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cdixon.org RSS Feed
I wrote a book: Read Write Own I wrote a book: Read Write Own I believe blockchains and the software movement around them –...
a year ago
77
a year ago
I wrote a book: Read Write Own I believe blockchains and the software movement around them – typically called crypto or web3 – provide the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What’s Next in Computing? The computing industry progresses in two mostly independent cycles: financial and product cycles....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The computing industry progresses in two mostly independent cycles: financial and product cycles. There has been a lot of handwringing…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Exponential curves feel gradual and then sudden "How did you go bankrupt?" "Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” – Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
"How did you go bankrupt?" "Two ways. Gradually, then suddenly.” – Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises The core growth process in the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Understanding your market Some startups become huge sensations without requiring any active marketing – YouTube, Skype, and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Some startups become huge sensations without requiring any active marketing – YouTube, Skype, and Twitter come to mind. However, the vast…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Inside-out vs. outside-in: the adoption of new technologies There are broadly two adoption paths for new computing technologies: inside-out and outside-in....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are broadly two adoption paths for new computing technologies: inside-out and outside-in. Inside-out technologies are pioneered by…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"This business is like bird spotting" One of my favorite quotes about startups/VC, from legendary VC Mike Moritz of Sequoia: I rarely...
over a year ago
31
over a year ago
One of my favorite quotes about startups/VC, from legendary VC Mike Moritz of Sequoia: I rarely think about big themes. This business is…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Computers that can make commitments Blockchains are computers that can make commitments. Traditional computers are ultimately controlled...
over a year ago
31
over a year ago
Blockchains are computers that can make commitments. Traditional computers are ultimately controlled by people, either directly in the case…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why decentralization matters The first two eras of the internet During the first era of the internet — from the 1980s through the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The first two eras of the internet During the first era of the internet — from the 1980s through the early 2000s — internet services were…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
To make smarter systems, it’s all about the data As this article by Alex Wright in the New York Times last week reminded me, when the mainstream...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
As this article by Alex Wright in the New York Times last week reminded me, when the mainstream press talks about artificial intelligence…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Apple and the TV industry The TV industry is a major segment of the consumer electronics industry and Apple is the leading...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The TV industry is a major segment of the consumer electronics industry and Apple is the leading consumer electronics company in the world…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Bitcoin and volatility The beauty of software platforms is that you can solve almost any problem by writing more software....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The beauty of software platforms is that you can solve almost any problem by writing more software. For example, one of the most common…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
There are two kinds of people in the world You’ve either started a company or you haven’t.  ”Started” doesn’t mean joining as an early...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
You’ve either started a company or you haven’t.  ”Started” doesn’t mean joining as an early employee, or investing or advising or helping…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What jobs are users hiring your product to perform? One of Clay Christensen’s favorite concepts is that instead of dividing your customers into segments...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of Clay Christensen’s favorite concepts is that instead of dividing your customers into segments and asking which features each segment…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Converts versus equity deals There has been a debate going on the past few days over whether seed deals should be funded using...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There has been a debate going on the past few days over whether seed deals should be funded using equity or convertible notes (converts…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Crypto Tokens: A Breakthrough in Open Network Design It is a wonderful accident of history that the internet and web were created as open platforms that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is a wonderful accident of history that the internet and web were created as open platforms that anyone — users, developers…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Revenue vs margin Three years ago, Fred Wilson wrote a great blog post called When Talking About Business Models,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Three years ago, Fred Wilson wrote a great blog post called When Talking About Business Models, Remember that Profits Equal Revenues Minus…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
As [Edwin] Land ultimately recognized, the adoption of his [polarized headlight] system was fatally… As Edwin Land ultimately recognized, the adoption of his polarized headlight system was fatally...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on startup crowdfunding Like a lot of people, I’m excited about crowdfunding, and specifically the crowdfunding of startups...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Like a lot of people, I’m excited about crowdfunding, and specifically the crowdfunding of startups now that’s it’s legal in the US. Based…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Keybase: bringing public-key cryptography to mainstream users Today I’m excited to announce that a16z is leading a $10.8M Series A financing of Keybase, a company...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Today I’m excited to announce that a16z is leading a $10.8M Series A financing of Keybase, a company that is trying to make the internet…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
