HN Office Hours with Kevin and Sam

Post by ph0rque » Fri, Jun 26, 2015, 7:58 PM UTC

ScottBurson wrote: post #107

ph0rque wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is a distinct possibility with plant "inserts"[0] for the vegetable beds, one of the planned innovations I've had in the back of my mind. AutoMicroFarm could sell just the empty media inserts for a reasonable price, and also offer pre-planted, ready-to-fruit plants with inserts for a much higher price. That way, those who are willing to wait weeks/months for their plants to grow from seeds/seedlings can save mon…

Speaking solely as one potential customer: I like this idea. As for the "moat", I think the product with the best automation will win at least a defensible niche within the market. I would encourage you to start upmarket and not worry about price so much right now. Get really good at making the thing run itself; you can cut the price later. (But, I'm someone with a lot more money than time, so that colors my view her…

Post by ph0rque » Fri, Jun 26, 2015, 8:25 PM UTC

ScottBurson wrote: post #112

ph0rque wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for the encouragement, Scott. Any idea where to find more customers like you, who don't worry about the price as they have more money than time? ;)

I haven't polled my friends on this, but Silicon Valley (where I live) is full of such people. And a lot of us have yards, the area being resolutely suburban, and of course the weather is great (assuming this thing doesn't need too much water). I don't think a lot of people here want to spend time gardening, but lots of us love fresh vegetables. That's an opportunity, it seems to me.

Post by kevin » Fri, Jun 26, 2015, 8:32 PM UTC

ljd wrote: post #110

kevin wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a PAC sounds like the most expensive way to do this. Usually, that's not a good way to do a startup. Also, this sounds so cynical. I'd start with the true believers. People who believe this is the best way to represent the people. Those people will win races because it will feel like a revolution when you hear them talk about you. It's the best kind of sales people to have. I'd be very worried about having your…

With a ~10% approval rating for congress and historical lows across the board for most Americans, I'm not sure it's cynicism. I don't think you could honestly find someone that feels like they are being represented in congress. Our lobbying system is an open joke that we wish we could do something about. Also, our PAC is funding those true believers but most people don't realize that it costs thousands of dollars to…

Post by Smirnoff » Fri, Jun 26, 2015, 8:45 PM UTC

kevin wrote: post #96

Smirnoff wrote: post #12

Hi Kevin and Sam, We are about to finish building a table reservation system (think OpenTable or SeatMe but on steroids). Although it's a "Me Too" product, we will offer features that our competitors can't or won't, e.g. bigger API control for restaurants, various hooks to extend the service such as food delivery, pre-paid reservations, and ticketing for tables to name a few. Essentially, we will offer an iPhone/iPad…

I think you go freemium if the market is large enough to support the idea that if you just convert a small percentage of customers, you'll still be a successful company. If the answer is yes it's large enough, then whatever strategy gets your software in the hands of the most number of users should be the path you follow. Now, as a startup, I wouldn't start by competing head to head with OpenTable's salesforce going…

Post by ismail » Fri, Jun 26, 2015, 8:56 PM UTC

ismail wrote: post #27

Background: Every day in South Africa low income people suffer through 2+ hour commutes into work using public transport. This has a serious impact on their lives, due to long wait times and inefficiencies. I interviewed a single mother, who only got home after 7pm and leaves at 6am in the morning. We have built a ride share matching system: Our goal is to make use of unused seats in cars matching drivers and passeng…