Overnight Successes

I attended VLAB Tuesday night. The topic was Digital Hollywood, a very well worn road, where I spent the early part of my start-up career. I had one good take away. The presenting company, Gracenote, is another example of a Mark Leslie business axiom, great companies labor in obscurity for years only to become overnight successes when the market turns. There is no substitute for building up IP, technology and a product that works. GraceNote started in the late 1998 out of work done in the mid-90’s. Nearly 10 years later the market turns and they are booming. This is the history of sustainable companies in Silicon Valley. I guess it does not make good copy, which is why you don’t read about it in business publications.