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CHAPTER TWO Choosing and Funding The genesis of FDI came out of the momentum of the Silicon Valley in the 1980s. Software developers like me had a new lens for seeing the world, and that meant that any industry or process that had a “this is how we’ve always done it” philosophy was ripe for innovation and automation. The world was just starting to see the power of digital technology, and programmers were the gods with the tools to tap into that power. That may sound grandiose, but that’s how exciting those times were. Today, the business landscape has changed a great deal, but the same enthu- siasm that I felt in those days is still alive and well for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Digital technology is still rich with potential, but new waves of innovation have entered the market, and they show no signs of slowing down. With a little creativity, one can identify a tired, old value chain and trans- form it with a new piece of technology, a new process, or a new business model. The real problem for most entrepreneurs, however, is not coming up with an idea but rather picking one idea out of the dozens of exciting visions bouncing around in their minds on any given day. Even back when I first started to work on FDI and the project of making vehicle titles paperless, I had multiple ideas for products and businesses. The people I worked with, or met casually, also had ideas for businesses. As I said in the previous chapter, we saw the potential for innovation everywhere, and in our present day, with shows like Shark Tank and stories of dorm-room bil- lionaires becoming staples of popular culture, quite literally everyone has an idea for a business. Ideas are important, but coming up with ideas is the least challenging part of becoming a Necessity Entrepreneur. The real challenges come afterward. How do you pick one idea out of several to work on? How do you execute on