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Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

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Re: Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

#91

Post by xxpor »

kylemhill wrote: post #89
mrbrandonking wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a story on "The Daily WTF" that's almost certainly about Epic Systems. Epic apparently uses an obfuscated 60's-era language called MUMPS. See http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/A_Case_of_the_MUMPS.aspx I found another article that says Epic prefers to hire fresh college graduates because they're easier to mold into the "Epic Way."

I used to work at Epic, but it was over six years ago at this point. Their entire stack at the time was MUMPS and VB6. No idea if that's still the case, mind you -- there were some modernization efforts underway when I left. Although from what my friends that work at Epic hospitals tell me about their software, it likely hasn't changed much. And I almost certainly got hired there because I actually knew MUMPS from a…

They're still on VB6 and MUMPS. They've just recently started doing C# stuff.

Re: Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

#92

Post by dave_sullivan »

catshirt wrote: post #79
danielharan wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For help selling the company? I'm sure there are a few VCs that know all the corp dev people and could more than double the final price.

this is definitely not my forte but if VC thinks they could flip the company isn't there a more direct route than buying into a round for the sake of press?

You've got to own some shares to make money in an acquisition. It's not for the press.

Re: Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

#94

Post by cheald »

joshjdr wrote: post #86
wsh91 wrote: post #3

I'm part of one, Atlassian, which was last valued at $3.3 billion and started with $10,000 in credit card debt, taking $60 million in venture funding eight years in . (For more on valuation and the background, http://www.businessinsider.com/atlassian-helps-employees-poc... )

Doesn't $60 million in venture capital make this NOT an example of a bootstrapped company?

You don't think that surviving for 8 years without raising funding counts as "bootstrapped"?

Re: Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

#97

Post by voltagex_ »

davidbanham wrote: post #90
voltagex_ wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Very sad to see you guys leaving Australia. Best of luck!

They're not going anywhere. The recent change to the corporate structure has been for tax purposes. They will continue to grow overseas, but I don't see them closing Sydney any time soon.

Ack. Somewhere the two ideas (moving vs restructuring) got conflated in my head. Now I can't delete that comment. Thanks for the pointer.

Re: Ask HN: Do bootstrapped billion-dollar companies exist?

#99

Post by aaronbrethorst »

kylemhill wrote: post #89
mrbrandonking wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a story on "The Daily WTF" that's almost certainly about Epic Systems. Epic apparently uses an obfuscated 60's-era language called MUMPS. See http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/A_Case_of_the_MUMPS.aspx I found another article that says Epic prefers to hire fresh college graduates because they're easier to mold into the "Epic Way."

I used to work at Epic, but it was over six years ago at this point. Their entire stack at the time was MUMPS and VB6. No idea if that's still the case, mind you -- there were some modernization efforts underway when I left. Although from what my friends that work at Epic hospitals tell me about their software, it likely hasn't changed much. And I almost certainly got hired there because I actually knew MUMPS from a…

> I was a kid with a sub-3 GPA from a liberal arts school with a Political Science degree.

Funny, they rejected me from even interviewing with a 3.01 GPA and a Computer Science degree because my GPA wasn't high enough. It worked out well, though, and I'm glad I never had to live in Madison.

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