Earlier quoted context omitted.
Would you take a penny from Softbank?
A penny from Softbank? Didn't you get the memo? Softbank requires you to take at least 1 billion.
Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
11–20 of 165 posts
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#12I wouldn't take a penny from Facebook. You know they will lock down any patent you create and steal your IP.
Has Facebook done anything with their patents? I know they had an early spat with Yahoo and got access to a bunch to help with that, and have since put more effort into building a portfolio, but I don't recall seeing anything in the way of litigation. I know there's been issues with clauses in licenses, though.
[1] I've read both patents, I'm the only inventor, and I can't tell the difference between the two.
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#13Just think twice about turning down a deal from them, no matter how bad it seems, because they probably know a lot more about your market and their alternatives to your services than you do. And the strategy in monopolistic situations like this is join us or suffer.
Surely this how Alphabet has grown so big.
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#14These kinds of articles about VCs and companies offering to invest big funds used to give me hope, but now that I've participated in bootstrapping a startup, I see these articles as bad news. They're going to fund my competition... Give them easy money and keep funding them until they get that big corporate exit and I'm out of business because my margins are too small and I can't afford bulk discount on Facebook adve…
This makes sure we continue having startups post about their incredible journey once they've established a good product
You can send free money straight to my bank account at regular intervals and I could write all about my incredible journey; an inspiring story of struggle against all odds.
...The odds of not being able to afford a yacht within 5 years.
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#15These kinds of articles about VCs and companies offering to invest big funds used to give me hope, but now that I've participated in bootstrapping a startup, I see these articles as bad news. They're going to fund my competition... Give them easy money and keep funding them until they get that big corporate exit and I'm out of business because my margins are too small and I can't afford bulk discount on Facebook adve…
In a world of easy VC money (granted that may be over), how viable is bootstrapping in a competitive market?
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#16These kinds of articles about VCs and companies offering to invest big funds used to give me hope, but now that I've participated in bootstrapping a startup, I see these articles as bad news. They're going to fund my competition... Give them easy money and keep funding them until they get that big corporate exit and I'm out of business because my margins are too small and I can't afford bulk discount on Facebook adve…
In a world of easy VC money (granted that may be over), how viable is bootstrapping in a competitive market?
You wouldn’t be able to bootstrap Uber or AirBNB, because the markets they’re selling into are huge. However, there is an abundance of <10Bn-sized markets/industries out there that a VC wouldn’t think to invest in, where bootstrapped companies with a tech focus can grow and take over.
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#17These kinds of articles about VCs and companies offering to invest big funds used to give me hope, but now that I've participated in bootstrapping a startup, I see these articles as bad news. They're going to fund my competition... Give them easy money and keep funding them until they get that big corporate exit and I'm out of business because my margins are too small and I can't afford bulk discount on Facebook adve…
This is an economy of scale. It's caused by your competitors' capitalization, and it may be unsustainable since it's with respect to customer-acquisition versus production.
If your competitors' unit economics work, they're strategically leveraging scale using capital. Not the other way. (If they don't, go into cockroach mode or sell to them.)
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#18Facebook doesn't need the money. It's looking for you to do the R&D.
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#19So will this use data harvested from their malware apps (Onavo)?
Your accusation even conflicts with the basic definition of malware:
> Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network.
I know what you're getting at, but why chose such a loaded term that doesn't fit?
Re: Facebook establishing a venture arm to invest in startups
#20So will this use data harvested from their malware apps (Onavo)?
I wasn't aware that installing something by yourself that provides you with a promised benefit could be considered malware. Your accusation even conflicts with the basic definition of malware: > Malware is any software intentionally designed to cause damage to a computer, server, client, or computer network. I know what you're getting at, but why chose such a loaded term that doesn't fit?