NFTs and A Thousand True Fans In his classic 2008 essay “1000 True Fans,” Kevin Kelly predicted that the internet would transform...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In his classic 2008 essay “1000 True Fans,” Kevin Kelly predicted that the internet would transform the economics of creative activities: To…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The Babe Ruth Effect in Venture Capital "How to hit home runs: I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
"How to hit home runs: I swing as hard as I can, and I try to swing right through the ball... The harder you grip the bat, the more you can…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Does a VC’s brand matter? Suppose you are in the enviable position of choosing between offers from multiple VC firms.  How...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Suppose you are in the enviable position of choosing between offers from multiple VC firms.  How much should you weigh the brand of the VCs…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“The typical path of how people respond to life-changing inventions I’ve never heard of it. I’ve heard of it but don’t understand it. I understand it, but I don’t see...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve never heard of it. I’ve heard of it but don’t understand it. I understand it, but I don’t see how it’s useful. I see how it could be…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why content sites are getting ripped off A commenter on my blog the other day (Tim Ogilvie) mentioned a distinction that I found really...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A commenter on my blog the other day (Tim Ogilvie) mentioned a distinction that I found really interesting between intent generation and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The next twenty years are going to make this last twenty years just pale If we were sent back with a time machine, even 20 years, and reported to people what we have right...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If we were sent back with a time machine, even 20 years, and reported to people what we have right now and describe what we were going to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How Aristotle Created the Computer The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The philosophers he influenced set the stage for the technological revolution that remade our world. Originally published by The Atlantic…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Recruiting programmers to your startup Here are some things I’ve learned over the years about recruiting programmers* to startups. This is...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Here are some things I’ve learned over the years about recruiting programmers* to startups. This is a big topic: many of the points I make…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
VC investment vs Gartner hype cycle Here is total VC investment over time: And here's the Gartner hype cycle: One reading of this is...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Here is total VC investment over time: And here's the Gartner hype cycle: One reading of this is that the advent of the internet was the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The decline of the mobile web People are spending more time on mobile vs desktop: And more of their mobile time using apps, not...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
People are spending more time on mobile vs desktop: And more of their mobile time using apps, not the web: This is a worrisome trend for…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Ether is a necessary element — a fuel — for operating the distributed application platform… “Ether is a necessary element — a fuel — for operating the distributed application platform...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The Not So Global Internet" Fred Wilson writes about how frustrating it is when companies break the internet: We are in the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Fred Wilson writes about how frustrating it is when companies break the internet: We are in the caribbean this week celebrating the year end…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Offline first, mobile enabled One of the major trends in tech startups what Fred Wilson calls “Mobile first, web second.”...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the major trends in tech startups what Fred Wilson calls “Mobile first, web second.” Instagram is a great example of mobile first…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Virtual reality: a new creative medium where the default state is belief The holy grail of virtual reality, the one that’s always been out of reach until now, is presence....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The holy grail of virtual reality, the one that’s always been out of reach until now, is presence. In the VR community, “presence” is a term…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Who will control the software that powers the Internet? Originally published by Wired. As the internet has evolved over its 35-year lifespan, control over...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Originally published by Wired. As the internet has evolved over its 35-year lifespan, control over its most important services has gradually…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The importance of investor signaling in venture pricing Suppose there is a pre-profitable company that is raising venture financing. Simple, classical...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Suppose there is a pre-profitable company that is raising venture financing. Simple, classical economic models would predict that although…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The problem with online “local” businesses One of the most popular areas for startups today is “local.”  I probably see a couple of business...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the most popular areas for startups today is “local.”  I probably see a couple of business plans a week that involve local search…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Blogging to learn People blog for all sorts of reasons. For me, it is mostly about learning. This wasn’t my original...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
People blog for all sorts of reasons. For me, it is mostly about learning. This wasn’t my original intention – it evolved over time. Now I…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What the smartest people do on the weekend is what everyone else will do during the week in ten... Many breakthrough technologies were hatched by hobbyists in garages and dorm rooms. Prominent...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
New York City needs a tech startup blog At first it seemed like Silicon Alley Insider would be this, but they seem to have moved away from...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
