61–70 of 110 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"we’re trying to do most of the screening in software. Becoming a Pioneer requires winning the Pioneer Tournament" Is this a code challenge? Where do I find it?
https://pioneer.app/ Looks like it's more of a popularity contest than anything else.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Everyone can find 15-20 hours per week. It's a matter of priorities and choices. Do you have children?
Even if you have children (which is a choice btw), it's still a matter of priorities and choice.
I could annoyingly argue that OP and yourself choose not to each dedicate 20 hours more per week to work for even more money, money that you will send me so that I can work less at my day job and work on more interesting projects. But you can't do that because you have made other choices etc. It's a bit circular isn't it?
This just looks like another VC firm disguised as something else: 1) 3% equity + 5% for an additional 20k of any company you found for the next 8 years 2) “The candidates will vote on each other’s projects, points will be awarded and there will be leader board. Subject experts will also vote, with their votes counting somewhat more than the candidates.” I think what we actually need are less gatekeepers and instead w…
> This just looks like another VC firm I don't think VC firms fund poets or musicians :) > communities that reward intellectual curiosity, encouraging the cultivation of ideas and potential businesses that provide value. I agree! That's exactly what's we're trying to do. I think most people we fund will never start companies. I hope they'll become great researchers, civic activists or artists. For the fraction that d…
How would you fund a poet or musician in your funding model?
Do they put an idea for a song or some such on the board and it's voted on? Who decides what poet is good or bad (it's entirely subjective?)
Also what's the payout for investment in a poet? They aren't likely to start a company.
So if I'm going to start a company and I take your investment is it "fair" that a poet receives the same investment but doesn't have to fork over a % back to you like I'll have to?
No. As idlewords has pointed out, many smart folks seem to subsist on sorrow, video games, and cannabis, while working a loser's job and trying to keep from going under. This isn't coincidence. Existence has quite a lot of suffering. For some of us, we want to get out of the way, stop being part of the problem, and find ways to positively contribute to society. These folks offer a path to getting in the middle of thi…
Everyone can find 15-20 hours per week. It's a matter of priorities and choices. A 9-5 job is going to take up 50-60 hours per week, including prep time and travel (possibly less or more in some scenarios). 50 hours for sleep. That leaves a very solid 50-60 hours per week, that is left to allocation by priority (some will go to food, life maintenance, etc. - that all has a blend of choice and priority to it). How can…
(Pioneer founder here.) Nat Friedman and I launched AI Grant last year ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14851806 ). The idea was to give out money to promising AI researchers around the world. To date, we've funded 50 researchers, from high school students in Hawaii to aspiring researchers in Africa. We’ve been inspired by the fellows we’ve funded all over the word. I’m following it with a new project called Pi…
But, maybe I’m missing something.
You mention an aim to support high-achieving outcasts, but the application process appears to be, as another comment mentioned, a popularity contest. What is the thinking behind that?
Everyone can find 15-20 hours per week. It's a matter of priorities and choices. A 9-5 job is going to take up 50-60 hours per week, including prep time and travel (possibly less or more in some scenarios). 50 hours for sleep. That leaves a very solid 50-60 hours per week, that is left to allocation by priority (some will go to food, life maintenance, etc. - that all has a blend of choice and priority to it). How can…
> Everyone can find 15-20 hours per week. It's a matter of priorities and choices. Do you have children?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"We expect a fraction of Pioneers to start companies. In exchange for the investment and benefits below, Pioneer will retain 3% of any company you found over the next eight years. Pioneer will also have the option of investing an additional $20,000 for 5% in any of those companies. These conditions apply if you already have an incorporated company." yeah, as an outsider looking for entry into startup - it just doesn'…
If you have the opportunity to join other programs, go for it! Our hope is that this model enables us to reach the billions of people that are outside the network of Silicon Valley. They might not even be sure if they have a "company". They just want support on whatever project they're pursuing. We're hoping that becoming a Pioneer vastly increases the odds that you turn your "shower-thought" into something real, eve…
The detractor's here are completely nuts. Most people, even Americans, can't even dream of $5000 that only expects repayment if the business is very successful. "Seed rounds" are basically a top 3 city only type thing.
I don't want to shit on this because I think it is coming from a good place, but this sounds to me like the Thiel Fellowship meets YC with worse terms, at least as it applies to people building companies. It may make sense for poets and artists, but I also notice that none of the founders are artists, and while Hollis Robbins is awesome, it might not be able to accelerate an artist's career in the same way it could a founder's.