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AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

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Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#61

Post by kriro »

swanson wrote: post #41
hkmurakami wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful to examine what's actually in the fund as your underlying. This isn't like buying the S&P500 where the sector exposure is well defined. One "startup index fund" can perform very disparately from another "startup index fund". edit: If there's data that shows the performance of a basket of random 100 company samples being equivalent to any number of other random 100 company samples, then I am happy to admit…

Yep -- I understand what I'm buying (well, not buying yet...). Something like this would be a great for a Taleb-esque 90/10 barbell I think -- 90% in target-date vanguard funds and 10% in startup investments by proxy.

Didn't Taleb advocate cash holdings (90%) and high risk investing (10%). I always though that 90% cash was a pretty whacky idea and personally just stick to portfolio theory.

I think your plan (substitution index funds for cash) is already a lot better than what Taleb suggested.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#62

Post by cloudjacker »

sotojuan wrote: post #38
cloudjacker wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ever try a recruitment agency?

Nope. Like I said, I was actually successful with Angel List—you just have to have a good profile and either write good introductions or contact the company directly. It could just use a cleanup and moderation.

You should try a recruitment agency. What you went through is nothing to brag about.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#63

Post by andrewmb »

contingencies wrote: post #53

I feel like AngelList is a specialized social network with maximum utility ~10 years ago and for people who already know each other or are clearly in the same network, who basically use it as a less-spammy LinkedIn. I've had zero luck communicating with people over it and have frankly given up in favor of raising domestically here in China.

I'm currently working on a company that could just as easily start in China as the US: anything you can share regarding where and how to find investors? No "Chinese AngelList"?

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#64

Post by contingencies »

andrewmb wrote: post #63
contingencies wrote: post #53

I feel like AngelList is a specialized social network with maximum utility ~10 years ago and for people who already know each other or are clearly in the same network, who basically use it as a less-spammy LinkedIn. I've had zero luck communicating with people over it and have frankly given up in favor of raising domestically here in China.

I'm currently working on a company that could just as easily start in China as the US: anything you can share regarding where and how to find investors? No "Chinese AngelList"?

There are many local networks. We are currently in touch with a few, and may even start one as an adjunct to the current round's raising process. I've sent you an email.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#65

Post by spacehome »

ulkram wrote: post #56
hkmurakami wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful to examine what's actually in the fund as your underlying. This isn't like buying the S&P500 where the sector exposure is well defined. One "startup index fund" can perform very disparately from another "startup index fund". edit: If there's data that shows the performance of a basket of random 100 company samples being equivalent to any number of other random 100 company samples, then I am happy to admit…

central limit theorum?

The Central Limit Theorem needs the prerequisite that your distribution has a finite variance. It's not at all clear that this holds for the return of startup investments. In more practical terms, when the variance is very high or there are outsized impacts from small portions of your population, it can take arbitrarily many samples before your average starts to converge. So it's entirely possible that sampling 100 companies isn't enough.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#66

Post by a13n »

mangeletti wrote: post #52
kapilkale wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh man, I'd take this bet! Loser donates money to the winner's charity of choice. Pick an amount up to $200, and tweet @kapil so it's in the public record.

Hey, I got an HN Replies email before you changed it from $500 to $200... :) Just kidding. Ok, let's do this. $200 it is, but you have to pick your charity now, and the timeframe for a return has to be sufficiently short such that $200 can still at least buy a mosquito net or something. My charity choice is the US Treasury. Also, HN is fine (my real name / twitter / github are in my profile). P.S. You didn't ask why…

Why?

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#67

Post by ptero »

ulkram wrote: post #56
hkmurakami wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful to examine what's actually in the fund as your underlying. This isn't like buying the S&P500 where the sector exposure is well defined. One "startup index fund" can perform very disparately from another "startup index fund". edit: If there's data that shows the performance of a basket of random 100 company samples being equivalent to any number of other random 100 company samples, then I am happy to admit…

central limit theorum?

Lots of conditions that may not be satisfied. Independence is a very hard one. results may be well correlated even if they look like they should be independent

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#68

Post by mapleoin »

swanson wrote: post #41
hkmurakami wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Be careful to examine what's actually in the fund as your underlying. This isn't like buying the S&P500 where the sector exposure is well defined. One "startup index fund" can perform very disparately from another "startup index fund". edit: If there's data that shows the performance of a basket of random 100 company samples being equivalent to any number of other random 100 company samples, then I am happy to admit…

Yep -- I understand what I'm buying (well, not buying yet...). Something like this would be a great for a Taleb-esque 90/10 barbell I think -- 90% in target-date vanguard funds and 10% in startup investments by proxy.

Taleb considers the stock-market at large to be extremely risky. He advocates the exact opposite of keeping 90% of your assets in the stock market.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#69

Post by bgeeek »

contingencies wrote: post #53

I feel like AngelList is a specialized social network with maximum utility ~10 years ago and for people who already know each other or are clearly in the same network, who basically use it as a less-spammy LinkedIn. I've had zero luck communicating with people over it and have frankly given up in favor of raising domestically here in China.

"less-spammy" is not how I would describe AngelList. Unfortunately, if you, as a user, allow it to access your email addressbook, it then starts regularly (days apart) spamming each address.

Re: AngelList Braces for Rainy Days as Startup Seed Funding Falls

#70

Post by contingencies »

bgeeek wrote: post #69
contingencies wrote: post #53

I feel like AngelList is a specialized social network with maximum utility ~10 years ago and for people who already know each other or are clearly in the same network, who basically use it as a less-spammy LinkedIn. I've had zero luck communicating with people over it and have frankly given up in favor of raising domestically here in China.

"less-spammy" is not how I would describe AngelList. Unfortunately, if you, as a user, allow it to access your email addressbook, it then starts regularly (days apart) spamming each address.

Good point. It's amazing what companies do under terms of service in the US.
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