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Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

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Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#11

Post by tixocloud »

tixocloud wrote: post #10

Tyler, it sounds like you're quite passionate about robotics and the potential for addressing wildfire issues. Firstly, nothing wrong with continuing to fund yourself through a regular job while working on your passion. Folks love to glorify the all-or-nothing dynamic but frankly, there are plenty of folks who've done side hustles in order to get their startup up and running. Have you thought about consulting in an a…

You may also want to check out Watershed Climate which is a startup in the climate change space. Sounds really interesting, decent funding already injected and good way to understand the industry: https://www.watershedclimate.com/

Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#12

Post by kyle_martin1 »

pinkrobotics wrote: post #5
kyle_martin1 wrote: post #4

Tyler, I would get a job that to provide yourself a safety net such that you can continue your passions. It doesn't have to be all or nothing!

Well, for each hour of each day, I do need to choose to work on either one thing or another, not both. I hoped to spend the majority of my hours working towards saving our world from climate change. If I get a safety net job, the majority of my hours will be spent getting someone else rich. Don't get me wrong. This is likely what I will need to do to pay for rent and food. I'm just not happy about it. And saddens me…

I can see you're passionate about this and that's a great trait to have as an entrepreneur. I'd invite you to consider that most of life isn't linear. It's full of twists and detours but if you keep your vector pointed in the generally right direction, over time you'll end up somewhere awesome.

This image always a good reminder: https://studentaffairscollective.org/wp-content/uploads/2015...

I am in a similar position-- a full-time roboticist and an moonlighting entrepreneur on the side. My goal here is to pick up marketing and sales skills that when the right robotics business opportunity presents itself...I'm ready for it.

If there's anything I've learned by watching the string of robotics companies close shop recently, it's that business model is more important than the technology.

Don't give up!

If you'd like to chat more-- you can hit me up at kyle (AT) castalytics dot com.

Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#13

Post by pinkrobotics »

kyle_martin1 wrote: post #12
pinkrobotics wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, for each hour of each day, I do need to choose to work on either one thing or another, not both. I hoped to spend the majority of my hours working towards saving our world from climate change. If I get a safety net job, the majority of my hours will be spent getting someone else rich. Don't get me wrong. This is likely what I will need to do to pay for rent and food. I'm just not happy about it. And saddens me…

I can see you're passionate about this and that's a great trait to have as an entrepreneur. I'd invite you to consider that most of life isn't linear. It's full of twists and detours but if you keep your vector pointed in the generally right direction, over time you'll end up somewhere awesome. This image always a good reminder: https://studentaffairscollective.org/wp-content/uploads/2015... I am in a similar positio…

Your image and words remind me of this:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AD4b-52jtos&t=30m46s

Marketing and sales are the domains I am the worst at, maybe we should chat. Though, while I do foresee a market for carbon, I do not see much in the way for climate solving robots, only return is saving the world ;)

Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#14

Post by pinkrobotics »

tixocloud wrote: post #10

Tyler, it sounds like you're quite passionate about robotics and the potential for addressing wildfire issues. Firstly, nothing wrong with continuing to fund yourself through a regular job while working on your passion. Folks love to glorify the all-or-nothing dynamic but frankly, there are plenty of folks who've done side hustles in order to get their startup up and running. Have you thought about consulting in an a…

Hi! Thank you for all the feedback.

The creative destruction lab looks really cool, and I may ask for an introduction, but, I worry that I'm am not really trying to build a business here. I don't see a product or customers in growing forests robotically. It's just a forest. And the robots are to handle the scale, they are doing nothing a low skilled worker couldn't do.

I don't see any real business opportunity outside of selling carbon credits, but there are vastly more profitable ways to use land.

But it's a reliable and feasible solution to climate change nonetheless, and something I could theoretically do with funding. So, hence Kickstarter, a place where businesses don't need to be businesses! :)

Oh, I built a rover named Henry, but I can't quite say that he is a forest planting prototype.

Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#15

Post by ChrisBode »

There are various cultivating tech-related new businesses that would most likely be keen on chatting with you as your abilities and interests may cover with theirs. They every so often post on the HN Who's Hiring string. Hold tight! Wishing you a best of luck!

Re: Ask HN: Ambitious robotics entrepreneur with failing Kickstarter. Seeking advice

#16

Post by tixocloud »

pinkrobotics wrote: post #14
tixocloud wrote: post #10

Tyler, it sounds like you're quite passionate about robotics and the potential for addressing wildfire issues. Firstly, nothing wrong with continuing to fund yourself through a regular job while working on your passion. Folks love to glorify the all-or-nothing dynamic but frankly, there are plenty of folks who've done side hustles in order to get their startup up and running. Have you thought about consulting in an a…

Hi! Thank you for all the feedback. The creative destruction lab looks really cool, and I may ask for an introduction, but, I worry that I'm am not really trying to build a business here. I don't see a product or customers in growing forests robotically. It's just a forest. And the robots are to handle the scale, they are doing nothing a low skilled worker couldn't do. I don't see any real business opportunity outsid…

Have you considered non-profit or social entrepreneurship? Although you may not plan to start a business, having the same mentality could help you figure how to obtain the resources you need to bring your dream to life.
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