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Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

ycombinator.com

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Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#341

Post by bigbang »

pg wrote: post #213
dcurtis wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As much as it pains me to say this, I think Google's lack of design sense might be their strong point in search. There's no extra crap to get in the way of search results. (Although I should say that in their other non-search products, it is most certainly a weakness.) There are of course new ways to view results, but with arguable advantage. A new startup I found recently, Viewzi ( http://www.viewzi.com/ ) does a pr…

Great design is the difference between Apple's version of no extra crap, and Google's.

searchme.com has an amazing UI. Not only thats cool, but very useful. i believe the next gen of search engines will be directly answering your search query, rather than simply finding appropriate links.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#342

Post by brianlash »

rms wrote: post #165
jerry5 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just put the offer on ycombinator's - or another reputable entity's - web site for everyone to see. However the "call me" part is half joking; while I have ideas to tackle some of those problems, especially the economic foundations of them, they are not amenable to funding by ycombinator or similar entities. The smaller problems being purely practical such as not being - or wanting to be - in that funny country of yo…

I sincerely look forward to your futuristic improved economic system, capitalism is lacking in many important areas.

The world hasn't seen Capitalism proper. Too much regulation, too little laissez faire to argue from experience that it's lacking in any area.

Blame the government (or, dare I say, its unfettered expansion).

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#343

Post by iamelgringo »

pg wrote: post #216
davidw wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To make a go of that kind of thing in a startup though, you'd have to make sure that it's something Google won't or can't execute on, something I'm not sure I would bet on. Part of the idea of 'disruptive technologies' is that they aren't incremental improvements that the current leaders will just copy, but big changes that get ignored by the current leaders.

I certainly agree with that. The way to displace Google is to work on something they despise as inconsequential, the way the "portals" in the late 90s did search. There are lots of things they despise as inconsequential: stupid consumerish stuff like celebrity gossip, cool design, things that aren't technically demanding, etc...

Sounds like you're suggesting tackling verticals that Google is ignoring.

The celebrity gossip industry is huge as anyone living in LA or who has bought a Star/People/Enquirer can attest. I think that might fall under the category of news, however.

I think that there might be a strength in ranking sites that have great design as opposed to crappy design. All things being equal, I'd rather read an article on a well designed page rather than on a page whose design is non-existent.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#344

Post by kleneway »

I love this post! Over on my "A Startup A Day" blog, I've decided to take the next 30 days and dedicate each daily idea to address the broad ideas outlined on this post. Should be a fun challenge, feel free to check it out over at www.astartupaday.com.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#345

Post by theoutlander »

abossy wrote: post #338
pchristensen wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's part of the value of a brand. If I see anything that's .biz or .info, it might as well be .ru for how much I distrust it.

craigslist.org, anybody?

Yes, but guess what? Craigslist ended up buying Craigslist.com because it was a porn site and majority of the people ended up there because of habbit.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#346

Post by theoutlander »

#25 - A craigslist competitor.... used to be http://expo.live.com, but it seems like even Microsoft couldn't compete against them! If you log in today, you will see the following message:

Windows Live Expo will discontinue service on 31 July 2008. In preparation, the following features are no longer available:

    * Create a new account.
    * Post a new listing.
    * Extend a listing.
    * Upgrade a listing to a premium listing.
All current listings will remain on expo.live.com until they expire.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#347

Post by khurrams »

lux wrote: post #115
dood wrote: post #46

I'm passionate about online learning. I like James Burke's knowledge web idea [ http://www.k-web.org/ ], but I'm not terribly optimistic about their approach/implementation. The idea is to make a network of knowledge which enables self-directed learning. Could incorporate tests/games, dependencies (to learn x, you need to learn y, or even complete a subgame), external references for further reading, and possibly a lo…

That's sort of what we're aiming to do at http://www.dojolearning.com/ - longer term anyway. We're starting off by hitting the business market first, which is more open to change and not as tied to the existing learning systems, but we do plan to branch out in lots of ways to make a better online learning experience for everyone. Anyway, if you're passionate about online learning, I'd love to chat about it with you i…

Hi I am interested - Please feel free to contact me at khurram@geniteam.com

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#349

Post by mleonhard »

17. New payment methods

I've been studying problem #17 since 2002. I've got some great ideas that I want to implement, but I don't know if they generate revenue quickly enough to make a successful startup. There's a big chicken-and-egg problem in this area.

Most of my effort so far has been on how to facilitate micropayments using only existing widely-deployed crypto such as TLS & SHA. I have a solution that should work for transfers involving two online banks. Transfers involving three or more banks are significantly more difficult to do while maintaining safety and liveliness.

Please contact me if you're interested in this area.

Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund

#350

Post by Robleh »

Ok, one of the things I am working on is a music startup so I'd like to challenge this:

"The answer for the music industry, for example, is probably to give up insisting on payment for recorded music and focus on licensing and live shows."

This is almost blogosphere orthodoxy now. If anything the wild success of allofmp3 shows that people will pay if the price is right. The price point is wrong, not the model. High volume + lower price = Increased total revenue. This is the point we make when we meet with the labels.

"But what happens to movies? Do they morph into games?"

No they don't. Which is more popular the new Batman film or the new Batman game? There’s plenty of room for both.

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