either in the conversation or in the exchange to realize that my account was settled in this interaction at the level of ignorance that only the smoke from his cigarettes could hide from the gaze and not from human understanding. For that, I remained calm and I knew that my situation did not last long in this company whose CEO hired such an individual and forced him to parachute between us without taking into account the opinion of the first interested person who is the manager of human relations, nor of myself since I was second in the business development department. It was as if all the transactions concerning the hiring of this individual had been carried out under the table while serving us artificial alibis and complicit silences without any other transparent approach, “the fact. , “le fait accompli – the accomplished fact”: Take or Leave it.

All the team members of my department understood such manipulations and began to disappear one after another from the panorama, including the mechanic guy. Only the Indian “engineers” were still there looking at the wall and the screen of their computers, while the visit to their meter became more spaced out and only took place when this new Vice-President went out to bang a cigarette butt with another guy who was his buddy and he moved out and brought in his luggage.

---

Saga of Cascade and Flood of Bad News

More Twitter execs quit Share LinkedIn News Updated 58 minutes ago More Twitter executives headed for the exits as new CEO Elon Musk warned … Continue reading

---

This buddy walked like a gorilla, a former adventurer without adventure, and served as a bodyguard for this New Vice-President. I never understood what was the contribution or the role of this individual whose only approach made it clear that he is a go-getter with his head down like a bull in this new bullfight that this arena has suddenly become Mercanteo – Ambient where the swords are now hidden under muleta camouflaged under the cheap suits and the jackets of these new invaders which exceeded their shoulders with crumpled pants like scrap paper. European elegance had yet to conquer or be embraced by these new dot.com startup cowboys.

The cool allowed all deviations in dress and justified the lack of quality both in terms of the look and the food offered, there was neither Haute Couture, nor Haute Culture, Nor Haute Cuisine while High Technology remained in the margins of Buzz-Words and Jargon and nothing on the table of creation or innovation at the level of these Startups which were still far from even Alpha level.

Sharing research findings on ROI, IT, and CRM

RETURN ON INVESTMENT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

Sharing research findings on ROI, IT, and CRM

This research and publication were part of my initiative to enhance the image of my position and responsibilities as well as the work I was conducting as Executive Director for Business Development at Mercanteo and Ambient before its acquisition by Oracle. Our startup focused on duplicating the ledger with the purchase receipts as the lead to trace the payment method and to transfer it to the Accounting software used as an expense. That is what the CEO has told us given that Ellison was a member of the Mercanteo Board of Directors and one of the investors and all this was driven thanks to that BMW sitting in the parking as a trophy of success for a Startup on the edge of the waterfront of Redwood City. Larry Ellison was known for surrounding himself with trophies figuratively and properly, and it was not astonishing that from playing tennis, he became one of the top sailors around the world bringing even the America Cup to the Bay Area.

Research by Dr. Said Cherkaoui

In 1997-1999, just before the initial burst of the first bubble with Dot/\com-Dot/\Gone, as Executive Director of Business Development at Mercanteo – Ambient, Innovator and Pioneer of NetSuite (acquired by Oracle) and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Technology at Golden Gate University in San Francisco – California, I conducted multiple research ranging from technology, business management, and international development [European Economic Community, NAFTA, Technology in China and the United States] and this within the schools and departments of this University. Among these research publications, I made this pioneering thematic presentation.

Dr. Miro Costa, as Department Head and Associate Dean of the School of Technology at Golden Gate University, San Francisco, has also encouraged this research given his direct interest and theme of his own on technologies of information.

My study has been reprinted by many publishers given the soundness of my analysis which since then has been confirmed by the development of IT and the implementation of an ROI-based CRM, here is a copy of – an excerpt from my research:

Return on Investment, Information Technology, and Customer Relationship Management

Said El Mansour Cherkaoui

https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/18214112/said-e-cherkaoui-phd

---

By contrast, entrepreneurship is developing a new venture outside an existing organization.  The traditional entrepreneur shall now act as an innovation hunter to proactively be able to set up new smart businesses; ideally from the beginning, till the end of any business life cycle. The term entrepreneur, etymologically originates from the French word entreprendre meaning “to begin something, undertake.” During medieval times, this word was used to describe an active working person.

