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All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

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Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#131

Post by Fredej »

te_chris wrote: post #105
t0mbstone wrote: post #14

I find it interesting that "Honeydue" is in the list, when there are multiple free apps already in existence such as Buxfer and Splitwise that have already been available for years. Both Buxfer and Splitwise serve the exact same functions as Honeydue (splitting bills/expenses with room mates and/or partners), and both of them are free to use. Sadly, neither app has found a way to be all that profitable after all thes…

My partner and I merged our finances when we moved to London as we both essentially started at zero here. We use pocketsmith[0] to manage and keep track of everything. It's fantastic and has completely changed the way I look at money. It has a great cashflow view and good forecasting. I now never look at our account balances, as I know, from the cashflow view, that we're definitely earning more than we spend. So now…

I live in Denmark where we have had phonebased money transfers for years now (since around 2013 I believe). I've used splitwise for tracking purchases at a festival where whoever had money on them would buy beer or food and we would just track it in a group budget.

Since you didn't have cash transactions when adding you don't need too much security so there's lower friction. Further you reduce the amounts of transactions going on, while still retaining decently detailed logs. It also gave the option of solving things with cash when splitting with people from abroad who may not have the same access to easy money transfer.

Just to add some perspective.

I'll check out pocketsmith - it does sound kind of cool and I'm looking at the possibility of merging my finances with my partner soon-ish.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#132

Post by notsospeedruns »

mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #106
indescions_2017 wrote: post #97

On GameLynx: Gamedev studio targeting mobile device platforms with an emphasis on hardcore, competitive league style play. Backed by "one of the largest game companies in the world." Honor of Kings, Clash Royale, Vainglory, Hearthstone and Supercell's upcoming Brawl Stars create a crowded marketplace. Interested to hear what will differentiate GameLynx's game? How is it planning to innovate and compete? What is the s…

A lot of those games make money by time-gating content with the option to buy your way past that. I don't think hardcore gamers like games with pay-to-play features. How can that be competitive if people can purchase their way past things? If they aren't building the game platform that way (time gated content w/pay-to-play) then its hard to even compare against companies that make a fortune that way. Also, hardcore g…

> Mobile platforms don't have fine controls since they are touch based. Accidentally swipe or touch the screen the wrong way and game over.

There are a number of accessories on the market combating this problem. This one was showcased at a gaming convention I visited this past weekend: https://www.apple.com/shop/product/HKPB2VC/A/gamevice-contro...

It's officially supported by Apple (for iPhones and iPads), and Android production is in the works. I was able to play GTA: Vice City on an iPhone with virtually no issues. Phone-based gaming is getting closer than you think.

edit: formatting.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#133

Post by austenallred »

icebraining wrote: post #21

Totemic is interesting to me, since one of my close relatives spent five hours on the floor of their house after falling, as she could never remember to carry her cellphone (hard habit to acquire at 90 years old...). And of course, she could have lost consciousness, which would render the cellphone useless. That said, I wonder how can they have a single device for the whole house, and how it works for harder floors,…

It doesn't listen for sound, it uses wireless signals and sensor fusion to monitor movements.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#134

Post by austenallred »

Old_Thrashbarg wrote: post #67
seehafer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, you either need to be an investor or make friends with one of the founders and ask really nice

I'm one of the founders from today. We don't have access to other startup's videos AFAIK, only our own. I think only investors get to see them all.

Yes you do. Just need to go to the right URL and sign in with your HN account.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#135

Post by koolba »

contingencies wrote: post #128
koolba wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Unless they switch up the line up or numbers, I don't see how it can be popular enough to be profitable. When they did a Launch HN[1] a few weeks back the rent vs. buy costs was high enough that I couldn't imagine anyone using it. Best of luck to them though. [1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14664851

You're missing the point. A lot of people don't want to bet on acquiring stuff, moving stuff, selling stuff, etc. They just want a known cost and a known quality of living... with some choice and control... now. Particularly young people.

The furniture wasn't particularly great. I found the exact models on Wayfair.

The rental price was even worse. Adding in the delivery and return fee, I think it was more expensive at any of the durations (3 month, 6 month, etc).

Combining those two together I don't see this working out.

Are there really that many people who live in a place for less than year that will pay a premium of a couple hundred bucks for okayish furniture? I would imagine that target market would instead rent a furnished apartment. Baked in cost, no dealing with movers at all, and you leave everything where it's at when you're done.

EDIT: Added that there's both a delivery and return fee of $99. That means a three month rental of a queen sized bed (https://rentfeather.com/collections/bedroom/products/durham-...) would be $99 + 3 x $53 + $99 = $357. I'm pretty sure it's this bed on Wayfair (https://www.wayfair.com/Varick-Gallery-Bonfiglio-Upholstered...) which is currently $223 with free shipping arriving next Thurs. That leaves $134 to pay someone to dispose of it or just pocket the difference and spend 10 seconds listing a "Free Bed - Just Pick It Up" on Craigslist. Again, I just don't see this working. Even modern consumers aren't this stupid.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#136

Post by seehafer »

Old_Thrashbarg wrote: post #67
seehafer wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, you either need to be an investor or make friends with one of the founders and ask really nice

I'm one of the founders from today. We don't have access to other startup's videos AFAIK, only our own. I think only investors get to see them all.

