PROJECT: Circuit Breaker: Deeping our technical skills

The goal is for New Zealand to directly participate in Silicon Valley development, with the focus being on our advantages in time zone, communication, design skills and location, seeking work that builds our skill set in platform design, system architecture, mobility, and cloud infrastructure.

Our lack of engagement with some key international markets where innovation is at the heart has left us disadvantaged technically – Silicon Valley is a prime example. We tend to build applications software, which means we are not engaged in platform or infrastructure development early enough to exploit upcoming changes.

By having Kiwis in New Zealand participate in this development, we will see platform and network changes coming in time to exploit them, and we will build our skills so we can create spinoff opportunities with high leverage. By working closely with Silicon Valley, we can build an identity as a highly-desirable workplace and a virtual suburb where cool stuff gets done. We will increase the flow of operational people between Silicon Valley and New Zealand, so we learn first-hand how to integrate our processes, especially in product management and system architecture. We want to use the technical knowledge we get from Silicon Valley to catapult us into a leadership position in software development.

Martin McKendry, an expat and long-time Silicon Valley software executive, is working with Greg Sitters to bring work into New Zealand. This initiative is unusual because, instead of focusing from NZ outward, it focuses from Silicon Valley inward to New Zealand. Martin and Greg are keeping NZ Inc. informed, but as they progress they will need more than moral support. They will need help finding employees, finding real estate, engaging with universities, and finding funding.

Martin and Greg can be contacted at FatNZValleyConnection@gmail.com, and will have a web site up as soon as they can.

Greg Sitters