At first it seemed like Silicon Alley Insider would be this, but they seem to have moved away from covering NYC startups. The New York Times…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Facebook’s response to Yahoo’s patent lawsuit Like many in tech, I believe all software patents should be abolished. That said, I think Facebook...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Like many in tech, I believe all software patents should be abolished. That said, I think Facebook made the right move by filing a lawsuit…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Developing new startup ideas If you want to start a company and are working on new ideas, here’s how I’ve always done it and how...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If you want to start a company and are working on new ideas, here’s how I’ve always done it and how I recommend you do it.  Be the opposite…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Three levels of enthusiasm for technology Most businesses today believe that technology can dramatically improve the way they operate. But...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Most businesses today believe that technology can dramatically improve the way they operate. But they embrace technology with varying levels…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on incumbents Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Reposted from Oct 7, 2010 from cdixon.posterous.com By “incumbents” I mean the big companies that are loosely competitive to your startup…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Underhyping your startup I recently tweeted: New early-stage start up trend: get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I recently tweeted: New early-stage start up trend: get big quietly, so you don’t tip off potential competitors. Chris Sacca agreed: @cdixon…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"A standard protocol for machines to negotiate bitcoin payments for resources" Great idea from Brian Armstrong of Coinbase: 1/ Seems like there should be a standard protocol for...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Great idea from Brian Armstrong of Coinbase: 1/ Seems like there should be a standard protocol for machines to negotiate bitcoin payments…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The segmentation of the venture industry Ford Motors dominated the auto market in the early 20th century with a single car model, the Model...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Ford Motors dominated the auto market in the early 20th century with a single car model, the Model T.  At the time, customers were seeking…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Collective knowledge systems I think you could make a strong argument that the most important technologies developed over the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I think you could make a strong argument that the most important technologies developed over the last decade are a set of systems that are…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What’s not evil: ranking content fairly *and* letting public content get indexed Please see update at bottom Most websites spend massive amounts of time and money to get any of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Please see update at bottom Most websites spend massive amounts of time and money to get any of their pages index and ranked by Google’s…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Pivoting into a new corporate structure This hasn’t happened to me, but I keep hearing stories about situations like the following: 1)...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
This hasn’t happened to me, but I keep hearing stories about situations like the following: 1) startup raises a seed financing round while…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Steve Jobs on problem solving When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple,  you don’t really understand the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When you start looking at a problem and it seems really simple,  you don’t really understand the complexity of the problem.  Then you get…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Software eats software development Software is eating the world, and doing so using smaller and smaller teams. WhatsApp was able to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Software is eating the world, and doing so using smaller and smaller teams. WhatsApp was able to disrupt the global SMS industry with only a…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Strong and weak technologies During a media tour in 2007 in which Steve Jobs showed the device to reporters, there was one...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
During a media tour in 2007 in which Steve Jobs showed the device to reporters, there was one instance in which a journalist criticized the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What’s the relationship between cost and price? What’s the relationship between price – the ability to charge for your product – and cost – how much...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
What’s the relationship between price – the ability to charge for your product – and cost – how much it costs you to produce it? Price is a…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Skydio I’m excited to announce today that Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $3M financing of Skydio, a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’m excited to announce today that Andreessen Horowitz is leading a $3M financing of Skydio, a startup developing artificial intelligence…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Meaningful” startups There is generally a lot of enthusiasm in the startup world these days. But some observers worry...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is generally a lot of enthusiasm in the startup world these days. But some observers worry that too many startups are working on…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Institutional failure The TV show The Wire is an incredibly instructive lesson on how the modern world works (besides...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The TV show The Wire is an incredibly instructive lesson on how the modern world works (besides being a great work of art). The recurring…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Should Apple be more open? It is almost religious orthodoxy in the tech community that “open” is better than “closed.” For...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is almost religious orthodoxy in the tech community that “open” is better than “closed.” For example, there have widespread complaints…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The myth of the Eureka moment I’ve been involved in the development of a number startups over the years, including three I...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve been involved in the development of a number startups over the years, including three I co-founded.   I have also observed the idea…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies" "I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
