Silicon Valley and the tech-startup scene have become beacons of hope to the rest of the country in these tough, uncertain economic times. Across America, both venture capital and unemployment checks are being invested into new technological endeavors that seek to change the world, create jobs, and turn struggling visionaries into wealthy tech-stars overnight.
Are the myths of overnight billionaires true?
Are we in a bubble?
And what does it take for a young, scrappy entrepreneur to be the next Mark Zuckerberg?
Ctrl+Alt+Compete tackles these questions and demystifies the startup scene by following 5 sets of young entrepreneurs as they run the gauntlet in 3 major, high-stakes technology competitions: DEMO (which launched Tivo and E*Trade), SXSW Interactive (which launched Twitter and Foursquare) and the Game Developers Conference (which launched the Fable franchise and the Playstation Move motion controller). In the audience at each competition are the luminaries, financiers, moguls, pundits, and gatekeepers who can turn a young inventor’s idea into a potentially billion dollar business.
As the entrepreneurs take the stage at their respective battlegrounds, Ctrl+Alt+Compete gets valuable insights and actionable advice from more than 50 successful CEOs, power brokers, and analysts. Not only do the interviews offer commentary on the entrepreneurs’ performances, they also provide unique wisdom for would-be entrepreneurs developing their own ideas at home.
Featuring Nolan Bushnell (founder Atari), Felicia Day (The Guild), Tony Hsieh (CEO Zappos), Cliff Bleszinski (Gears of War), Mike Maples Jr. (financier Twitter), Tim O’Reilly (Web 2.0 Summit), Veronica Belmont (Tekzilla), Simon Sinek (Start With Why), Mark Suster (GRP Partners), Adam Ostrow (Mashable), and dozens more.
Directed by Brian Giberson.