[PixelPusher]

Not to be mean, but the author looks really young.

Maybe I'm getting old, but I find it really hard to take advice from such young people. My personal take is that they're bypassing a lot of the experience it takes to make a well rounded business person.

I personally feel like a douche trying to give advice to other people, particularly people older than me.

[dquail]

* Disclaimer - I wrote the post Thanks for suggesting I look young :)

I have a hard time taking advice from young people too. Well ... until Brian Wong, schooled me during a tech conference we were both panelists for.

A lot of super smart valley entrepreneurs "bypass" what it takes to be a well rounded business person ... I guess. But I doubt that has anything to do with age, and more to do with the current frothy acquisition and funding environment.

[PixelPusher]

Thinking about it, I'm sure they can be just as good. Regardless of age. I would guess it's like anything else. Constant exposure and practicing will breed excellence. I would just be scared of all the mistakes they haven't made yet.

It's funny you mention Brian Wong, his company is a competitor of the company i work for. He's a smart guy, from what i can tell, but he would actually be one of the examples i'd use to cite lack of experience.

In software development, lack of experience can be a really big issue. For example, with lack of experience you may choose core piece of technology based on hype. coughmongodb and kiipcough

But, I digress, thanks for the article. Learned a bit about the Canadian start up eco-system.

[viame]

"In software development, lack of experience can be a really big issue" can you explain this one to me? I hope that someone who calls themselves a senior developer with 20 years experience will know a lot about different technologies. On the other hand if you are a co-founder who needs to code, design, network and do many many other things, software development has nothing to do with it. Your demo will not be using the right technologies. Companies grow and new developers get hired. Code gets re-written and technologies you use, will be changed.

[PixelPusher]

What is there to explain? As a software developer, experience matters.

If you're building disposable demos, you probably have more problems than building software.

[dquail]

There's a lot to be said 20~something entrepreneurs that don't know life before there was internet. Yes ... they're romanticized in tech blogs, and the majority of successful entrepreneurs are > 30 ... but when a young smart entrepreneur like Brian who doesn't know what the world looked like before the internet speaks ... I listen.