"I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The “thin edge of the wedge” strategy Establishing relationships with new users is the hardest part of growing a startup.  For consumer...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
Establishing relationships with new users is the hardest part of growing a startup.  For consumer products establishing relationships can…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Shoehorning startups into the VC model Tech startups go in an out of fashion. When they’re in fashion, as they are now, entrepreneurs and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Tech startups go in an out of fashion. When they’re in fashion, as they are now, entrepreneurs and VCs get lots of attention. Most of this…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Forces that affect whether a large company will buy your product (according to Marc Andreessen) From Marc Andreessen’s “Moby Dick Theory of Big Companies“: You can count on there being a whole...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The downside of accelerated investment decisions There has been a lot of talk about how early-stage valuations have risen dramatically over the past...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There has been a lot of talk about how early-stage valuations have risen dramatically over the past few years. Financially, this is probably…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Steve Jobs supposedly said, returning to Apple, that his plan was to stay alive and grab onto the… “Steve Jobs supposedly said, returning to Apple, that his plan was to stay alive and grab onto the...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"There's just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a great product" Steve Jobs in 1995: There's just a tremendous amount of craftsmanship in between a great idea and a...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why you shouldn’t keep your startup idea secret A frequent question entrepreneurs have when they are just starting their company is:  how secretive...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A frequent question entrepreneurs have when they are just starting their company is:  how secretive should I be about my idea?  My answer…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Give away the diagnostic, sell the remedy Companies that employ the “freemium” business model give away a product or service for free and then...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
Companies that employ the “freemium” business model give away a product or service for free and then charge for additional features. The…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The credentials trap I talk a lot to people who are deciding between startups and established companies. They’re usually...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I talk a lot to people who are deciding between startups and established companies. They’re usually early in their careers and have been…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The bowling pin strategy A huge challenge for user-generated websites is overcoming the chicken-and-egg problem: attracting...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
A huge challenge for user-generated websites is overcoming the chicken-and-egg problem: attracting users and contributors when you are…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Four types of mobile apps If you are a founder trying to create a new mobile app or an investor trying decide whether an app...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
If you are a founder trying to create a new mobile app or an investor trying decide whether an app has enduring value, it is helpful to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Stored Hashcash One of the greatest inventions in the history of computer security is Hashcash. Internet blights...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
One of the greatest inventions in the history of computer security is Hashcash. Internet blights like spam and denial-of-service attacks are…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The inevitable showdown between Twitter and Twitter apps People usually think of business competition as occurring between substitutes – products that serve...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
People usually think of business competition as occurring between substitutes – products that serve similar functions for the user.   Famous…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“PCs are going to be like trucks” Steve Jobs in 2010: When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks because that’s what you...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
Steve Jobs in 2010: When we were an agrarian nation, all cars were trucks because that’s what you needed on the farms. Cars became more…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Inferring intent on mobile devices [Google CEO Eric] Schmidt said that while the Google Instant predictive search technology helps...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
[Google CEO Eric] Schmidt said that while the Google Instant predictive search technology helps shave an average of 2 seconds off users…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The great ideas have come from people who weren’t paid to have great ideas" It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable. To begin with, it usually seems unreasonable....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is only afterward that a new idea seems reasonable. To begin with, it usually seems unreasonable. It seems the height of unreason to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Comma.ai I wrote a blog post last month highlighting some of the exciting trends in the computing industry....
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
I wrote a blog post last month highlighting some of the exciting trends in the computing industry. One trend I discussed is the rapid…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
VC’s care about the upside case, not the mean The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when pitching VCs is to argue that their startup is likely to...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make when pitching VCs is to argue that their startup is likely to succeed.  Instead, they should argue…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Anatomy of a bad search result In a post last week, Paul Kedrosky noted his frustration when looking for a new dishwasher using...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In a post last week, Paul Kedrosky noted his frustration when looking for a new dishwasher using Google.  I thought it might be interesting…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
We asked for flying cars and all we got was the entire planet communicating instantly via pocket... Benedict Evans has a new presentation about the explosive growth of internet-connected smartphones....
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"You actually have to remind yourself not to believe" [Virtual Reality] is the last medium. We’re at the very beginning of it, but version 147 is The...
