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Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

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Re: Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

#2

Post by pserwylo »

Nice simple, well implemented idea.

I have a question which often comes up when I hear about "startups" on HN or in mainstream media. When is a company no longer a "startup"?

I know it's been addressed before, and there is no shortage of answers around [0]. But I can't help but think that, given my intuitive understanding, companies such as Atlassian are no longer startups.

[0] - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=when+is+a+company+no+longer+a+star...

Re: Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

#3

Post by simonw »

pserwylo wrote: post #2

Nice simple, well implemented idea. I have a question which often comes up when I hear about "startups" on HN or in mainstream media. When is a company no longer a "startup"? I know it's been addressed before, and there is no shortage of answers around [0]. But I can't help but think that, given my intuitive understanding, companies such as Atlassian are no longer startups. [0] - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=when+is+a+c…

There is no formal definition of a "startup". A local restaurant that just opened can be thought of as a startup, but it's not what this particular community would think of as one.

Personally I like Steve Blank's definition: "a startup is an organization formed to search for a repeatable and scalable business model" - which would suggest that once you've found (and proven) your repeatable, scalable business model you stop being a startup. I wouldn't hold a company to that definition if they thought otherwise though.

Re: Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

#4

Post by pbiggar »

pserwylo wrote: post #2

Nice simple, well implemented idea. I have a question which often comes up when I hear about "startups" on HN or in mainstream media. When is a company no longer a "startup"? I know it's been addressed before, and there is no shortage of answers around [0]. But I can't help but think that, given my intuitive understanding, companies such as Atlassian are no longer startups. [0] - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=when+is+a+c…

PG gave a definition [1] a while back, which was that startups were about growth. That seems the best definition I can think of: when you say you're doing a startup, I can implicitly understand that you're trying to build a scalable business that can grow very quickly. It also means that in addition to figuring out what your product should be, you are also in search of a sustainable growth strategy.

Of course, lots of people outside this definition call their small businesses "startups",esp tech people, and it feels like this is because they want to be part of the startup community. This seems good to me, so I think we shouldn't be too tight with our definitions.

[1] http://www.paulgraham.com/growth.html

Re: Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

#7

Post by Tossrock »

pserwylo wrote: post #2

Nice simple, well implemented idea. I have a question which often comes up when I hear about "startups" on HN or in mainstream media. When is a company no longer a "startup"? I know it's been addressed before, and there is no shortage of answers around [0]. But I can't help but think that, given my intuitive understanding, companies such as Atlassian are no longer startups. [0] - https://duckduckgo.com/?q=when+is+a+c…

Well, there's two parts to this question really. What makes a newly founded company a startup in the first place, and when does such a company stop being a startup?

The other comments addressed the first part (scalable business centered on growth), but the second part is a bit more nebulous. pg gave an off the cuff answer at YC's Work For a Startup day which was pretty insightful: "When politics starts working."

Re: Let's Map the Silicon Valley Startups

#9

Post by dabomv93105 »

jaredsohn wrote: post #6

Crunchbase Maps also does this: http://www.crunchbase.com/maps/city/San%2520Francisco

This is only for San Francisco. I think what they are trying to do is to unite all of silicon valley on an easy to use, HTML5 driven user interface. Crunchbase on the other hand, appears to have limited functionality and is sparsely populated. Crunchbase' main product is not its company map, whereas MISV has the potential to build out a platform that can provide real utility for job hunters, investors, interns, etc.
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