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Cthulhu Ventures

cthulhuventures.com

41–50 of 80 posts

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A good chunk of countries, counties and cities on the planet have mythical beasts in their official signage. So do the militaries and companies dealing with them. From the other end, entrepreneurial scene is full of discussions about a particular mythical beast, the unicorn (as 'DoreenMichele pointed out upthread). And, of course, dragons. Really, it doesn't seem to me that you're uncomfortable with mythical beasts p…

> A good chunk of countries, counties and cities on the planet have mythical beasts in their official signage. So do the militaries and companies dealing with them. Yes they do and that isn't a problem. There is a difference between using symbols and names and then branding your entire website with said things. > From the other end, entrepreneurial scene is full of discussions about a particular mythical beast, the u…

Pretty sure this is on-point branding and differentiation.

Some people want to work with your faceless pristine professional top-heavy VC firm oozing with pedigree (McK,GS,Ivy galore) and some people want to roll the dice with people who aren't afraid to distinguish themselves from the culture of their herd and go hard (maybe too hard?) on something niche. So their branding is probably serving some use in self-selection and mindshare - I'm sure plenty of people will remember Cthulhu Ventures, for instance.

I'm ambivalent either way, I wouldn't judge too about this book based on its cover per se other than they've clearly thought about how they want the cover to be received which is a data point in and of itself. I suppose better that than not thinking about the cover whatsoever.

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#42
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See my response to TeMPOral downstream. Using names isn't the problem, saturating your company with the mythology is.

Corporate culture and the grandiose, self-serving rhetoric of startups and VC culture are no less ridiculous than this, just less entertaining.

Totally agree

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#44
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A good chunk of countries, counties and cities on the planet have mythical beasts in their official signage. So do the militaries and companies dealing with them. Yes they do and that isn't a problem. There is a difference between using symbols and names and then branding your entire website with said things. > From the other end, entrepreneurial scene is full of discussions about a particular mythical beast, the u…

Pretty sure this is on-point branding and differentiation. Some people want to work with your faceless pristine professional top-heavy VC firm oozing with pedigree (McK,GS,Ivy galore) and some people want to roll the dice with people who aren't afraid to distinguish themselves from the culture of their herd and go hard (maybe too hard?) on something niche. So their branding is probably serving some use in self-select…

If that's what they're going for then fine. I expressed my opinion that I wouldn't take them seriously. Underneath the ridiculous branding they may very well be a great VC firm but the website doesn't sell that to me.

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#45
post #5

Portfolio looks interesting, Life360 is big. Unfortunately, this website is poorly designed to put it lightly. I get that one of the founders really likes Lovecraft, but spend some money and do the website right instead of finding cthulu pictures off of google images and pasting them into a template.

https://www.wired.com/story/life360-location-tracking-famili...

>Parents can use Life360 to track their teen’s location in real time. The company can use that data to sell car insurance.

I think apps which allow parents to monitor their kids and invade their privacy are bad for humanity.

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#46

"Our goal, as Cthulhu, is to support initiatives designed to rise from the dark depths of R’lyeh (metaphorically speaking!) and end up destroying or at least disrupting, some market paradigm." Happy to maintain social paradigms though - only one woman on then entire team...

"In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming" They do not want him woke

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#47
post #45
post #5

Portfolio looks interesting, Life360 is big. Unfortunately, this website is poorly designed to put it lightly. I get that one of the founders really likes Lovecraft, but spend some money and do the website right instead of finding cthulu pictures off of google images and pasting them into a template.

https://www.wired.com/story/life360-location-tracking-famili... >Parents can use Life360 to track their teen’s location in real time. The company can use that data to sell car insurance. I think apps which allow parents to monitor their kids and invade their privacy are bad for humanity.

You think? It seems like about the one valid use case for tracking. I bought phones for my kids on the proviso they would be primarily for safety purposes. Though it will start to get a bit grey as they get older.

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#48
> We also strive, in our weak moments, to generate some sort of meaningful “good” for humanity (whom we would like to see at least survive until the day that we, ourselves, rise from those same dark depths to act as the harbinger of mankind’s final doom).

Chtulhu Ventures seems to be far more invested in the the good of mankind than the average SF VC.

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#49
Comedy comment in a standard post? Downvotes.

Comedy name for a VC firm on a site where people hope they can get VC cash for their "it's the Uber of XYZ industry" start-up?

"Epic lulz sir! Taking jokes into the business world is brave!"

Re: Cthulhu Ventures

#50

(I'm assuming that this is not satire - it looks a bit too real) I really love it when people carry jokes into serious business and take it all the way to the end. There's a lot of guts in that. I envy that level of self-confidence and hope to one day get there myself. That said, somehow I love it even more when such jokes get featured on HN and, invariably, shares of dry humorless grumpy people complain that they ca…

I think a lot of people value that HN isn’t the kind of place where you get puns and flippant comments and posts.
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