Ask HN: Are you a single founder ? • Hacker News Board

I'm trying to make a modest income from this and a few other ideas. I got the idea when the leader of the free online dating sites said that there was no more room for anyone else, anyone that says that will eventually fall and I think with time I can take a good portion of the available users.

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#95

Post by evancaine » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 2:55 PM UTC

On a side note, I wonder if a lot of the services listed here are really startups. Some of them have an amateur feel to them - there's nothing wrong with that - it's just that startup doesn't seem to be the best description for a lot of the services listed here (and not because they don't have any VC funding). If we take a polished piece of commercial software as an analogy for a startup, then some of these projects are more like shareware. ("shareware as a service")

just to be clear: I'm not criticizing the services here. Some look very useful and as the owners have said are already profitable. I'm just interested in how others define a startup and whether or not people think that term fits these ideas. How exactly do you define a startup?

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#96

Post by scorpioxy » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 3:01 PM UTC

vishaldpatel wrote: post #38

jalammar wrote: post #36

1) Since June 2006. Last year gave equity to two team members in exchange for work they already completed. 2) Didn't apply 3) Didn't start looking. It's bootstrapped so far and I want to continue doing it this way until I no longer can. Not that there are any valley-type VCs in Saudi Arabia, but was approached by a couple of interested investors. One didn't really get web startups. Still in talks with the other one t…

Very cool. What is it? =)

Seems to be a restaurant review site.

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#97

Post by thinkbohemian » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 3:24 PM UTC

1. ~1 year

2. No, but an accelerator in Austin would certainly be nice

3. No

4. http://whyspam.me

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#98

Post by jarsj » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 3:33 PM UTC

evancaine wrote: post #95

On a side note, I wonder if a lot of the services listed here are really startups. Some of them have an amateur feel to them - there's nothing wrong with that - it's just that startup doesn't seem to be the best description for a lot of the services listed here (and not because they don't have any VC funding). If we take a polished piece of commercial software as an analogy for a startup, then some of these projects…

I agree with you. A start-up is probably something that in theory can take over the market it defines.

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#99

Post by hotinstartups » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 4:10 PM UTC

1. Little over a year

2. No

3. No

4. http://www.hotindianstartups.com/

Re: Ask HN: Are you a single founder ?

#100

Post by apowell » Mon, Mar 15, 2010, 4:11 PM UTC

evancaine wrote: post #95

On a side note, I wonder if a lot of the services listed here are really startups. Some of them have an amateur feel to them - there's nothing wrong with that - it's just that startup doesn't seem to be the best description for a lot of the services listed here (and not because they don't have any VC funding). If we take a polished piece of commercial software as an analogy for a startup, then some of these projects…

The question didn't mention startups at all. You can be a single founder without being a startup.

If a defining feature of a startup is that it's unprofitable and likely to fail, then I think these single founders should be pleased not to be considered startups.