--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The goal shouldn't be to be the next…" description: "\"The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley (there'll always only be one of those) - it's to be your own startup community.\" — Alexis Ohanian" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png" --- # The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley… ![“The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley (there'll always only be one of those) - it's to be your own startup community.” quote by Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png) > “The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley (there'll always only be one of those) - it's to be your own startup community.” [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Instead of copying Silicon Valley, create a unique ecosystem that reflects your community’s needs and strengths. **In simple terms:** Build your own startup community, not a copy of Silicon Valley. Key Takeaway Focus on local strengths and collaboration. Themes entrepreneurship community building innovation local ecosystems identity Mood inspirational strategic optimistic Type business community visionary When to use this quote - regional startup hubs - collaborative projects - local talent development - investment strategies Key Concepts economics network theory regional development Questions to Reflect On - What unique assets does your region have? - How can you foster collaboration over competition? A Different Perspective Replication may ignore local context and limit relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Entrepreneurship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entrepreneurship/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Shouldn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-shouldn-3569046/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Shouldn Silicon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shouldn-silicon-5551144/) [Silicon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon/) [Silicon valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silicon-valley/) [Startup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup/) [Startup Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/startup-community-2794179/) [Valleys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valleys/) ## Related quotes > [San Francisco is a great startup community that you shouldn't even try to model yourself after because it's just special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/san-francisco-is-a-great-startup-community-that-you-shouldn-t-even/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [I'm probably most proud of the fact that we are bootstrapped and that we are able to do not just the typical Silicon Valley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-schaaf/i-m-probably-most-proud-of-the-fact-that-we-are-bootstrapped-and-that/) [Alan Schaaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-schaaf/) > [I'm probably the worst Silicon Valley insider ever. I don't hang out with Silicon Valley people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/i-m-probably-the-worst-silicon-valley-insider-ever-i-don-t-hang-out/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Asked to give advice to a 13-year-old girl about how to lead her life, I say find something you love to do. The goal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/asked-to-give-advice-to-a-13-year-old-girl-about-how-to-lead-her-life/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [“The goal shouldn’t be to make the perfect decision every time but to make less bad decisions than everyone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-fraseur/the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-make-the-perfect-decision-every-time-but-to/) [Spencer Fraseur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-fraseur/) > [Building a startup community is not a zero-sum game in which there are winners and losers: if everyone engages, they and the entire community…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-feld/building-a-startup-community-is-not-a-zero-sum-game-in-which-there/) [Brad Feld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-feld/) > [I think that's exactly what Silicon Valley was all about in those days. Let's do a startup in our parents' garage and try to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/i-think-that-s-exactly-what-silicon-valley-was-all-about-in-those/) [Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/) > [You look around the world at geniuses, and they don't appear randomly, they appear in genius clusters. Athens in 50 BC, Florence 1500, Silicon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-weiner/you-look-around-the-world-at-geniuses-and-they-don-t-appear-randomly/) [Eric Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-weiner/) > [Silicon Valley is like Wall Street in that it will fill and pursue market opportunities to their logical extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-yang/silicon-valley-is-like-wall-street-in-that-it-will-fill-and-pursue/) [Andrew Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-yang/) > [Silicon Valley does not breed great technology. Instead, the smartest people from around the world tend to move to Silicon Valley.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-collison/silicon-valley-does-not-breed-great-technology-instead-the-smartest/) [Patrick Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-collison/) > [I think there are four or five interesting pockets where a lot of cool technology companies are getting started. Chicago is one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lefkofsky/i-think-there-are-four-or-five-interesting-pockets-where-a-lot-of/) [Eric Lefkofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lefkofsky/) > [Autism is a big continuum, going from someone who remains nonverbal, all the way up to geniuses on Silicon Valley. And some kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/autism-is-a-big-continuum-going-from-someone-who-remains-nonverbal/) [Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/) > [The reason why Silicon Valley is a worldwide innovation center is because it is a open culture that embraces diversity. You see people from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-yuan/the-reason-why-silicon-valley-is-a-worldwide-innovation-center-is/) [Eric Yuan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-yuan/) > [Sometimes it feels hard to remember that Silicon Valley is an actual place, a collage of parched suburbs, and not just the collective noun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tatiana-schlossberg/sometimes-it-feels-hard-to-remember-that-silicon-valley-is-an-actual/) [Tatiana Schlossberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tatiana-schlossberg/) > [Some article called me the most feared man in Silicon Valley. Good Lord! Why? My teenage boys got a kick out of it: 'Dad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/some-article-called-me-the-most-feared-man-in-silicon-valley-good/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) ## More by Alexis Ohanian > [Our competition has always been anything that is wasting your time when you're bored at work. In a broad sense. We want people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/our-competition-has-always-been-anything-that-is-wasting-your-time/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Everything is derivative. Everything is a remix, and we all stand on the shoulders of giants - a great phrase.