The Initial Spark - Cambridge s Risk-Taking Local Heroes

The Initial Spark ” Cambridge's Risk-Taking Local Heroes

The story of Cambridge's high-tech development begins with an initial spark from certain key individuals who are referred to as "local heroes." These key individuals were pioneers, embodying the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit, that lies at the heart of today's Cambridge phenomenon . Developments were never formally planned by a central organization, neither were there ever any long- term strategies aimed at building the competitiveness of the cluster. The local heroes were people with ideas that they were willing to put their money and/or "sweat equity" behind, with an optimistic confidence that things would work if they were given the chance. They undertook spontaneous initiatives that evolved within the framework of informal relationships, another key characteristic of Cambridge. "Nothing is impossible !" claims Dr. Phil O'Donovan, managing director and co-founder of Cambridge Silicon Radio. ^[3] This ease in dealing with uncertainty and risk still prevails in Cambridge today: local investors are used to taking risks and actually enjoy taking and managing them.

What remains important for Cambridge is not necessarily to achieve critical mass, but rather to achieve critical commitment. There is a motivation and steadfastness of the people within the area to set things in motion and see them through. An analogy used by Peter Hewkin, managing director of the Cambridge Network, ^[4] is that of a group of guerrilla fighters, meeting in the South American jungle and winning a battle in a clearing, only to retreat and melt away into the forest without a trace. The individuals that undertook this sort of activism in Cambridge eventually became role models for the region, representing a "low-blame" culture if things went wrong and of a willingness to make quick decisions. Thus, the original source of entrepreneurship in Cambridge came from within its own network of entrepreneurial champions , not from the government, not from the university, and not from the major British technology companies.