Last year at SIME, a series of people were asked to name 1 city / place they thought would be the next hot spot / hub (in the next 2 - 3 years) for the digital scene in the world. Answers ranged from “Silicon Valhalla” (Scandinavian tradition), Berlin, Amsterdam, Shanghai, Beijing, Barcelona to a multiple other cities. And most entrepreneurs chose their own home / region they operate from as the next hub, either because they really like the place or they have not explored other options. I am guessing knowing the DNA of the crowd at SIME who are typically go global entrepreneurs, they would want to marry opportunity with capital and network. European cities being closer than other cities in Asia or South America for instance have a spill over effect probably helping smart entrepreneurs gravitate to the city.  Of course there were insights such as “I like all places since it helps me meet new kind of entrepreneurs”, and the bottom of the pyramid segment makes a lot of sense, but if we quantify it with hard numbers the usual suspects are revealed again.

What do you think? We are developing an in-house matrix of parameters that we can use to understand the vibrancy and buzz of the city - lets call it the “SIME Vibrancy Index” and we plan to present it soon. In the meantime go ahead, voice your views, do not let facts stop you from talking your gut out.

SIME participants are wondering about the next Hotspot in the world from 23tv.de on Vimeo.