There are few cases of success like TEN in Silicon Valley. Over 90 startups have graduated from this Innovation Center in the last 15 years. Among them, outstanding successes like eBay, iPrint, Xros, Vertical Networks, Right Works, Intruvert Networks, Tukaroo or Sensant. $80 billion in market cap and thousands of jobs have been created by their companies. 27 of their graduates have exited through IPO or M&A. 

Big Corporations, Governments and Universities worldwide can now have access to the most successful system of innovation and growth in the world. Access Growth is the brain of TEN and applies its formula all over the world. 

Mark Godwin is the visionary CEO of TEN (The Enterprise Network of Silicon Valley) and ACCESS GROWTH. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, a highly successful entrepreneur and consultant, with the goal of his life to change the world by spreading the innovation system of Silicon Valley.

The TEN Success. 

Since beginning in 1993, TEN has housed about 350 companies physically in its facility. Of these companies incubated, 96 have graduated from TEN, which means that they received sufficient venture funding or gained sufficient customer sales to proceed on their own, without the support of TEN. 

Don’t say Incubator, say Innovation Center.  

<<Incubators are to me great for longer term technologies. Universities are good for it. Innovation Centers are for developing short term innovations that the market needs now, not in ten years>>, says Godwin. 

The differences of TEN. 

<<A lot of incubators around the world are being run by people who do not have experience in the trenches of running companies like we have at TEN>>. 

<<But by far, our biggest difference is our systematic approach to building organizations and companies>>.  

<<Over the last 15 years, we have built a database tracking all kind of information. Technology trends. People trends. Success trends. Financial trends>>. 

Selection, selection, selection. 

<<For every ten companies we interview, just one will have the chance to be in TEN. We are extremely critical on accepting companies, considering very seriously their market opportunities and their synergies with other companies in TEN. We have analysts all over the world tracking markets and growth. We take this knowledge and apply it into our selection process>>. 

<<Our candidates need to have a 18-24 months exit strategy. We want the companies out of here as fast as possible>>.  

<<Here the entrepreneur has to earn respect. We compliment them when they make a success. They are not going to be put on a pedestal, as many incubators do. In our first interview, we are going to tell them about what they really have and about what they don’t have and what we can provide>>. 

Commitment. 

<<99% of  the entrepreneurs in TEN are working more than 12 hours a day. We have showers here. We don’t have problem with people sleeping under their desks>>. 

Sharing the risks and the rewards. 

<<We take equity stakes in all the companies coming in. After 13 years, we are no longer dependent on raising outside money. Being cash positive, we have absolute independence in making decisions>>.  

Completing the skills of the entrepreneur. 

<<We manage these companies on a daily basis. Entrepreneurs are extremely motivated, but they lack a lot of  required skills to achieve an exit>>. 

<<We help the entrepreneur to implement during the entire business lifecycle. We get involved, we are not just consultants. We roll up our sleeves. That is the difference between us and the consulting firms>>. 

<<It is all about the ecosystem. We build an ecosystem around each company very quickly for what they need to get their specific exit. And that is very powerful. This ecosystem is international, not local. We join our relationships worldwide with the power of Silicon Valley>>. 

Silicon Valley. 

<<Being here makes the difference. There is a magic to Silicon Valley. It is not just because the experience and the accumulation of talent. It is not just because the creativity that results from having people from around the world and continually encouraging the arts>>. 

<<It is also the “it’s okay to fail” attitude. It’s all about trying. You don’t quit. You go for it all the way to the top. But if you try something and you blow it up, it is also great: what have you learnt from that? Start over again!>> 

<<We look for doers, not dreamers>>. 

<<People here are hungry for the money, but the main reason many succeed is for the recognition. A lot of scientists have been beaten down by corporate America for decades, they have not being appreciated and they want to be recognized and appreciated. As you have all these aspiring actors who go to Hollywood, a lot of great scientists come to Silicon Valley looking for recognition in the form of business success>>. 

<<Here it is all about relationships. Relationships mean more than anything. If you want to succeed in Silicon Valley you have to be able to build trust, you have to be able to deliver on what you say. You have to be honest>>.  

<<Silicon Valley has a great environment, networks, methodologies, but do not forget that at the end of the day it is driven by the great financial companies of the East Coast. These companies dominate and control the flow of money, all the different innovations and the reasons why Silicon Valley is so successful>>. 

The next big thing: implement innovation worldwide. 

Big Corporations, Governments and Universities worldwide can now have access to the most successful system of innovation and growth in the world. Access Growth, the brain of TEN, now applies its formula all over the world. 

<<There are smart people everywhere. There are good business ideas everywhere. The problem is with the implementation>>.  

<<The world is very small now, but also very protected. People are stealing ideas from around the world and quickly implementing them. We have to build a environment of trust>>. 

<<Our goal is track innovation, ideas and people around the world in a database. If we have that ability, then we can put a lot of things together in real time. Connect innovation teams working in similar areas all around the world>>. 

<<If you have an idea, you will get credit for that idea. We will help you to sell your idea and we will do it quickly, because we already have the ecosystem with the power to do that>>. 

Corporate innovation. 

<<There is a greater need for innovation in corporate America and that is why we are aligning ourselves with big corporations>>.  

The Financial Partner. 

<<We believe that Private Equity firms are going to be driving a lot of these global innovation investments. So will some multinational banks and big corporations. The traditional approach of Venture Capital is perhaps limited for this model>>. 

Interesting international collaborations. 

<<We want to work with Corporations, Governments, Universities, Incubators and individual scientists>>. 

<<Our methodology is clearly defined. We have the online tools, the platform, the multinational relationships. Our biggest global partner has 4,000 consultants in 13 countries. Now it is all about executing, and we will start this process in June 2008>>.

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