The Very Strange Story of the Startup That Says It Made $10m Before Launching

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/leapfish_advertising_story.php

by chuck_taylor • 17 years ago

30 21 17 years ago

readwriteweb.com

dot• 17 years ago

So people are paying to get listed in a search engine before it even launches. What a scam.

Reminds me of online directory listing scams that get gullible small businesses to sign up over the phone.

Also reminds me of the million dollar homepage, for some reason. Probably because it's pretty clever :)

replicatorblog2• 17 years ago

yeah seems a bit shady, but a really cool social hack to circumvent typical funding. If people used the power for good it would make an inspiring Startup School talk, ala the 1MM px page.

SwellJoe2• 17 years ago

But, I suspect you'd have to lie outrageously to accomplish this "social hack". Who spends millions of dollars on nothing, without having heard a massive line of bullshit first?

So, I don't think I'd be inspired by such a talk. I was also not really inspired by the million dollar home page, either...sure, he made a million bucks, but that's not an enduring business and it is not a repeatable business model. It's a fluke, like winning the lottery. I'm not an entrepreneur to merely make a million bucks; I'm in it to build something of lasting value to the world. A common side effect of building something of lasting value is making a lot of money.

JacobAldridge2• 17 years ago

I don't think they're paying to get listed in the search engine - they're paying for exclusive rights to Keywords for a year, and with first right of refusal next year.

Imagine you had exclusivity to a Google keyword like Viagra, Sales, or Wedding? Crikey that would be worth a lot, so what if, just maybe, Leapfish get it right and compete with Google? Their argument, which I guess current customers have bought, is that surely that's worth taking a punt.

CapitalistCartr• 17 years ago

Leapfish can't both compete with Google,and be dependent on Google, which their current model is. If they get "exclusivity to a Google keyword like Viagra, Sales, or Wedding" Google will change to fix that problem. Competing with Google's ownership of keywords on Google's own search engine ain't a reliable business model. Anything that involves outsmarting Google is a weak proposition.

keltex• 17 years ago

Similar to the toolbar companies that sold keywords. One company "Portal Response" (google it for lots of complaints about the scam) sold keywords for $1000-$2000 a pop for 1 year exclusives.

Their pitch was that they blocked child porn websites. Another was a myspace search toolbar.

a-priori• 17 years ago

I have to say: watching that video made me want to grab a broadsword and kill some Orcs or something.

teej• 17 years ago

That's because it's pretty "inspired" by Hans Zimmer. Compare their video here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qcMK1vPWFM#t=35s) with Hans' Pirates of the Caribbean theme (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVmjAM5o1jg)

tomjen2• 17 years ago

It is definately Hans Zimmer, but with the short part they used in the movie it might as well have been the theme to The Rock.

rykov• 17 years ago

Amazing - I thought of Hans as well, but a different movie - Gladiator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFpZPZ_g4Hw#t=2m30s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvTT29cavKo

brk2• 17 years ago

This was done in the 90's, but I can't recall the company name. I bought a handful of keywords that related to my market at the time.

I expect this go-around to end equally badly.

staunch• 17 years ago

I said the exact same thing to someone, and couldn't remember the name of the company either. It's killing me. Who knows the name of the late 90s company selling keywords, like "pizza", for millions.

Update: Goto.com is what I was thinking of, I think.

agbell• 17 years ago

They became Yahoo! Search Marketing.

authentic• 17 years ago

You're probably thinking of RealNames.

brk2• 17 years ago

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was it now that you mention it.

lloydarmbrust• 17 years ago

So, their customers are spammers and MLMers then?

bravura• 17 years ago

This is ingenious. Imagine if you combined their sales technique with a solid technology!

The Very Strange Story of the Startup That Says It Made $10m Before Launching

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