Innovación: las fronteras que sí importan

La tecnología ha influido radicalmente sobre la capacidad para emprender nuevos negocios. Sin embargo, hay otros factores que pueden potenciar o frenar la capacidad de innovación.

Los avances tecnológicos han incidido notoriamente sobre nuestra forma de trabajar. Las actividades que pueden realizarse de forma remota y coordinada aumentan año a año, tanto en cantidad como en calidad. Tal como indicábamos en un artículo anterior, estos cambios implican que los desarrollos tecnológicos posibilitan esquemas de negocios prácticamente impensados una década atrás.

En estas nuevas estructuras corporativas, el teletrabajo y la optimización de las plataformas digitales permiten operar de manera global y con flexibilidad, dos condiciones casi obligatorias en una economía tan cambiante. Para los emprendedores de los últimos años esto ha significado una ventaja evidente, sobre todo si su rubro está directamente ligado a la esfera digital.

Sin embargo, mientras la tecnología ha “liberado” a muchos emprendedores de los condicionantes físicos tradicionales (precisamente semanas atrás nos referíamos a la redefinición de empresa como una “red de relaciones”), lo cierto es que las reglas de juego de los distintos países pueden potenciar u obstaculizar la iniciativa de los emprendedores.

Dime dónde operas…

A partir del último dossier Doing Business 2012 del Banco Mundial queda claro que algunas fronteras todavía tienen mucho peso para los emprendedores. Según consigna el informe, en muchos países en desarrollo hay factores sociales y legales que frenan el espíritu emprendedor. En general, los impedimentos tienen que ver con “procedimientos más costosos y burocráticos para la apertura de una empresa, registro de la propiedad y pago de impuestos”.

Los resultados del Banco Mundial consideran cinco variables elementales: 1) el número de trámites para iniciar un negocio 2) el tiempo para comenzarlo (medido en número de días) 3) el costo de implementación (considerado como porcentaje del ingreso per cápita) 4) la accesibilidad a préstamos y 5) la disponibilidad de capitales de riesgo.

En América Latina, por ejemplo, estas variables encuentran su mejor expresión en Chile, país que lidera el índice. Le siguen Panamá, Colombia, Perú y México. A nivel mundial, el ranking lo encabezan Singapur, Hong Kong, Nueva Zelanda, EE.UU y Dinamarca.

Fronteras y ventajas

En este contexto, y a pesar de que la posibilidad de operar de forma global está hoy más al alcance que nunca (incluso para empresas pequeñas y medianas), los líderes de negocios deben saber interpretar cuáles son los entornos regulatorios más amigables en función de sus objetivos comerciales.

Afortunadamente, esa comprensión del paisaje económico puede ser complementada con algunos de los beneficios que aporta la tecnología: adopción de la computación en nube para una variada gama de propósitos, optimización de la visibilidad digital y esquemas de teletrabajo flexibles y prácticos.

En suma, aunque el reto de ganar competitividad sigue siendo el mismo, la habilidad para los emprendedores de hoy consiste en combinar las ventajas y desventajas de un mundo cuyas fronteras han sido relativizadas –pero no borradas- por los avances tecnológicos.

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Washington Post:
Konanykhin, one of the first Russian millionaires after the fall of the commies, left in 1992 and was granted asylum here in 1999. He's built a very successful Web advertising business in New York City. He had been chosen "New York Businessman of the Year." "As such, you will be honored and presented with your award," NRCC chairman Thomas M. Reynolds (R-N.Y.) said, at a "special ceremony" April 1. " President Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are our special invited guests.

CNN:
Alex Konanykhin controlled Russia's largest commercial bank in the 1990s

Wall Street Journal:
Mr. Konanykhin was a whiz-kid physics student who became a pioneering Russian capitalist in early 1990s, building a banking and investment empire valued at an estimated $300 million all by his mid-20s. He was a member of President Boris Yeltsin's inner circle.

The Sun:
Alex Konanykhin fled Russia in 1992 and won asylum in the US after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The entrepreneur had set up 100 different companies in Russia and had an estimated net worth of $300million by the time he was 25. He is regarded as one of the first Russian millionaires after the fall of the Iron Curtain. One of the newly open country's leading lights, he even met with US President George HW Bush in 1991 on a joint visit with Russian leader Boris Yeltsin. However, he was then kidnapped in 1992 while visiting Budapest and all of his business assets were seized in Russia. … Being hunted by the Russian state, Konanykhin won asylum in the US in 1997 and set up a new life - but the shadow of the Kremlin continued to loom over him.He went on to rebuild a business empire and set up multimillion dollar firms such as TransparentBusiness in the US.

The Deal:
... a New York-based software startup called TransparentBusiness Inc. has drawn backing from Fortune 500 executives through a relatively new type of securities offering called 506(c) as part of an effort to raise $10 million this year ... Alex Konanykhin, CEO of TransparentBusiness, said he decided to reach out directly to accredited investors by purchasing ads in financial publications. One particularly bold ad includes the figure, 90,000%, with a question mark next to it. Konanykhin said the ad speaks to the large market opportunity for his company's software, which helps governments eliminate fraud by verifying billable hours charged by outside contractors. ... One of the investors, Ken Arredondo, told The Deal he invested in TransparentBusiness and agreed to serve on its board of directors because of the company's strong management team and the huge market opportunity to increase transparency of outsourced contracts worldwide. He believes in the company's product and said it's unique. "It's a Saas-based, easy-to-use tool," he said. "There are a lot of technology players out there that are a lot bigger, but none of them have what they have. There will be competition, but they have the product now. They have first-mover advantage."

The Baltimore Sun:
Business whiz kid.

WJLA TV / ABC:
Russian Bill Gates.

The Times:
By the time he was 25 he was one of the most important figures in post-Communist Russia. But in 1992, while on a business trip to Hungary, Alex Konanykhine was kidnapped.

The New York Times:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation notified Konanykhin that Russian organized crime figures had paid to have him killed.

Los Angeles Daily Journal:
Representing himself through much of the process, Konanykhin managed to convince an immigration judge of an alleged INS and KGB conspiracy and cover-up. Following the court's admonishment, the INS agreed to drop all charges and also pay $100,000..The judge also ordered an investigation of the Justice Department. In separate actions, Konanykhine subsequently won multimillion dollar libel judgments against two Russian newspapers. A $100 million lawsuit against the Justice Department is pending, alleging perjury, fraud, torture and witness tampering by U.S government officers on behalf of the Russian Mafia.

Profit Magazine:
Imagine you are a teenage physics genius who quickly amasses a $300 million empire of real estate and banking ventures, has dozens of cars, six hundred employees, several mansions and two hundred bodyguards—but you are nonetheless kidnapped by those you trusted, threatened with torture and death, and have your entire empire stolen from you one dark night in Budapest. You escape with your life by racing through Eastern-block countries and flying to New York on stashed-away passports—only to have the KGB and Russian Mafia hell-bent on your hide and the U.S. government jailing you and conspiring to serve you up into their clutches. All this before your 29th birthday. Sound like a Tom Clancy thriller? No. . . just a slice in the life of Alexander Konanykhine.