Startups and Semiconductors: A Brief History of Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley pic
Silicon Valley
Image: netvalley.com

Business executive Gary Schofield has worked for over two decades in the communications industry with a focus on online and mobile markets. With extensive operational and management experience, Gary Schofield has been instrumental in the development of numerous successful tech company startups in and around Silicon Valley, including Ravel Labs.

Electronics and technology hotspot Silicon Valley is located in the northern portion of Santa Clara County in San Francisco’s Bay Area. The nickname was coined by journalist Don Hoefler in a 1971 series of articles in Electronic News, taking as inspiration the base material of semiconductor chips. The area has been known as a leader in the development of cutting-edge technology since the middle of the last century, when engineers and scientists came together in the midst of cultural renaissance and the crucible of Cold War competition.

The result was an atmosphere of open-mindedness and risk-taking, where failure was accepted as a natural part of innovation. Today, the Silicon Valley area receives more than half of all venture capital funding in the United States, as the development of life-changing technology continues.