over a year ago
25
over a year ago
[Virtual Reality] is the last medium. We’re at the very beginning of it, but version 147 is The Matrix or Total Recall. Our brain is no…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
If an alien film crew chose to feature our species in a nature documentary, they’d have plenty of… If an alien film crew chose to feature our species in a nature documentary, they’d have plenty of...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1996 on the concept of Flow: [Flow] is being completely involved in an...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1996 on the concept of Flow: [Flow] is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Do you want to sell sugar water or do you want to change the world? “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” –...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life or come with me and change the world?” – Steve Jobs I sometimes wish that instead…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The business plans of the next 10,000 startups are easy to forecast: Take X and add AI." Kevin Kelly thinks artificial intelligence is finally ready deliver on its promise: The AI on the...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Old VC firms: get ready to be disrupted If the U.S. economy were a company, the VC industry would be the R&D department. The financing for...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If the U.S. economy were a company, the VC industry would be the R&D department. The financing for the VC industry comes from so-called LPs…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Shutting down I’ve seen a number of situations recently where entrepreneurs decided to shut their startups down...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve seen a number of situations recently where entrepreneurs decided to shut their startups down while they still had cash in the bank…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Good bizdev cannibalizes itself A few successful websites were built almost entirely through viral growth. The vast majority,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A few successful websites were built almost entirely through viral growth. The vast majority, however, started off by partnering with other…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Selling pickaxes during a gold rush There is a saying in the startup world that “you can mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” This...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a saying in the startup world that “you can mine for gold or you can sell pickaxes.” This is of course an allusion to the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google’s social strategy It is widely believed that Facebook presents a significant competitive threat to Google. Google...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is widely believed that Facebook presents a significant competitive threat to Google. Google itself seems to believe this – Larry Page…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Don’t shop your term sheet There are all sorts of protocols in the VC world. Most of them make sense upon further examination,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are all sorts of protocols in the VC world. Most of them make sense upon further examination, but if you’re a first time entrepreneur…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The real strategy behind tiered data plans Over the past year, Comcast and other broadband providers have been forcing tiered data plans on...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Over the past year, Comcast and other broadband providers have been forcing tiered data plans on customers. The New York Times recently…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Coinbase One of the interesting things about Bitcoin is the contrast between how it is portrayed in the press...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the interesting things about Bitcoin is the contrast between how it is portrayed in the press and how it is understood by…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they… “If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Pricing to the demand curve Many college microeconomics courses include the following exercise. The teacher offers the students...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Many college microeconomics courses include the following exercise. The teacher offers the students an imaginary trip to Hawaii, and asks…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Best practices for raising a VC round Having raised a number of VC rounds personally and observed many more as an investor or friend, I’ve...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Having raised a number of VC rounds personally and observed many more as an investor or friend, I’ve come to think there are a set of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The tragedy of the anticommons Seems very relevant to today’s music industry, and potentially relevant to the internet/software...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Seems very relevant to today’s music industry, and potentially relevant to the internet/software industry in the near future as patent…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The most important question to ask before taking seed money There is a certain well respected venture capital firm (VC) that has a program for fledgling...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a certain well respected venture capital firm (VC) that has a program for fledgling entrepreneurs.   The teams that are selected…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Ten million users is the new one million users Entrepreneurs and investors have been enamored with consumer internet startups for the last few...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Entrepreneurs and investors have been enamored with consumer internet startups for the last few years. But there are signs this is ending…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Incumbents die due to irrelevance or ineptitude Judging from the tech press, you’d think the biggest risk to successful companies is competition....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Judging from the tech press, you’d think the biggest risk to successful companies is competition. But when you examine the history of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Presenting Founder Collective As readers of this blog know, I’m a huge fan of the startup and venture capital world but also a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
As readers of this blog know, I’m a huge fan of the startup and venture capital world but also a sometimes critic of how the venture capital…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“Otherwise do something else” I remember back when I started my first company, a friend said to me “get ready to have a knot in...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I remember back when I started my first company, a friend said to me “get ready to have a knot in your stomach and feel nauseous for years…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Come for the tool, stay for the network A popular strategy for bootstrapping networks is what I like to call “come for the tool, stay for...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A popular strategy for bootstrapping networks is what I like to call “come for the tool, stay for the network.” The idea is to initially…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The ideal startup career path For most people I know who join or start companies, the primary goal is not to get rich – it is to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For most people I know who join or start companies, the primary goal is not to get rich – it is to work on something they love, with people…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Software patents should be abolished The alleged societal benefit of patent law is that it creates a financial incentive to innovate....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The alleged societal benefit of patent law is that it creates a financial incentive to innovate.  The societal drawback is that it reduces…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The dawn of trustworthy computing" Nick Szabo: On the Internet, instead of securely and reliably handing over cash and getting our...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Nick Szabo: On the Internet, instead of securely and reliably handing over cash and getting our goods or services, or at least a ticket, we…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The risks of being a small investor in a private company With the passage of the JOBS act, it seems that many more Americans will soon be able to buy equity...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
