HN user
Designer & Developer
TLDR
"...this doesn’t provide the sort of certainty I know founders want in answering the question of when to raise. However, I think that knowing that there is no clean answer is important because it provides a framework for thinking through the relative advantages you have when thinking about a raise."
I looked this up as well! Hah!
I was in the same situation as you at the end of last year. After 2.5 years working on a Techstars VC funded startup as a co-founder, we failed. Unfortunately at the time, I didn't have the extra cash to take time off, so I sent a few emails out (to the Techstars network) and a few weeks later jumped onboard another early startup as the first engineering hire. I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to join another early stage company, but they offered a nice salary (I obviously chose salary over equity), a nice bonus, + some equity. They were the perfect fit for me, so things worked out well.
If you have the $$ to travel before moving on, I would advise you to take some time off to relax and get your mind away from the startup world. Go see your family, it's amazing how much they care.
Lastly, you will experience many emotions for many months following, don't take it too hard. Life goes on, things happen for a reason, and good luck! It will all work out.
If there was an option in Tally to hide votes so they don't influence decisions, it would be more useful. We used it at Techstars recently and didn't find the results very accurate. That said, it's very slick and simple, which I really liked.
Yes, you should attend if you get accepted. Sure you can watch it online, but there's nothing like sitting in the audience, actually experiencing the talks, and meeting really smart people. During my first Startup School in 2009, I stayed with the founders of no-name startup (at that time) called Airbnb. It was super early days, and I remember walking into a loft where about 10-18 people were working. I met some really awesome friends during that trip. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made to this day.
I highly recommend attending if you get the chance. I've been twice and both times have been well worth it (I traveled from Texas both times).
I've seen many in Houston.
I saw this coming, especially with their "Send beer to your friend in San Francisco" promo a few weeks ago. There are just too many regulations on alcohol.
This is awesome. I spent the summer working from Excelerate Labs at 1871 Chicago, where Code Academy (now Starter League) teaches their classes. Neal and Michael are doing things right, and the Chicago tech/startup community has benefited greatly from it. Jason Fried was a mentor at Excelerate this summer and it's great that he's giving back to the Chicago community. Chicago is becoming a new hub for startups, and the Starter League has graduated many talented developers that are now working on their own startup or for others.
This is awesome, sent to my gf. Thanks and nice work!
The quote I always remember from the book goes something like, "The average dad, also the poor dad, tells their children to work hard in school and get a steady job in a good company. The rich dad tells their children to start a company."
Thanks, I agree but that was all he would give.
Just one since I was busy with my senior design project for the first half of the year in order to finish college.
Skillow, A pinboard for entrepreneurs: http://skillow.com
I just added http://skillow.com/tour to give a simple how it works. Every item or listing now has a REPIN button, I'll work on making it more clear. Thanks!
I worked at Gowalla last summer and I can tell you that there are superusers who travel around only for the beautiful stamps and to collect items, but that number is very small. Gowalla has always been about travel and exploring. This move is not a surprise in any way.
I just moved back to Tumblr after using Posterous for 6 months or so. I finally got tired of the slow page loads and buggy editor I experienced using Posterous.
Texas A&M University here, anyone else?
4 Advil before the race? This is a bad idea, from experience. I took 2 Advil before a 10K and felt great, but within an hour after the race, I was in complete pain. My stomach was cramping and I couldn't get up out of bed for at least 45 min. If you Google "Advil" and "running", you will find many articles that warn you about the mixture. I've ran two half-marathons without pain killers, it's definitely the way to go.
It looks like http://untappd.com has some competition now.
After viewing the video of the MIT lab using the AR Drone I'm confused...
From the Development License of the SDK Drone API (Article 5 v):
"AR.Drone, shall have for sole purpose to be used by a User for entertaining, game, leisure or training. The creation of applications for the use of the PARROT Drone for military, and, without limitation, security, watching, spying, defence, cartography is strictly forbidden."
I've encountered this same problem multiple times.
The fix: don't buy the domain until you are ready to launch the project. This allows you to build without having to adapt your project to a domain name. It's much easier to find a domain that describes your project after it has been completed. It also saves you money if you never carry out your grand ideas.
Until mobile carriers solve the no service problem at large festivals, this app isn't useful in that situation. I was also at Austin City Limits last weekend with no 3G service at all, all day.
Thanks for your suggestions! I figured a web app wouldn't be ideal for our needs. Our challenge is that we have to transmit and process up to 12 leads at a time. Most of the products out there today are only using a few ECG leads. We also have to design and build the the actual device that will transmit from the body. It looks like a native Windows app is usually the standard for software in this field of work. Thanks!
Try Sleep Cycle if you have an iPhone. It's $.99 and works surprisingly well.
PG also made this statement in May 2009 (iPad released April 2010):
What would be your dream setup?
I'd like it if the Air was about half the size. I don't know why Apple won't make something in between the Air and an iPhone...
Source: http://paul.graham.usesthis.com
I've been using Quora for a few months and I have found it VERY useful. Mainly due to the quality of answers being far better than anything found in a simple Google Search. Also, the user base is very transparent. There are many influential web users on the site with plenty of good knowledge to share. The fact that you can ask a question to a user without being their friend is also helpful. With the release to the public, I fear that the quality of questions and answers will fall to something similar to that of Yahoo Answers. Let's hope not.
I'd suggest not weighing yourself everyday, but every week at the same time of day. This is because each day your body weight varies from water weight lost and gained. So one day you may be a few lbs. more than usual, which can be discouraging.
This is great. Simple, well designed, and just enough features. I especially enjoy the vanity url and password protection. Good work!
I get an error message when uploading an .mp3:
"If you're sure your internet connection works, then we recommend you either use Google Chrome (this is the recommended option - you don't actually need Flash if you're using Chrome), or install Flash."
This statement confuses me since I am using Chrome, my connection is good, and I do have Flash installed.