Nothing Fake about Silicon Cape

Cape Town is leading the country and continent with high tech and innovative businesses pegged to change the way we do things in Africa and the world. It was this trend that inspired the launch of the Silicon Cape Initiative. Modelled around the renowned Silicon Valley in San Francisco, California, Silicon Cape aims to get the right people talking to each other and of course, make some money while they're at it.

The initiative was launched on the 8th of October 2009 and saw more than 500 delegates come together to learn, network and exchange ideas. Delegates ranged from entrepreneurs, politicians, venture capitalists and the very creative, very tech savvy among us. The idea was and is to grow what already exists in Cape Town into the country's next largest and most exportable commodity.

Brainchild of Justin Stanford and Vinny Lingham, Silicon Cape "encourages the protection of Intellectual Property." And, there's no better place to launch an initiative like this than Cape Town, it's already beautiful, it's just about attracting the right kind of people to live and work there.

Reports have likened the Cape to the real Silicon Valley fifteen years ago with all the right ingredients, great universities, great people, natural beauty, personality and willingness from government.

The buzz surrounding the initiative drew a number of guest speakers including WP Premier Helen Zille and top business people, including Dr Rampele and Johann Rupert (Rembrandt). The launch itself was successful; the initiative is what will inspire growth, innovation and the economic growth of the region and the country at large.

It is exciting. Its Cape Town. Its real and happening. Congratulations to the master minds behind Silicon Cape and cheers for a very successful launch. Who wants to live in the Valley anyway? I'd rather keep my Cape, and who knows - with the right investors and tech-savvy ideas, we could all morph into economic Super Heroes.