Ask YC: advice for a would-be startup founder living in Africa

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176531

by aitoehigie • 18 years ago

2 10 18 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

i am a hacker living in Africa (Nigeria) and i have developed a web application (for obvious reasons) and i will like to build it up into a business, so i will like to get some relevant advice from you guys that will help me.

drinko• 18 years ago

what are the obvious reasons? Web app is amazingly non specific.

you will get more help if you are more open.

aitoehigie2• 18 years ago

The obvious reasons are: (1)i wont have distribution headaches, (2)easy to deploy and upgrade and the list goes on. I need advice on IP, business, co-founders, funding etc

meredydd2• 18 years ago

I think what drinko is asking is what sort of web app you're working up. The type/function/target market will help people gauge what's appropriate. It's probably worth the risk to your confidentiality...

davidw2• 18 years ago

Well, as far as I can tell, the advice that flows freely here is as good for you as it is for everyone else, modulo Africa-specific things, which we may not be able to help you much with. So - do you have any specific questions?

aitoehigie2• 18 years ago

yes, how do i get funding? or something close to Ycombinator

davidw2• 18 years ago

I would see getting funding in Nigeria as being an uphill struggle unless you have connections, so maybe look for people from there that have made money and are willing to send some back home. Otherwise, move elsewhere, I suppose:-/

goofygrin• 18 years ago

Sync up with this guy: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=175649

And get on a jet aeroplane to somewhere where the hill to climb to a better life is significantly smaller.

bosshog• 18 years ago

what kind of web app?

meredydd2• 18 years ago

My suggestion is to use what you have - play your home for its comparative advantage.

What have you got? You might not have a strong local VC community, but you do have something the Valley doesn't - a very low relative cost of living. With an international market, you can sell a service at 'Western' prices, and spend it at Nigerian prices.

Unless you can move to a startup hub, you're unlikely to get investment, at least initially. So it's going to have to be a bootstrap job. Get a merchant/PayPal business account, get paying customers as soon as you can, and work towards self-sufficiency. Once you're there, you can look towards expanding, getting investment, or moving overseas if that's what you want.

You're in no worse a position than many bootstrappers here - but, thanks to your location, the bar you're shooting for is lower. Exploit it!

pystar• 18 years ago

i have developed a mobile application for mobile phones that syncs to a mobile server, since mobile phones are more common than computers here in africa.

Ask YC: advice for a would-be startup founder living in Africa

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