Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#1

Post by bmaho » Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 7:56 PM UTC

Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup
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Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#2

Post by willio58 » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 12:24 AM UTC

You have to toe the line a bit in startups, you want to use proven technology but leave room for the employees to feel like they are contributing to something new and unique.

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#3

Post by bmaho » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 12:38 AM UTC

willio58 wrote: post #2

You have to toe the line a bit in startups, you want to use proven technology but leave room for the employees to feel like they are contributing to something new and unique.

So true! Such a difficult toe :)

Wondering how you have/are managing to do it?

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#4

Post by bobwall » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 1:41 AM UTC

But we have to use kubernetes. Jk. But yea, especially if your startup is not really high-tech, but merely a good business that needs tech.

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#5

Post by bmaho » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 1:53 AM UTC

bobwall wrote: post #4

But we have to use kubernetes. Jk. But yea, especially if your startup is not really high-tech, but merely a good business that needs tech.

Lol - true true!

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#6

Post by sontek » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 3:04 AM UTC

We are still on RethinkDB but know we have to get off it eventually :(

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#7

Post by jrott » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 3:09 AM UTC

willio58 wrote: post #2

You have to toe the line a bit in startups, you want to use proven technology but leave room for the employees to feel like they are contributing to something new and unique.

It's such a difficult line to toe. Especially because people like working with new technology and it does seem to help with recruiting even if it makes actually operating the business harder.

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#8

Post by haggy » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 3:10 AM UTC

sontek wrote: post #6

We are still on RethinkDB but know we have to get off it eventually :(

Oh wow I worked on a project over 5 years ago that insisted on RethinkDB. Man so many issues... Lol

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#9

Post by bmaho » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 3:16 AM UTC

jrott wrote: post #7

willio58 wrote: post #2

You have to toe the line a bit in startups, you want to use proven technology but leave room for the employees to feel like they are contributing to something new and unique.

It's such a difficult line to toe. Especially because people like working with new technology and it does seem to help with recruiting even if it makes actually operating the business harder.

Very much feel you there. Guess it's all about testing and trying to find the right balance

Re: Bleeding-edge tech will kill your startup

#10

Post by deckeraa » Thu, Sep 24, 2020, 3:17 AM UTC

There's a distinction to be made:

- If your business doesn't rely on new technology, then avoid bleeding edge tech (examples: you retail co-working space, rent apartments, do food/grocery delivery, etc.)

- If your business model does rely on new technology (examples: airlines in the early 20th century, railroads in the early days of the steam engine, e-commerce in the early 2000s) then you have to work out a way to deliver on bleeding-edge technology. That's where your competitive advantage lies and that's where the nice margins are.

Though even in the latter scenario, it's still prudent to narrow the scope of your bleeding-edge tech as much as possible (e.g. if you're doing a cryptocurrency app, you probably shouldn't be trying to make your own NoSQL database at the same time).