A Silicon Valley clone may no longer work

In today's innovation economy, geography matters less than connectivity.

- BY PETER ABOU HACHEM

Every city that has tried to copy Silicon Valley has learned the same lesson: there is no rulebook. Startup ecosystems cannot be engineered by formulas or copied from one another. What works in one place will not work in another. Each city must identify its own strengths, find its own advantage and connect deliberately to the world.

We live in a borderless world. Blockchain ignores geography. AI has no passport. And talent can build, scale and fundraise from anywhere. That is why startup ecosystems that try to grow in silos are destined to fall behind. The ones that succeed are those that embrace openness and operate across borders.