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[yak@collab] Re: Micro Financing for projects

To: yak@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
From: Jack Park <jackpark@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 2006 12:52:35 -0800
Message-id: <5179aafa0601171252i11e596b4hfabdddce1b3005a1@mail.gmail.com>
What we have here is genuine, certified, wicked problem.    (01)


On 1/17/06, Dorai <dorai@thodla.com> wrote:
> Not a personality issue. As a small enterpreneur (still bootstrapping), I 
>work on several projects
> at the same time (consulting projects to keep the product development funded, 
>learning to play
> with technology) and play several roles.
>
> So may be barrier#6 is a more appropriate categorization.
>
> -- Dorai
>
> --- John Sechrest <sechrest@jas.peak.org> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Dorai <dorai@thodla.com> writes:
> >
> >  % Barrier#4: Ability to agree on a single project
> >
> >  Yes, this would have to be worked out ahead of time.
> >
> >
> >  %   Barrier#5 Ability to spend so much time in one place on one thing (I 
>kn=
> >  % ow that it will be my biggest problem)
> >
> >  Is this a personality issue? Or is this a statement about other tasks
> >  that have higher priority?
> >
> >  If it is the latter, then would we say the barrier is
> >
> >  Barrier #6: Inability to commit resources to task.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >  % John Sechrest <sechrest@jas.peak.org> wrote:
> >  %  =20
> >  % Yes... Ok So one of the barriers is the level of commitment to the=20
> >  % team. IE, we don't have one focus, but we have many. They are 
>overlapping=
> >  % ,
> >  % and they feed off each other. But they are not focused on the same thing.
> >  %
> >  % Barrier #1: Focus on same task
> >  % Barrier #2: Team development, commitment to team
> >  %
> >  %
> >  % In addition, we don't all share common skills sets. Php for some, perl 
>fo=
> >  % r=20
> >  % others, java for others. And several who are not coders.=20
> >  %
> >  % Barrier #3: Common development tool set.
> >  %
> >  %
> >  % Others?
> >  %
> >  %
> >  %
> >  %
> >  %
> >  %
> >  % Jack Park writes:
> >  %
> >  % % This strikes me as, at once, cool, and problematic. Cool because it
> >  % % seems like a fresh way to jumpstart something. Problematic for reasons
> >  % % I stated in this forum a couple of years back in relation to this
> >  % % particular geek tribe, something about herding cats.
> >  % %=20
> >  % % Jack
> >  % %=20
> >  % % On 1/17/06, John Sechrest wrote:
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Someone on one of my local entreprenuer lists pointed out this 
>articl=
> >  % e:
> >  % % >
> >  % % > 
>http://www.masshightech.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=3D3D3D702=
> >  % 97
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % > It proposes a small $6000 per founder for a venture investment in
> >  % % > a startup. It strikes me as a very interesting model. If you have an
> >  % % > idea fleshed out. And you take 3 months of extreme programming with a
> >  % % > core group of people who are capable of writing code well, then
> >  % % > you might move from talking about it to having a full prototype done
> >  % % > in that 3 month time frame.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > This is enough to rent a house, a network and buy food for 5 people
> >  % % > for 3 months.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Assuming 80 hours a week of work for 3 months, with 5 people, you end
> >  % % > up with 4800 hours on a project. Given focus and isolation, this
> >  % % > seems like an interesting way to jump start a project.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > What is more... If it is a model that works, then raising $6000 for
> >  % % > each person really does not seem like something that far out
> >  % % > of the range for people to do themselves.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > This may work best for single people just out of college, but I think
> >  % % > that it has the possibility to work as a extended time-of-leave from
> >  % % > regular jobs.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > If the yak folks were to sit in a room for 3 months, What are the
> >  % % > barriers for having a working prototype at the end?
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % >
> >  % % > ----
> >  % % > 
>http://www.masshightech.com/displayarticledetail.asp?art_id=3D3D3D702=
> >  % 97
> >  % % >
