Exceptional mindset
You have the perfect business idea. You work on it, elaborate on your business model and build the first prototype. Before you found your own company, you want to test your product by asking others and talking with potential customers. What do you do? You probably will end up keeping the idea for yourself and risk entering the market without the opinion and advice of others.
Why? Because you are afraid somebody will steal your idea or even embarrass you. That’s how a business idea ends. Well, not in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley could be defined as the place where you share as much information as you can because everybody out here will not think about how to steal your idea, but rather how to help you best. They want to enhance every idea and they do not care if it is not their own.
This still fascinates me. This really makes Silicon Valley a different place. Helping each other out, being open-minded and staying optimistic are key characteristics of the Berkeley experience. See it yourself.