LA tech guru explains the startup movement that is going to define the next era of the web

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mike jones

Science

As the head of tech "startup studio" Science and the former CEO of MySpace, Michael Jones has a unique perspective on the tech industry.

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Like many, Jones categorizes the past eras of the Internet into Web 1.0 and 2.0. Today, however, he thinks we've entered 3.0. Here's how he described the difference:

"Web 1.0 was a static experience that was individualized. Web 2.0 was social, where people benefitted from engaging together in these software experiences. The 3.0 movement is about applying a software layer to everything in the real world," Jones told Business Insider.

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Examples of this new era, according to Jones, include services like Dollar Shave Club, Uber, AirBnB, and DogVacay, which apply software to non-tech industries like razors, taxis, real estate, and dog kennels, respectively.

"That's amazing," Jones says of the types of internet-businesses forming today. "If we were in the 1.0 days and a bunch of software guys pitched me about launching a razor startup, I would be like, 'Why?'"

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According to Jones, if the 1.0 movement disrupted media and news and the 2.0 movement disrupted communications, the 3.0 movement is about disrupting everything else.

"We are almost in this amazing moment. Web 1.0 represented a small market. 2.0 represented a larger section. 3.0 represents the entire market," says Jones.

Uber

Getty / Oli Scarff

Today, Jones and his team at Science are pitched hundreds of different companies, many of which fall outside of the type traditionally taken on by a software advisory company. Science is currently working with HomeHero, a company that pairs seniors with caregivers, and PrizeCandle, a line of candles with prizes embedded in the wax. They are just a couple of the companies that demonstrate the wide scope that tech now encompasses.

"It is software-as-a-service across traditional industries, " says Jones. "Think of all the systems that had to get built up to get to that level - financial security, identity services, massive infrastructure, shipping, logistics - all led to this moment. This is probably the best time to live."

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