> >  % % > New venture firm shrinks software startup model
> >  % % > 11/14/2005 07:39 AM
> >  % % > By Ethan Forman
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Two-person Cambridge seedling Kiko Software Inc. is one of a handful 
>=
> >  % work=3D
> >  % % ing
> >  % % > on a new funding model - one that offers just enough cash to cover 
>th=
> >  % ree
> >  % % > months of cold pizza and long nights of coding.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > The software company's founders a few months ago started coding the 
>p=
> >  % rodu=3D
> >  % % ct,
> >  % % > which is still in beta. Co-founders Justin Kan and Emmett Shear, 
>rece=
> >  % nt Y=3D
> >  % % ale
> >  % % > University graduates who grew up in Seattle, trace their friendship 
>t=
> >  % o th=3D
> >  % % e
> >  % % > second grade.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > The two programmers are spending 100 hours a week on the company, 
>Kan=
> >  %  sai=3D
> >  % % d,
> >  % % > and credit Y Combinator, a nanoscale venture capital firm that 
>seeded=
> >  %  its
> >  % % > first crop of eight startups, including Kiko, this summer.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Y Combinator, located in Cambridge for the spring and summer and 
>Moun=
> >  % tain
> >  % % > View, Calif. in the fall and winter, provides about $6,000 per 
>founde=
> >  % r -
> >  % % > perhaps just enough money to get a young company off the ground.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Paul Graham, a partner in the venture firm, said Y Combinator owns 
>ju=
> >  % st 5
> >  % % > percent of Kiko, which is using its Asynchronous Javascript XML, 
>AJAX=
> >  % ,
> >  % % > technology (the power behind Google Maps) to create an agile online 
>c=
> >  % alen=3D
> >  % % dar
> >  % % > application that users might access on the go without the need to 
>syn=
> >  % ch
> >  % % > several devices. The model allows Kan and Shear to keep more control 
>=
> >  % of
> >  % % > their startup.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Graham said he wants to change the way software companies are 
>started=
> >  %  by
> >  % % > providing a hands-off approach and less money, which in turn offers 
>l=
> >  % ess
> >  % % > dilution for company founders.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > "It's sort of venture investing for a whole new world where 
>everythin=
> >  % g
> >  % % > (computers, Internet hosting, publicity via the web) is cheaper," 
>sai=
> >  % d
> >  % % > Graham, a co-founder of Viaweb in 1995.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Viaweb's founders sold the company to Yahoo Inc. in a deal that 
>close=
> >  % d at
> >  % % > $49.6 million three years later.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Graham said of the eight companies founded this summer, six are 
>still=
> >  %  goi=3D
> >  % % ng
> >  % % > and are starting to pay off.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > "Two of the eight have had acquisition offers," Graham said. "They 
>tu=
> >  % rned
> >  % % > them both down. They were lowball offers."
> >  % % >
> >  % % > The most the venture firm has invested in any one company so far is 
>$=
> >  % 20,0=3D
> >  % % 00,
> >  % % > a far cry from the millions VCs usually invest in firms at the start.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Y Combinator bills itself as a startup school. It does not provide 
>of=
> >  % fice
> >  % % > space, but does offer founders advice. It holds Tuesday dinner 
>gather=
> >  % ings=3D
> >  % % to
> >  % % > talk shop, meet with VCs and IP lawyers, and it helps founders fill 
>o=
> >  % ut
> >  % % > paperwork to incorporate in Delaware, known for its unique tax and 
>co=
> >  % rpor=3D
> >  % % ate
> >  % % > advantages.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > Y Combinator's partners also know about computers and startups, as 
>th=
> >  % ree =3D
> >  % % of
> >  % % > them are the founders of Viaweb.
> >  % % >
> >  % % > In addition to Graham, the team includes Harvard computer science 
>Ph.=
> >
> === message truncated ===
>
>
>
> --
> This message is archived at:
>
> 
>http://collab.blueoxen.net/forums/cgi-bin/mesg.cgi?a=yak&i=20060117195307.39546.qmail@web81405.mail.mud.yahoo.com
>
>    (02)

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http://collab.blueoxen.net/forums/cgi-bin/mesg.cgi?a=yak&iQ79aafa0601171252i11e596b4hfabdddce1b3005a1@mail.gmail.com    (04)
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