With the passage of the JOBS act, it seems that many more Americans will soon be able to buy equity in private companies. I am no expert on…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Critics and practitioners “When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“When art critics get together they talk about Form and Structure and Meaning. When artists get together they talk about where you can buy…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Outsource things you don’t care about A fundamental principle of business is that you do things in house that you think can give you a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A fundamental principle of business is that you do things in house that you think can give you a competitive advantage and outsource things…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Different types of risk The idea that founders take on “risk” is a misleading generalization. It is far more informative to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The idea that founders take on “risk” is a misleading generalization. It is far more informative to separate the specific types of risks…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Six strategies for overcoming “chicken and egg” problems Products with so-called networks effects get more valuable when more people use them.  Famous...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Products with so-called networks effects get more valuable when more people use them.  Famous examples are telephones and social networks…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Big timing “Big timing” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot lately which refers to people who are “higher ranking”...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“Big timing” is a phrase I’ve heard a lot lately which refers to people who are “higher ranking” acting disrespectfully toward people who…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What if online business model innovation is slowing down? There is a widely held assumption that new business models will continue to emerge online – that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a widely held assumption that new business models will continue to emerge online – that statements like “how will Twitter ever make…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Founder/market fit An extremely useful concept that has grown popular among startup founders is what eminent...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
An extremely useful concept that has grown popular among startup founders is what eminent entrepreneur and investor Marc Andreessen calls…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The importance of predictability for platform developers A platform is a technology or product upon which many other technologies or products are built. Some...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A platform is a technology or product upon which many other technologies or products are built. Some platforms are controlled by a single…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Building products from improvised user behaviors For a long time, there were niche communities of “lo-fi” camera enthusiasts: people who shared...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For a long time, there were niche communities of “lo-fi” camera enthusiasts: people who shared photos taken on old cameras that had…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why did Skype succeed and Joost fail? Skype and Joost are interesting companies to compare – they are about as close as you can get to one...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Skype and Joost are interesting companies to compare – they are about as close as you can get to one of those sociological studies that…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Making industries “garage ready” for startups One of the most important events in the history of modern computing was the advent of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the most important events in the history of modern computing was the advent of “fabless” (“fabrication-less”) semiconductor companies…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Full stack startups Many of today's most exciting startups were tried before in a different form. Suppose you develop a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Many of today's most exciting startups were tried before in a different form. Suppose you develop a new technology that is valuable to some…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on mobile People tend to lump smartphones and tablets together as “mobile”. This can be misleading. Ask people...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
People tend to lump smartphones and tablets together as “mobile”. This can be misleading. Ask people who run internet companies and they’ll…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Bedrock programming “Bedrock programming” is a phrase used to describe a style of programming that favors building code...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“Bedrock programming” is a phrase used to describe a style of programming that favors building code from the ground up versus reusing…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Doing old things better vs doing brand new things New technologies enable activities that fall into one of two categories: 1) doing things you could...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
New technologies enable activities that fall into one of two categories: 1) doing things you could already do but can now do better because…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"A lot of the best tech startups are ideas that have been around for years" A lot of the best tech startups are ideas that have been around for years but the time is finally...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A lot of the best tech startups are ideas that have been around for years but the time is finally right. * Some people get jaded. "We tried…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some tips for interacting with the press Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years about the best ways for entrepreneurs to interact...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Here are a few things I’ve learned over the years about the best ways for entrepreneurs to interact with the press (by press I mean blogs as…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Predicting the future of the Internet is easy: anything it hasn’t yet dramatically transformed, it... People love to focus on horse races:  NYC vs Silcon Valley, Facebook vs Twitter, IPO markets vs...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
“It is the human friction that makes the sparks” From Jonah Lehrer, Brainstorming Doesn’t Really Work (via Stowe Boyd): Building 20 [a scene of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
From Jonah Lehrer, Brainstorming Doesn’t Really Work (via Stowe Boyd): Building 20 [a scene of incredible innovation at MIT] and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Embrace the medium An obvious but surprisingly under-practiced design principle is to “embrace the medium.”  Applied to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