Risk-taking is one of the famous attributes of entrepreneurs which is also frequently emphasized in the literature. Spiritually, some people are observed to tend to behave extra-ordinarily. As Jobs addresses; “You have to trust in something—your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever—because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well-known path, and that will make all the difference.” Taking the risk phenomenon and the spiritual reflections into consideration; it can easily be summed up that entrepreneurship has something to do with inner-journey.

Another emphasis on entrepreneurship is its presentation as a mindset. “Entrepreneurship is first and foremost a mindset. To seize an entrepreneurial opportunity, one needs to have a taste for independence and self-realization,” said Olli Rehn, a member of the European Commission. Understanding the entrepreneurial mindset requires a certain threshold of empathy. First of all, entrepreneurship is the story of ambiguity. An anonymous supporting quote is likely to highlight the gist of entrepreneurship. It’s as follows: “Anyone, (can be an entrepreneur) who wants to experience the deep, dark canyons of uncertainty and ambiguity; and who wants to walk the breathtaking highlands of success. But I caution, do not plan to walk the latter, until you have experienced the former.” In this regard, as Schumpeter also points out; entrepreneurs seem to have some heroic vision. Schumpeter focused on high-level entrepreneurship and larger businesses. On the other hand, Marshall examined smaller businesses, partially. It was Hayek and Kirzner, who examined the entrepreneurs as middlemen hoping to profit by buying cheap and selling expensive.

When it comes to defining entrepreneurship; it can easily be discovered that various people have defined entrepreneurship differently. Despite this fact, the most common classification follows the mainstream of Collins and Moore; who claimed two types of entrepreneurship, differentiating due to the context of entrepreneurial activities undertaken. These are, firstly, independent entrepreneurship and independent entrepreneurs (similar to entrepreneurship/traditional entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs/traditional entrepreneurs in this paper), implying the process whereby an individual or a group of individuals, acting independently of any association with an existing organization, create a new organization 

Stopford and Baden-Fuller considered entrepreneurs as opportunists even in chaotic situations, and they also metaphorically approached entrepreneurship. According to them, entrepreneurs are like Olympic athletes, long-distance runners, symphony orchestra conductors, and top-gun pilots…These metaphors underline the entrepreneurs’ being ambitious, determined, self-challenging, and talent for synchronizing [12]. [Source: Mehmet Çağrı Gündoğdu / Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 41 ( 2012 ) 296 – 303].

---

San Francisco the Hub of Innovation and Leadership

TRI CK USA by Said El Mansour Cherkaoui

---

What are the qualities/Characteristics of an Entrepreneur?

• Entrepreneur takes an idea & makes it into reality.
• Entrepreneurs take risks—risks of time, money, etc.
• Entrepreneurs are optimistic about the future.
• Entrepreneurs are innovators. They invent new products, services, processes, or methods.
• Entrepreneur enjoy freedom & use it for the betterment of their customers & ultimately for society.
• Entrepreneurs have a strong focus on anything they are doing.
• Entrepreneur is confident, optimistic & loves facing challenges in life & business.
• Entrepreneurs make decisions independently.

---

There are various types of entrepreneurs. We will see some of it.

• Industrial Entrepreneurs: They are in the business of manufacturing products. E.g. Manufacturing of automobile parts.
• Trading Entrepreneurs: They are in the business of buying & selling products or services. E.g. Traders of Houses.
• Imitative Entrepreneurs: These types of businesses copy other successful businesses & run the business similarly.
• Drone Entrepreneurs: These types of entrepreneurs don’t like to change their business style. They don’t involve innovation. They just want to be like how they are.
• Fabian Entrepreneurs: They don’t change until it is very much needed. They adopt change when it is very necessary.

What are the various functions of Entrepreneurs?

• The main function of an Entrepreneur is to take risks.
• The second function is to start the enterprise.
• The third function is to keep an eye on the internal & external environment.
• The fourth function is to make arrangements for necessary resources.
• The fifth function is to deliver products/services to customers.

Innovation

• Innovation is one of the key requirements for entrepreneurship.
• Innovation is nothing but new ways of doing old tasks.
• Innovations can be Chemical, mechanical, managerial, technical, institutional, service, etc.