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/everything-is-derivative-everything-is-a-remix-and-we-all-stand-on/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Let's say you're all worried about student-loan debt and you need to have steady income. That doesn't have to be your everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/let-s-say-you-re-all-worried-about-student-loan-debt-and-you-need-to/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [I'm probably the worst Silicon Valley insider ever. I don't hang out with Silicon Valley people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/i-m-probably-the-worst-silicon-valley-insider-ever-i-don-t-hang-out/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Every founder has to delude themselves into thinking, "Yes, it's going to be big. It's going to take over the world."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/every-founder-has-to-delude-themselves-into-thinking-yes-it-s-going/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Love making jewelry? Awesome! Find blogs that inspire you, follow people on social media who have great taste, start an Etsy store, and borrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/love-making-jewelry-awesome-find-blogs-that-inspire-you-follow-people/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Hundreds of these companies I've seen since the beginning stages - including Dropbox and Airbnb - one of them has actually been crushed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/hundreds-of-these-companies-i-ve-seen-since-the-beginning-stages/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Until we actually get legislation that protects our rights online, we will continue to fight against stupid, lobbyist-bought legislation. We want bills that protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/until-we-actually-get-legislation-that-protects-our-rights-online-we/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [I often think of a quote from entrepreneur Jim Rohn: 'You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/i-often-think-of-a-quote-from-entrepreneur-jim-rohn-you-are-the/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [Because it's so empowering, I want people to think about being entrepreneurial regardless. They don't have to start companies, but that's what makes them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/because-it-s-so-empowering-i-want-people-to-think-about-being/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [People want a remarkable experience; it's what they'll talk about, largely because the bar has been set so low by so many companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/people-want-a-remarkable-experience-it-s-what-they-ll-talk-about/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [My entire career has been built on the understanding that I am not only not the smartest person in the room, I am definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/my-entire-career-has-been-built-on-the-understanding-that-i-am-not/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [If I didn't believe in rooting for founders and investing in founders, I'd be a bit of a hypocrite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/if-i-didn-t-believe-in-rooting-for-founders-and-investing-in-founders/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [I try to help founders as much as I can, but so many of us we won't even take meetings with people who still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/i-try-to-help-founders-as-much-as-i-can-but-so-many-of-us-we-won-t/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) > [The first version of everything is janky,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-first-version-of-everything-is-janky/) [Alexis Ohanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) [Explore all 113 Alexis Ohanian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/) ## More Community quotes > [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [But we are convinced that if we are to play a meaningful role nationally, and in the community of nations, we must be second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-sarabhai/but-we-are-convinced-that-if-we-are-to-play-a-meaningful-role/) [Vikram Sarabhai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-sarabhai/) > [In the hearing world, I'm constantly having to lip-read and trying to understand what's going on. 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They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [We're at a point in history were we have to become a part of the neighborhood of inhabited planets, like a neighborhood of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-mitchell/we-re-at-a-point-in-history-were-we-have-to-become-a-part-of-the/) [Edgar Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-mitchell/) > [I have to feel the audience. I enjoy that feeling of community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-gahan/i-have-to-feel-the-audience-i-enjoy-that-feeling-of-community/) [Dave Gahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-gahan/) > [It rolls off my back. Ridicule doesn't mean anything - even from people you're supposed to wear knee pads around, like the scientific community.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-schultz/it-rolls-off-my-back-ridicule-doesn-t-mean-anything-even-from-people/) [Dwight Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-schultz/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. 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Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-a-reich/) [Browse all 13,840 Community quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley (there'll always only be one of those) - it's to be your own startup community.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alexis Ohanian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-there-ll-always/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Community" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-there-ll-always/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/974/alexis-ohanian-4303_community_the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-sil_3133219.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The goal shouldn't be to be the next Silicon Valley (there'll always only be one of those) - it's to be your…” — Alexis Ohanian", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alexis Ohanian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-ohanian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The goal shouldn't be to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-there-ll-always/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-ohanian/the-goal-shouldn-t-be-to-be-the-next-silicon-valley-there-ll-always/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```