An obvious but surprisingly under-practiced design principle is to “embrace the medium.”  Applied to software, this means building…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Options on early stage companies I believe that what I’m about to say is accepted by venture capitalists as fact, even trivially...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I believe that what I’m about to say is accepted by venture capitalists as fact, even trivially obvious fact, yet very few entrepreneurs I…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Vanity milestones Eric Ries uses the phrase “vanity metrics” to refer to metrics that founders cite to demonstrate...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Eric Ries uses the phrase “vanity metrics” to refer to metrics that founders cite to demonstrate progress but that are actually false…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
There are three New York Cities There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are roughly three New Yorks. There is, first, the New York of the man or woman who was born here, who takes the city for granted and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Designing products for single and multiplayer modes The first million people who bought VCRs bought them before there were any movies available to watch...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The first million people who bought VCRs bought them before there were any movies available to watch on them. They just wanted to “time…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The tradeoff between open and closed When having the “open vs closed” debate regarding a technology platform, a number of distinctions...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When having the “open vs closed” debate regarding a technology platform, a number of distinctions need to be made. First, what exactly is…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How bundling benefits sellers and buyers There is a widespread belief in technology circles that bundling of cable TV, newspaper, magazine...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a widespread belief in technology circles that bundling of cable TV, newspaper, magazine and other information goods will go away…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Twitter killed RSS (and that’s a bad thing) I’ve used Google Reader religiously since it launched.  I’m a few days away from quitting it...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve used Google Reader religiously since it launched.  I’m a few days away from quitting it forever.  Pretty much every blog I read tweets…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Chris Sacca on the implied user contract Chris Sacca nicely summarized today’s FB vs Google vs Twitter controversy: It comes down to what...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Chris Sacca nicely summarized today’s FB vs Google vs Twitter controversy: It comes down to what each company has promised its users…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Security through diversity Someone asked me the other day whether I thought the United States was vulnerable to a large scale...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Someone asked me the other day whether I thought the United States was vulnerable to a large scale “cyber” attack. While I have no doubt…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Gordon Moore on self-driving cars “I never thought I’d see autonomous automobiles driving on the freeways. It wasn’t many years ago...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“I never thought I’d see autonomous automobiles driving on the freeways. It wasn’t many years ago they put out a request to see who could…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Thales the Milesian Like a lot of things we think are obvious today, financial options were first invented by a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Like a lot of things we think are obvious today, financial options were first invented by a philosopher: There is the anecdote of Thales the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Stickiness is bad for business It is common to hear entrepreneurs and investors talk about the high level of engagement (what we...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is common to hear entrepreneurs and investors talk about the high level of engagement (what we used to call “stickiness”) of their…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
A few points about the “tech bubble” debate Pretty much every day now a major blog or newspaper writes an article asking whether we are...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Pretty much every day now a major blog or newspaper writes an article asking whether we are experiencing another tech bubble (e.g. see today…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Improbable: enabling the development of large-scale simulated worlds Over the past decade, computing resources that were previously available only to large...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Over the past decade, computing resources that were previously available only to large organizations became available to almost anyone…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some ideas for native bitcoin apps Fred Wilson calls applications built using Bitcoin that couldn't have existed prior to Bitcoin...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Fred Wilson calls applications built using Bitcoin that couldn't have existed prior to Bitcoin "native Bitcoin apps". Most of the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google should open source what actually matters: their search ranking algorithm Websites live or die based on how a small group of programmers at Google decide their sites should...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Websites live or die based on how a small group of programmers at Google decide their sites should rank in Google’s main search results.  As…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why seed investors don’t like convertible notes A popular option in seed round financing is a convertible note instead of setting a valuation in an...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A popular option in seed round financing is a convertible note instead of setting a valuation in an equity financing.  A convertible note is…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Is it a tech bubble? Every week a “we are in a tech bubble” article seems to come out in a major newspaper or blog....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Every week a “we are in a tech bubble” article seems to come out in a major newspaper or blog. People who argue we aren’t in a bubble are…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The internet is reshaping our economy from one of huge corporations with lots of jobs to huge... From Innovation and the Bell Labs Miracle in today NYTimes: Innovation is an important new product...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The return of podcasting Kevin Roose recently wrote about the renaissance of podcasting: Sometime around 2009 or 2010, the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Kevin Roose recently wrote about the renaissance of podcasting: Sometime around 2009 or 2010, the podcast scene seemed to wither. The…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The rise of enterprise marketing Building an enterprise software company used to be largely about sales, because enterprise software...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Building an enterprise software company used to be largely about sales, because enterprise software was sourced and purchased by high-level…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Top 10 websites Top 10 websites in the US according to Quantcast: A few observations: As Josh Kopelman points out,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Top 10 websites in the US according to Quantcast: A few observations: As Josh Kopelman points out, 4 of the top 10 sites (YouTube, Facebook…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on SEO “SEO” (==”Search Engine Optimization”) is a term widely used to mean “getting users to your site via...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“SEO” (==”Search Engine Optimization”) is a term widely used to mean “getting users to your site via organic search traffic.”  I don’t like…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Once you take money, the clock starts ticking One of the interesting things about having been investing in startups for a number of years is that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the interesting things about having been investing in startups for a number of years is that at any moment you get an inside peek at…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
