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Startups I Want to Fund

startupandrew.com

71–80 of 167 posts

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#71
post #65
post #44

This strikes me as an incredibly boring and typical list. And the core of why is summed up nicely by the author himself, "My favorite pitches solve a problem I'm already concerned about." We have already solved most of the rich-white-guy problems. I am sure he is well-intentioned and strives to understand as much of the world as possible, but if you want to invest in capital-intensive, asset-rich startups with proble…

Did you just read the first few items and comment? How is building a global satellite network enabling internet access to everyone on earth boring or a "rich-white-guy problem"? Or A/C for the developing world?

Satellite network for all the people in the world is a rich white guy problem -- it may not be profitable, but damn I am going to have satellites!

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#72

I just want to second Andrew's list. I'm a developer with probably 1/100 as much money as he has, but this is the first list I've seen in a long time that mentions specific low-hanging fruit that has the potential to actually improve lives (vs the mostly vacuous or profit-oriented areas I've seen in other lists). I look at problems in the world as a series of solutions built from first principles. So if you want a di…

There's a great list of products that should exist, but they're expensive and time consuming to do well, and nobody but JetBrains knows how to get people to pay for them . Even Microsoft is giving away most of their dev tools these days.

Jetbrains can make people pay for them because their products are just insanely good value for money. I currently get their whole suite for $15 a month, and I get to use them at work and for freelance assignments. I mean, it’s a no-brainer.

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#73
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you just read the first few items and comment? How is building a global satellite network enabling internet access to everyone on earth boring or a "rich-white-guy problem"? Or A/C for the developing world?

Satellite network for all the people in the world is a rich white guy problem -- it may not be profitable, but damn I am going to have satellites!

I'm not a rich white guy, so if I work on this, what kind of problem is it then?

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#74
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Satellite network for all the people in the world is a rich white guy problem -- it may not be profitable, but damn I am going to have satellites!

I'm not a rich white guy, so if I work on this, what kind of problem is it then?

If you fund someone who works on internet over satellites project you are working on the rich white guy problem -- the rest do not care if internet comes via satellites -- they just want internet. But digging trenches and laying fiber is not sexy enough for a rich white guy -- at least definitely not as sexy as say "I have a constellation of 800 satellites that deliver Internet!"

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#75
My concept really wants to be a non-profit to avoid probable corruption in the name of making money. But it solves a significant real-world problem of global scale. Thoughts on something like that?

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#76

I just want to second Andrew's list. I'm a developer with probably 1/100 as much money as he has, but this is the first list I've seen in a long time that mentions specific low-hanging fruit that has the potential to actually improve lives (vs the mostly vacuous or profit-oriented areas I've seen in other lists). I look at problems in the world as a series of solutions built from first principles. So if you want a di…

Are all of the people, expert resources, available to build this if the monetary and time resources were available? The societal benefit, as a safeguard at minimum, is obvious, however of course execution and adoption is the more challenging part.

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#77
post #44

This strikes me as an incredibly boring and typical list. And the core of why is summed up nicely by the author himself, "My favorite pitches solve a problem I'm already concerned about." We have already solved most of the rich-white-guy problems. I am sure he is well-intentioned and strives to understand as much of the world as possible, but if you want to invest in capital-intensive, asset-rich startups with proble…

Such a conceited, inaccurate comment. It's quite obvious the various topics are open-ended and I fail to see how things like alternative energy generation or waste management are myopic "white guy" problems.

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#79

How do you see these two sentences resolving into a single company that you would fund? > A normal first check from me ranges from $50k to $250k. > I’m very bullish on a capital-heavy, asset-full future for startups.

They want to get in early, get a certain % of equity before the larger capital rounds are necessary to scale or build a technology to a useful scale - and not afraid of investing in that, though what equity they expect for that, is a missing part to the equation.

Re: Startups I Want to Fund

#80
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a rich white guy, so if I work on this, what kind of problem is it then?

If you fund someone who works on internet over satellites project you are working on the rich white guy problem -- the rest do not care if internet comes via satellites -- they just want internet. But digging trenches and laying fiber is not sexy enough for a rich white guy -- at least definitely not as sexy as say "I have a constellation of 800 satellites that deliver Internet!"

https://www.isro.gov.in/pslv-c37-cartosat-2-series-satellite...

What about these guys?

So you think digging tens of millions of miles of fiber trenches to bring gigabit internet to everyone is a more capex efficient solution than a few hundred nano-satellites in LEO blanketing the earth with connectivity? It will be low bandwidth but enough for farmers (what most people in the world do) to check weather, crop yield predictions, and market spot prices, or do remote banking from their village, or check medical information.

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