EuroTrip: In search of new ideas from the old world

At GigaOM RoadMap conference, uber-investor Mike Moritz (whose investments include Yahoo, LinkedIn and Google) pointed out that in the age of global connectedness “you have to go where entrepreneurs are these days.” He said that startup creativity is not just for Silicon Valley, for the seeds of entrepreneurship are spreading across the planet.

While I have more travels planned for the coming year, for now I am restricting myself to a handful. Taking Moritz’s advice, I am dusting off my boots, unpacking my winter coat and getting ready for a trip to some of the newest, hottest startup hubs in the world.

After spending a few days in Paris, where I will be attending Le Web (and interviewing designer Yves Behar), I am going to go to Berlin and Helsinki, where I am told that the great Nokia implosion is having a positive impact on entrepreneurship. Berlin, they say, is the new (startup) black.

In Paris, I am hoping to catch up with lots of friends at Le Web and more importantly, stop by and catch up with Illiad (Free.fr) founder Xavier Niel and ask him about the future of communications. It is bound to be a feisty and fun conversation. (I last talked at length with him in December 2007 and it was a prescient conversation with one of the broadband mavericks.)

Over the next 10 days, I am going to keep you informed about the impact of technology in these new cities, write about new interesting startups and how things are different in these locales. Here is how you can follow me on this trip:

Sign up for my Om Says newsletter and get my daily dispatch emailed directly to your inbox.
Sign up for my Instagram feed to catch up with my photos. I am @Om on Instagram.
Follow me on Twitter. I am @om on Twitter.
See photos, videos and occasional touristy posts on my personal blog, Om.co.

Too much? Well, you can come to GigaOM and find my latest posts, fresh off the press as they say. Here is what I am carrying as my gear:

Macbook Air
iPad 2 (with 3G and the 800 MB plan from AT&T
iPhone 4S as my still/video camera with a Gymbl tripod/stand
Mophie battery pack for those awkward times when iPhone 4S exposes its one flaw — less than optimal battery life

I think those are enough gizmos for me to do a decent job of reporting the news. Onward!

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