91–100 of 110 posts
I would like to believe that any person who has similar traits to Einstein would be driven to push forward their project, research, art, or idea regardless if they did or didn’t qualify or succeed through this program.
(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…
You can probably imagine that–for some–that statement doesn't really jive with being "open for all", etc.
We often hear that may scientific advances happened as a byproduct of wars, could it be that in such times, patents become less of a priority or restraint. Which brings me to the question - If Einstein was alive today, how would he fair in a World more curtailed by patent trolls and over-zealous application. That in itself makes you wonder, what constraints do we have today that was less of a restriction in Einstein'…
The fund name is misleading. Pioneer is a major multinational company in consumer electronics, that is publicly traded. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Corporation
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…
And before you object to the notion of exploitation, let's just contrast your quasi-moral claims about loss to "the economy from the loss of ideas and wealth they could have produced," to the rather huge liberties you'll take with the people who you'll be supporting. So are you really concerned about the grand loss to the world of people in whom the world doesn't sufficiently invest, or are you most concerned about maximizing venture capital? These goals are in logical conflict.
But I don't like the equity split. And I don't need investment. I don't particularly want to become a 'Pioneer' with access to the exclusive forum if I win the popularity competition, and I don't need a ticket to Silicon Valley.
Is there a way to join the website without commitment to future equity split? For example, it might be restricted to a section which is always outside the 'exclusive' are for winners who become Pioneers.
But it'd be cool to post my project and post regular updates, then have people follow, vote and comment on it on a regular basis to track the progress. Even if they are not experts and are simply other people on similar paths.
It feels like your comment about the network and community being the most valuable part of program is probably right. Given that, is it possible to be a Pioneer, but not accept the money?
If you can raise funding through traditional VC channels, go for it. If you're a researcher in Iowa with a new physics idea, Pioneer is a better than a government grant.
The average size of an NIH grant in 2015 was under $500k. And that amount is intended to support the project expenses, not just the researcher. A close friend of mine is a physician at Stanford. She received a prestigious NIH grant. The grant amount to fund herself was $50k...in the bay area. This is common in academia.
Congrats on launching! Hope you guys are successful.
I really like the idea of sharing the project and getting feedback from community, the accountability of regular updates, and the voting system. But I don't like the equity split. And I don't need investment. I don't particularly want to become a 'Pioneer' with access to the exclusive forum if I win the popularity competition, and I don't need a ticket to Silicon Valley. Is there a way to join the website without com…
Note: $20/mo subscription