The 90’s brought us companies such as Amazon.com, eBay, Netscape, Broadcom, and AOL to name a few.  We discovered web browsers, PDAs, universal email, voice over IP, DSL, broadband cable, cable telephony, Wi-Fi, and TiVo among others.  The 80’s brought us companies such as Dell, Compaq, Cisco, Microsoft, Qualcomm, Adobe Systems, and Genentech.  We discovered personal computers, cellular telephones, spreadsheets, and genetic engineering.  This decade we have Crocs and the iPod.  Where has American innovation gone? 

John Kao, an expert on innovation from Harvard, claims the U.S. is experiencing a brain drain as foreign scientists and engineers return to their native countries for better opportunities.  Even more alarmingly, other countries are luring away U.S. born scientists and engineers.  Much of our venture capital industry is investing their resources outside the U.S.  Those venture capital funds not invested overseas are often part of the walking dead, no longer actively investing.