In a statement, Dell said it plans to grow its Silicon Valley workforce to more than 1500 over the next five years.

FORBES: Dell To Open New R&D Center Near Apple, Intel

Our goal was to talk about the driving forces that enabled Silicon Valley to grow.

FORBES: Connect

Crowd Valley aka Grow VC is the internationally leading crowd funding team with operations in Hong Kong and the UK that are expanding into the US in 2013.

FORBES: Top 10 Crowdfunders of 2013

One of the only places on Earth to see them in their natural habitat, the wax palms in Cocora Valley can grow to 60m tall, and hundreds of them randomly dot the cleared grassland like floral pinwheels, towering above fields of grazing livestock.

BBC: Colombia��s valley of the palms

Mr. SCHWEITZER: Well, we had to prove that it was both unique in terms of climate and topology, that there was a history of being called the Ramona Valley and that there were grapes growing here, not necessarily that there was any wine industry so much as that it was possible to grow grapes in the Ramona Valley.

NPR: Ramona Valley: New American Viticultural Area

Spanos has forged a unique path to Silicon Valley and I look forward to seeing whether his start-up will grow and have a big impact.

FORBES: Demetri Spanos Does His Own Thing in Silicon Valley

The settlers worked hard, clearing the forests along the valley floors, and making their living from livestock in a region where few crops grow well, but Alpine meadows are pasture for goats and cattle which produce unrivalled milk and cheese.

BBC: Hiking the Alpine Walserweg trail