Have you ever wondered how the world beyond Silicon Valley innovates?

When the word “unicorn” was coined in 2013, you could count the cities producing billion-dollar startups on one hand. Today there are more than 1,500 unicorns across 300 cities in 50+ countries.

And these are not copycats. The largest neobank on earth was built in Brazil. The biggest super-app in China. The leading robotic process automation company came out of Romania. The paths to scale look different outside the Valley, and increasingly, the Valley is learning from them.

[99%tech] covers that story, in both directions. I am Alex Lazarow: a global venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and the author of Out-Innovate (HBR Press). Every week I publish an essay on how the world really builds, with a video edition and an audio edition narrated with my AI voice. I also occasionally host guest posts from friends.

99% about technology. Technology for the 99%. (The other 1% is wine, travel, and whatever the road teaches me.)

Join 10,000+ others. Come see how the other 99% builds.