ABOUT

About Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is the home of approximately four million people.  Although there is no “officially” defined area, it is generally thought to be bounded by Redwood City on the north, San Jose on the south, the Santa Cruz Mountains on the West and Fremont-Newark on the east.  Other major cities in the area are Sunnyvale, Palo Alto and Cupertino, home of some of the most famous Silicon Valley Companies.  With the rapid growth of technology jobs in the San Francisco metropolitan area, the traditional boundaries of Silicon Valley have expanded north to include San Mateo County and the City and County of San Francisco as well as other parts of the San Francisco Bay Region.

According to studies, Silicon Valley is one of the most unchurched regions in the country.  On a given Sunday less than 5% of the people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties (those counties central to Silicon Valley) go to church.  Most people think of Silicon Valley as a secular place where people’s attention is focused on business, high technology, and the accumulation of wealth.

The spirit of entrepreneurship thrives in Silicon Valley.  For decades, Silicon Valley has led the country in the number of start-up companies and in the amount of venture capital invested.  Silicon Valley has given birth to such companies as Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Google, Yahoo, Apple Computer, Cisco, Intuit, Electronic Arts, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many, many others.

Business, technology, and money are thought of as the gods most residents of Silicon Valley worship.  Although this stereotype currently rings true, much more is happening in Silicon Valley than meets the eye.

It may surprise you that the God of the Bible is also working in Silicon Valley.  No, He is not Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, or a Sand Hill venture capitalist in disguise.  He is, however, alive in the lives of many entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, business leaders, programmers, and ordinary people in Silicon Valley.

Why this Website?

This Finding God in Silicon Valley Website provides inspirational stories of Silicon Valley Leaders who have found God and gives an indication of how God is working in Silicon Valley.

Although Silicon Valley is often characterized as a place of high technology, materialism, and secular values, it is also a place where God is at work in the lives of many people.  Through this Website and my book, Finding God in Silicon Valley, I hope to tell those stories.

About the Author

My name is “Skip” Vincent Vaccarello.  I am the author of this site and of the book Finding God in Silicon Valley:  Spiritual Journeys in a High-Tech World.

My Business Background

I have over 40 years of experience in leadership positions for Silicon Valley technology companies.  In 1979,  I came to Silicon Valley as the VP of Operations with VisiCorp, the provider of the industry’s first spreadsheet, VisiCalc, and a pioneer during the personal computer revolution. Today, I am a General Partner in the venture capital firm 1Flourish Capital, which I co-founded. 

Prior to 1Flourish, I served as President and CEO of Applied Weather Technology, a global company providing software and services to the maritime industry.  My other experience includes CEO of Communications Solutions, Inc., division general manager for 3Com, and co-founder and CEO of The Saratoga Group. 

I earned a BA in economics with honors from Harvard and an MBA with honors from the Boston University School of Management.

My Faith Background

From a young age I had a belief in God, but put faith aside beginning in the late 60’s and 70’s as I focused on career, family, and sports. In the mid-80s, I came back to faith through the encouragement of a few friends and by immersing myself in both the Bible and books on the evidence for Christ and the Christian faith. The overwhelming evidence convinced me that Christ is who He says He is – the son of God and our Lord and Savior.

I am a founding partner and elder at New Beginnings Community Church (NBCC) and chair the Connect Silicon Valley, formerly called the Silicon Valley Prayer Breakfast.

Available as a Speaker

I am available as a speaker. For more information visit SkipVaccarello.com.

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