Startup America Young Entrepreneurs Panel

Max Woolf · Subscribe · Top Commenter · Carnegie Mellon · 143 subscribers
On a more serious note: Startups, please *STOP* doing the "X for Y" when describing your business pitch. Yes, it's the easiest way to express your business in few words, but there are many issues with it:

a) your users aren't dumb, if you explain what the product does, they can infer the comparison, but comparing your product to an already existing company can be dishonest marketing hyperbole. ("Instagram for Yelp reviews?" How does that make any sense? I thought Instragram was primarily used for filter abuse, not ease of sharing) and b) Users who aren't tech-savvy may not even know what tech companies you are referring to to make the comparison ("Gilt for Weddings?" What is Gilt anyways?) which alienates them, and c) it indicates a potential expansion point for either of the companies you're using the comparison with...which would then wipe you out of business. (pretty much anything that relies on another API).

It's just a quick summation, but when people claim there is lack of innovation in the tech world, and then you get startups who can only express their business pitch in simile, it's saddening.


Michael Langer · Subscribe · Top Commenter · CEO at StuffBuff
AMEN!


Mark Kofman · Subscribe · CEO & Founder at 300milligrams
it depends who you are trying to explain your product...I agree that you should not do it for users. but for investors X for Y still works the best.

William Evan Kasel · Subscribe · Mountain View, California
Mark Kofman I agree, users are way smarter than investors! :)


Michael Langer · Subscribe · Top Commenter · CEO at StuffBuff
This article is is like "PRweb for 500 startups".


Jameson Detweiler · Subscribe · Co-Founder/CEO at LaunchRock · 153 subscribers
Congrats guys! Strong batch for sure.


AisleFinder CPope · Subscribe · Top Commenter
Wow congrats to Chris Bennett(Central.ly) and David Adewumi (OneSchool) on their joining 500 Startups. Tell Dave, and Enrique I said Hi!


David Adewumi · Subscribe · Co-founder at OneSchool
Thanks Curtis!


Max Woolf · Subscribe · Top Commenter · Carnegie Mellon · 143 subscribers
There are less than 500 Startups. I'm suing for false advertising.


Dennis Palmer · Wylie, Texas
Maybe thy'll stop when they get to 500.


Dave McClure · Top Commenter · 500 Startups
Dennis Palmer not fucking likely.


Winston Tsao · Top Commenter · Chicago, Illinois
In the old days, we called them side projects... Now they are called "Startups".


William Evan Kasel · Subscribe · Mountain View, California
You might be surprised how many of these guys have revenue, and are either profitable, or soon will be.


Kyle Bragger · The Huffington Post
E.g. we (Forrst) started as a lowly side project ~2 years ago and hit profitability this month.


William Evan Kasel · Subscribe · Mountain View, California
Kyle Bragger I wasn't going to say it unless you were, but you're exactly who I was thinking of. Kicking ass and taking names!


Niket Desai · Berkeley
Congrats to the newest batch (and Dave+team)...getting better with each iteration. I'm especially stoked that incoming talent is diversified from all corners of the country.


Jennifer Peck
Sorry but "Little monsters" belongs to Lady Gaga!


Stephen Guerguy · Top Commenter · Sales at WePay
Wow, MelonCard is awesome. Already using it and love it!


Heather Marie · Subscribe · University of San Francisco
The team at 72Lux is honored to participating in the accelerator with 500 Startups. We're grateful for this amazing opportunity. Congratulations to all of the startups! #500Strong


Tim Chae · Subscribe · San Francisco, California
fun fact: Dave McClure wouldn't accept companies who couldn't dance to Thriller. jk :)


Chuka Chase Amadi · CTO at WorldWix
Congrats to the team at Reedemr! lol at Tim, way to lead the thriller herd..


Josh Lewis · Top Commenter · Atlanta, Georgia
..NONE of these solve a problem or are innovative...its just reshashing the same ideas, with a little "OOH LETS MAKE IT SOCIAL"...the sad part is that some old VC's with plenty of money are going to invest millions because they don't know any better..


Kyle Bragger · The Huffington Post
What have you built recently?

Josh Lewis · Top Commenter · Atlanta, Georgia
Kyle Bragger Plenty...wait a month when its live, or pay my NDA-breakage fees.

Kyle Bragger · The Huffington Post
Eager to see it.


Shankar Saikia · Stanford University
OBSESSION

Another perfect example of Silicon Valley's (... and increasingly, as mentioned in this article, other cities'/countries') obsession with "tech startups". Instead of mentioning the concept of building businesses (the type that make revenue and profits) there is this worship of techies (e.g., VC-speak "we love technical founders" :) ) that can develop products. Nothing inherently wrong with developing products since it can lead to innovation but I would love to see at least *some* attention to building businesses and running businesses :)


Andrea Lamari · Subscribe
Hoping that PayByGroup becomes essential for all of that activity planning that friends typically cringe away from. Also, Forrst sounds intriguing; looking forward to following these guys.


Nick Palacios · Subscribe · Houston Downtown
"DressRush (“Gilt for Weddings”) wants to make “bridezillas” everywhere clamor to get couture without the cost. Up to 100% off retail."

100% off retail?


Yanai Oron · Subscribe · Top Commenter · Tel Aviv, Israel
wait a minute, not even one photo sharing app?


Unemployed Professors
If our firm was ethically justifiable according to Nichomean ethics, we should have been in the top 50 with our bidding system lol.