According to Joseph Schumpeter, there are five types of innovations.

• Introduction of new & good quality product.
• Introduction of a new method of production.
• Introduction of a new market.
• Use of some new sources of supply as raw material.
• They are making a new organizational form of industry.

The innovation process in Entrepreneurship includes the following steps.

• Research of market
• Development of product/service
• Marketing of product/service
• Production
• Use by customer
• Feedback from the customer.

Innovation has emerged as a headline in the field of business management, recently. Kuratko determines the magic words to describe the innovative way of our time: Dream, create, explore, invent, pioneer, and imagine [34]. Innovation itself is changing. The etymological roots of innovation stretch to the Latin word innovare, meaning to do something new. Most of the innovation definitions have focused on similar points with different perspectives. The key common points imply change and renewal for a better situation. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), inside the Oslo Manual—the source of information regarding international technological developments— defines innovation by linking it to technological change.

According to the OECD, innovation means “completing products and services by developing them technologically. The European Union (EU) has made a broader definition. To the EU, innovation introduces the change in workforce talent, working conditions, and managerial and organizational jobs. Also, it’s about renewal and growth in product and service range. In addition to this, a well-known expression about innovation; characterizes it as the process of converting new ideas into value-creating outputs such as new products, methods, or services. With the help of innovation; companies acquire the ability to develop and apply not only new products, processes, or designs but also new operations and business models.

After having experienced enormous financial crises all over the world in recent years; company survival has emerged as the most crucial issue both for SMEs and even some large companies.  SMEs, as the increasing value of the new economy, are obligatorily undertaking the mission of being innovative. It’s innovative SMEs that will lead the way to economic recovery.

This is what sets innovation-led companies apart: they have been successful in establishing organizational cultures where initiative is rewarded and failures are encouraged. They have structures, processes, and senior leadership that are supportive of innovation, and they have built an ecosystem of partners that enables these organizations to constantly bring in new ideas into their organizations.

MMP: Can any organization be innovation-led, or is it more relevant for some rather than others? Are there simple changes that can be implemented in the short term? And what about the long term?

NN: With accelerating innovation change, every organization needs to aim to become innovation-led. We all have been reading about significant changes caused by new technologies such as AI, VR (virtual reality), blockchain, and big data. These technologies will impact every type of organization. However, some researchers have argued that in highly turbulent and uncertain markets, it could be beneficial for companies to scale back on innovating until they can better understand the future directions of these markets.

In the short term, many established organizations have chosen to set up separate innovation labs. These are usually set apart from the rest of the organization so they can operate uninhibitedly. However, such labs often don’t work, as this recent commentary demonstrates.

In the long term, companies need to pursue a double strategy: developing an internal innovation capability and partnering externally – including cooperating with and even acquiring, innovative companies/start-ups. This is a strategy many leading tech companies are pursuing.

MMP: Do you have any guidance regarding the challenges creative companies face when developing innovation strategies? What can they take from tech companies and vice versa?

NN: Research on creative companies has shown that many creative companies while being quite innovative, are less business-savvy concerning turning new ideas into profitable business models. This is something that has plagued the creative industries sector for quite some time – individual creativity often drives the success of the organization, but they struggle to create a sustainable business model to scale up this creativity.

Creative companies could learn from tech companies to put more focus on the scalability of their creative ideas and how to develop financially sustainable business models. On the other hand, tech companies can learn from creative companies how to ensure that their employees remain creative and innovative, even if they are part of larger organizations with bureaucracy and managerial practices that often stifle innovation. In many ways, the stories we hear from organizations like Alphabet/Google and Apple, about the playful environments they have created for their employees and the flat hierarchies they have established, are in line with how smaller creative companies operate. Yet, Amazon, for example, has been under the spotlight, because of the stifling practices and toxic culture its employees have experienced.

The question of how to keep the creative/innovative mindset as organizations grow is critical to ensure that large organizations, whether tech or not, can continue to be innovative.

Source of the interview on Innovation: Dr Natalia Nikolova is a Senior Lecturer, at UTS Business School and Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation. Professor Margaret Maile Petty is UTS Executive Director of innovation and Entrepreneurship.

---