Requests for Startups Refreshed • Hacker News Board

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#21

Post by Lordarminius » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:25 PM UTC

acconrad wrote: post #3

I've constantly racked my brain on the Underserved Communities and Social Services: my dad is a Vietnam vet and my mom (while we were growing up) fit that single mother middle-class type...how does technology help them? Part of the problem is they aren't tech savvy the way the HN community is - so what works for our community doesn't exactly work for theirs, or that they even use technology to the extent that we do (…

> I've constantly racked my brain...Am I approaching it wrong?...

I don't think so and I have a similar problem as you. Certain problems have already been solved by other methods and wont yield to digitization. What is needed is simply a transplanting of existing tech to under served sectors.There are many businesses that are profitable without the need for extreme tech innovation.

My peeve for instance, is that in my part of the world certain kinds of farming (rice, oil palm)yield decent and more or less assured profits (>500% over a decade) and there is no need for new technology other than that which already exists. This could logically fall under agriculture. The main barrier is relatively small amounts of capital (<200k - 1M usd) but try telling that to unicorn obsessed VC's looking for the next Snapchat.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#22

Post by Mao_Zedang » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:25 PM UTC

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is.

The reason the media is so bad is because of economics, people have this bad habit of wanting to live in houses and feed themselves.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#23

Post by somekindaplan » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:29 PM UTC

> Underserved Communities and Social Services

This is the problem YC should be solving. Instead, YC is still patently and openly biased towards the Ivy League class, which is really just a bias against poor people. It's been a decade and still nothing predicts YC acceptance like the Right Background and Culture Fit.

So get on it! Raise a billion dollars and fund every decent team founded by people from poor backgrounds. Stop giving money to people that don't really need it and don't really appreciate it.

This could change the entire world.. Poor children could grow up knowing that someone would fund them if they try to make something of themselves. Initial funding is the roadblock.

A simple proxy for "poor" in this case can be anyone who did not have parents who could buy them into a fancy school or send them around the world.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#24

Post by habosa » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:31 PM UTC

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

Check out Blendle. It's pay-per-article news from all the big sources. NYTimes, WSJ, WaPo, Economist, etc. I use it a lot, paying between $0.09 and $0.59 per article.

And at the bottom of each one is a "refund" button that's no questions asked.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#25

Post by Mao_Zedang » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:32 PM UTC

somekindaplan wrote: post #23

> Underserved Communities and Social Services This is the problem YC should be solving. Instead, YC is still patently and openly biased towards the Ivy League class, which is really just a bias against poor people. It's been a decade and still nothing predicts YC acceptance like the Right Background and Culture Fit. So get on it! Raise a billion dollars and fund every decent team founded by people from poor backgroun…

``Stop giving money to people that don't really need it and don't really appreciate it.``

There are more than enough monied people who think this way in SV but they dont seem to be throwing angel money at people in this predicament why do you think that is?

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#26

Post by Mao_Zedang » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:35 PM UTC

habosa wrote: post #24

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

Check out Blendle. It's pay-per-article news from all the big sources. NYTimes, WSJ, WaPo, Economist, etc. I use it a lot, paying between $0.09 and $0.59 per article. And at the bottom of each one is a "refund" button that's no questions asked.

Paying per article would appear to me to be too much friction, I want something where I pay $10 a month and say 70% of my subscription is apportioned among the articles I read and maybe even a supplement patreon style addon or something in this vein.

The trick to keeping me paying is to make me forget I am paying once you have convinced me.

"NYTimes, WSJ, WaPo, Economist" big journalist engines like these are part of the problem, even with this new style market place we wont fix the real problem until the service is cutting cheques directly to the authors.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#27

Post by nosuchthing » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:35 PM UTC

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

Brave browser will be including a micropayments system soon!

https://blog.brave.com/braves-response-to-the-naa-a-better-d...

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#28

Post by Mao_Zedang » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:37 PM UTC

nosuchthing wrote: post #27

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

Brave browser will be including a micropayments system soon! https://blog.brave.com/braves-response-to-the-naa-a-better-d...

Convice people twice? Switch browser and use micro payments? I wouldnt want that funnel.

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#29

Post by bradleyjg » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:46 PM UTC

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

Are there Spotify success stories? Not as advertising for concerts or merchandise, but musical groups that make a decent living via it and its similar competitors?

Re: Requests for Startups Refreshed

#30

Post by Disruptive_Dave » Tue, Sep 27, 2016, 9:47 PM UTC

Mao_Zedang wrote: post #22

We need the spotify of media, where journalists are paid directly from their readers maybe an aportioned rev share model. People who want articles about the kardashians still get them and people who want to read about conflict in the middle east get theirs. No more editorializing based on the current trendy group think, no more editorializing based on what their rich billionaire owner thinks their next crusade is. Th…

That would be more along the lines of Patreon of media (which already kinda exists) vs. Spotify, which is most definitely not direct payments to creators.