Yesterday, I blogged about my plans to form a group to discuss ideas and innovation in Istanbul. The idea has received enthusiastic feedback. I am excited to move it forward.
I want to spend a few minutes on a key aspect of this group I am trying to form: Openness around ideas. I firmly believe that ideas grow by sharing. Every time I have shared an idea with someone who will understand, intelligently question and provide insight to it, I have left that conversation with a stronger, better thought-out version of that idea.
I do know that conventional wisdom says that you should be careful with ideas and that someone can steal your idea. I have signed many NDAs before, and have even made people sign my NDA. At this point, though, I think that they are overrated. In most cases, the ideas are dime-a-dozen, and it's execution that matters.
Fred Wilson, a few weeks ago, had a good post on what's called "opening the kimono", which is another version of idea sharing. I found it insightful.
I am hoping that the Istanbul Tech MeetUp New Economy Group will be about sharing ideas and opening the kimono.
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