From the "where was this when I was in high school" file, I bring you FailCon: An entire conference dedicated to the idea that in the world of technology, it's cool to fail.
Brought to you by the enterprising folks at Snap Summit, FailCon will, come october, bring CEOs and VCs together to look at why startups fali so often, and why, in many cases, that's not such a bad thing. I remember sitting down to lunch and an interview with Steve Jurvetson of Silicon Valley's Draper Fisher Jurvetson VC powerhouse at Buck's Restaurant, and having him tell me (not long after finessing the $400 million deal to sell Hotmail to Microsoft) that one of the first things he looks for in a new startup is a leader who has failed before. He says it builds character.
So, expect lots of character-building exercises at FailCon. We'll hear from social networking companies that didn't sell in time (Tribe.net, anyone?), not to mention upstarts who are the current belles of the high-tech ball. Venture capitalists will explain why it's alright to strike out in the tech world, while also giving pointers on how to avoid the giant flame-out that can scar you -- and your company's- reputation for years.
In a world of books, DVDs, infomercials, and seminars telling us how success is all-important and always around the corner, it's refreshing to see a full-blown event dedicated to the strike out. I hope lots of people show up, all willing to admit that sometimes swinging and missing is not only OK, but can be a crucial stepping stone to later success.
Even your local VC seems to agree.
