Sydney Lai at TEDxRedding 2016 Her talk is titled "How to innovate small towns"

Silicon Valley is often praised for being the technology hub or the innovation center of the world. Small cities, towns, and rural America are drawn to the economic development opportunity of building startup ecosystems and thus will copy and paste solutions seen in large tech cities.

Many communities ask: “What if we could be the next Silicon Valley?” Startup expert Sydney Lai warns people against taking a Copy and Paste approach to fostering their unique innovation ecosystems. Highlighting the authentic development of the innovation ecosystem that is already underway in her rural hometown, Sydney reminds us of the value of adapting in order to innovate.

Sydney Lai is a gregarious community leader passionate about helping people pursue entrepreneurship. Born in a small town in rural California, Sydney now lives in Silicon Valley building startup ecosystems domestically and internationally, leading accelerators, venture funds, and community events.

As a technical marketer and designer with an award winning background in sales, Sydney grows products and services users want. Her work spans across industries and startups including banking, virtual reality, government, and aerospace. In 2016, Sydney Lai has been recognized as an LGBT Technology Leader by The White House, Office of Science and Technology Policy.

To get involved and find resources to innovate your town, visit http://www.growthbarn.com/ or reach her at @sydneylai

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx