Canada was early.
15 years ago I helped launch @theC100 ๐จ๐ฆ with @chrisalbinson@anthonylee after seeing what India & Israel had already built in the Valley: ambitious founders, and a diaspora ready to pay it forward.
@tobi@harleyf built a global company from Canada. @zatlyn@stewart built theirs from the US. Talent and customers on both sides of the border.
Your roots are increasingly an advantage.
There is now an *advantage* to having one foot in your home country, and one foot in Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley has always run on the magic of paying it forward. Everyone here has been helped by someone, at a critical moment - for no reason other than just to be helpful.
Thereโs a special version of this pay-it-forward culture for international founders: โBorderless Founders.โ
* You can get early customers from large companies at home that give you big proof points early.
* You can build an outsized brand at home that can get global attention earlier.
* You know the strongest engineers in your home country before the rest of the market catches on.
Most of the fastest growing companies have int'l founding teams.
Your background is your moat. Our job is to help you widen it. If youโre a Borderless Founder, weโd love to meet you ๐