Right, what I meant was, if someone wanted to see your video, they'd either need to ask you or be an investor invited by YC.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#137

Post by saycheese »

jelliclesfarm wrote: post #64

Modular Science - Outdoor farm robot. They pivoted from lab automation to outdoor farm bots? How? I applied to YC twice(unsuccefully) with the same idea. And I am a farmer. Just not a PhD from MIT. I would love to know they came up with that number. Really. Would love love love to know how..

Since it isn't clear what "number" you are talking about, thought I ask. Also, for ease of reference, here's the information on the company for the link above:

"Modular Science – Outdoor robot farming: Elon Musk may be concerned about robots taking over the world, but Modular Science just wants robots to farm our vegetables. The startup, which currently has robots out in the field (!) in Petaluma, CA, is aiming to automate 99 percent of the processes involved in vegetable farming within the next six months with their specialized farming bots. Modular Science is looking to charge $2,000 per acre, which they say is half of what farms are currently paying to for human labor."

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#138

Post by mbesto »

mattbrewsbytes wrote: post #106
indescions_2017 wrote: post #97

On GameLynx: Gamedev studio targeting mobile device platforms with an emphasis on hardcore, competitive league style play. Backed by "one of the largest game companies in the world." Honor of Kings, Clash Royale, Vainglory, Hearthstone and Supercell's upcoming Brawl Stars create a crowded marketplace. Interested to hear what will differentiate GameLynx's game? How is it planning to innovate and compete? What is the s…

A lot of those games make money by time-gating content with the option to buy your way past that. I don't think hardcore gamers like games with pay-to-play features. How can that be competitive if people can purchase their way past things? If they aren't building the game platform that way (time gated content w/pay-to-play) then its hard to even compare against companies that make a fortune that way. Also, hardcore g…

> I don't think hardcore gamers like games with pay-to-play features.

Does _anyone_ really like playing pay-to-play features?

> Also, hardcore gamers like to be in control.

Which is why none of the hardcore gamers flock to mobile apps for real competition. Even with PS4, Xbox, etc in the mix, the largest eSports tournaments (Dota, CSGO, LoL, anything blizzard, etc) are still on a PC. I don't see any justification why this would change any time soon.

Lastly, most games that are popular in eSports drive a ton of value for the game itself via "skins" (e.g. dota, lol, csgo). I'm curious if hardcore gamers would want to buy skins on a mobile game platform. It feels way to ephemeral to me personally.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#139

Post by jforman »

imaginenore wrote: post #112
matt4077 wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"That's unreasonable" isn't an argument. What's reasonable is decided by society. New technologies may change what's possible, and make something that was ok before the means to achieve something entirely new. If, for example, these gadgets, or existing security cameras started to pool their data, run (accurate) face-detection on it, and start publicising everyones' location history online, I'm pretty sure most peopl…

It is an argument, what a "reasonable person" thinks is a standard judicial system consideration https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reasonable_person You have no expectation of privacy in a public space, and the courts have agreed with that many times https://www.wired.com/2010/09/public-privacy/

That's far more simplistic than what the law actually says (where "law" is the collection of statutes and judicial interpretations).

As an example:

http://resources.uscannenbergmedia.com/2016/08/videotaping-a...

"Remember, even if you’re in public, you cannot record conversations between two people unless you have their permission. This includes conversations that you’re one of the parties to. If one person in the conversation can reasonably expect his or her conversation to be confidential, this standard applies."

If you're having a private conversation in a public park, then it is probably illegal for somebody else to record you.

Driving is a different question. Personally I think since a license plate is literally meant to publicly identify your car, a reasonable person should expect it to be recorded. But my guess is this will go to SCOTUS at some point, since privacy is increasingly being invaded in unanticipated ways by private companies.

Re: All 50 startups from Y Combinator’s Summer 2017 Demo Day 1

#140

Post by mstroeck »

robinjfisher wrote: post #73

As I'm in the industry, my thoughts on some of the recruitment-related companies: 10 BY 10 - I don't get it. Their website says they are a contingency search firm with a value prop of having resumes filtered by people with domain knowledge before submission to clients. Also that they deliberately hit a low acceptance rate on resumes because they try to submit a diverse field of candidates. If the goal is to get the h…

Co-founder of Gustav here. Thanks for the kind words :-) The 3% is of course a blended rate. There are positions/sectors where that would never fly, but others where 5% is feasible. Also we cover the full spectrum of what staffing agencies typically offer, including permanent placement type transactions. For those, our take-rate is closer to 20%.

Here's more info on the pricing: https://hellogustav.com/recruiters-and-staffing-agencies

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