DARE - Because Entrepreneurs Do

James Gosling who wrote one of the most popular computer programming languages, Java, has joined Google. Gosling authored Java while working for Sun Microsystems. Oracle bought out Sun Microsystems and inherited Gosling and many other star technologists. However, Gosling left Oracle soon after the acquisition.

Why did Google hire Gosling? Gosling is way past his prime and does not actively develop the Java language any more.

Gosling may not be active but is a formidable intellect and commands respect from legions of Java programmers across the world. For a company like Google which depends heavily on Java and looks to be at the cutting edge of technology, having such intellectual power helps in attracting talent.

There is a lesson here for start-ups. You can have a plan to bring intellectuals on to your advisory board. As start-ups you may not be able to hire them and give them all the facilities they require but you can certainly get their help whenever required. Many intellectuals are willing to lend you their time not for money but for the challenge your project may provide them.

Just to give an idea on how this works, the man who invented TCP/IP which powers the Internet, Vincent Cerf, works with Google. Cerf is way past his prime too and is close to retirement but he is a great technology evangelist.

Microsoft for instance, has many such veterans working in Microsoft Research. One such towering personality is: CAR Hoare who invented key computer algorithms for sorting and proposed a mathematical model for writing correct programs. Microsoft also had Jim Gray, who invented the transaction model for relational databases.

That way IBM boasts of many such star scientists.

Large companies go out of their way to hire and retain such talent. It helps achieve two key things:

1) Brings the best intellectual capital

2) Star scientists attract talent, projects and finally revenues like magnet

Cultivating talent is not about hiring only those people who will work on assignments or wait on benches for projects that are in the sales pipeline. You also require people who are not in the thick of daily grind; those who can think up new paradigms and new ways to doing things without the pressure of how it will impact the company's next quarter's bottom-line.

You should definitely have a plan to identify the best brains in your domain and engaging them. It will not only give your team access to technology mentorship but will enhance your project's profile in the public's eyes.