An internet of people Over the past few years, a bunch of web-based marketplaces have gotten popular – Etsy, Kickstarter,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Over the past few years, a bunch of web-based marketplaces have gotten popular – Etsy, Kickstarter, AirBnb, to name a few. Many of these…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
You need to use social services to understand them I don’t know if Malcolm Gladwell is right when he claims “the revolution will not be tweeted,” but I...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I don’t know if Malcolm Gladwell is right when he claims “the revolution will not be tweeted,” but I can say with certainty that the Twitter…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Stack Exchange Today we are announcing that A16z is leading a $40M investment in Stack Exchange, along with earlier...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Today we are announcing that A16z is leading a $40M investment in Stack Exchange, along with earlier investors USV, Bezos Expeditions, Spark…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Ideal first round funding terms My last 2 posts were about things to avoid, so I thought it might be helpful to follow up with...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
My last 2 posts were about things to avoid, so I thought it might be helpful to follow up with something more positive.  Having been part of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The next big thing will start out looking like a toy One of the amazing things about the internet economy is how different the list of top internet...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the amazing things about the internet economy is how different the list of top internet properties today looks from the list ten…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The Internet Economy We are living in an era of bundling. The big five consumer tech companies — Google, Apple, Facebook,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
We are living in an era of bundling. The big five consumer tech companies — Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft — have moved far…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
While Google fights on the edges, Amazon is attacking their core Google is fighting battles on almost every front:  social networking, mobile operating systems, web...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Google is fighting battles on almost every front:  social networking, mobile operating systems, web browsers, office apps, and so on.  Much…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
It’s hard to believe today, but 10 years ago Wikipedia was widely considered a doomed experiment… Today, Wikipedia is widely considered an invaluable resource. There are occasional errors and...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Competition is overrated Your #1 competitor starting out will always be the BACK button, nothing else. – Garry Tan Suppose...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Your #1 competitor starting out will always be the BACK button, nothing else. – Garry Tan Suppose you have an idea for a startup, and then…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Incumbents Almost every startup has big companies (“incumbents”) that are at some point potential acquirers or...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Almost every startup has big companies (“incumbents”) that are at some point potential acquirers or competitors.  For internet startups that…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Instrumenting the offline world In the last decade there have been major advances in storing, analyzing, and acting upon extremely...
over a year ago
22
over a year ago
In the last decade there have been major advances in storing, analyzing, and acting upon extremely large data sets.  Data sets that were…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Dow 10,000 and economic reflexivity People who criticize Obama’s economic policies forget that, around the beginning of this year, a lot...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
People who criticize Obama’s economic policies forget that, around the beginning of this year, a lot of serious people thought we were…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
One man came to Mozart and asked him how to write a symphony. One man came to Mozart and asked him how to write a symphony. Mozart replied, “You are too young to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One man came to Mozart and asked him how to write a symphony. Mozart replied, “You are too young to write a symphony.” The man said, “You…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Gadgets and Computers From Benedict Evans’ Cars as Feature Phones: This is a common theme in many classes of device: you...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
From Benedict Evans’ Cars as Feature Phones: This is a common theme in many classes of device: you start with a product that has a few…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"It all blossomed out of this tiny little seed" Steve Jobs in 1985: I felt it the first time when I visited a school. It was third and fourth...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Steve Jobs in 1985: I felt it the first time when I visited a school. It was third and fourth graders, and they had a whole classroom full…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The idea maze for AI startups An “idea maze” is a map of all the key decisions and tradeoffs that startups in a given space need...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
An “idea maze” is a map of all the key decisions and tradeoffs that startups in a given space need to make: A good founder is capable of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Search and the social graph Google has created a multibillion-dollar economy based on keywords.  We use keywords to find things...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Google has created a multibillion-dollar economy based on keywords.  We use keywords to find things and advertisers use keywords to find…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Capitalism just like Adam Smith pictured it From far away, things that are very different look alike. I grew up in a family of musicians and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
From far away, things that are very different look alike. I grew up in a family of musicians and English professors. To them, the entire…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"There's no way to tell where the border is between measurement and manipulation" Jaron Lanier discussing whether machine learning systems like Netflix recommendations, Facebook's...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The interoperability of social networks Google recently added a caustic warning message when users attempt to export their Google Contacts...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Google recently added a caustic warning message when users attempt to export their Google Contacts to Facebook: Hold on a second. Are you…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The one number you should know about your equity grant The one number you should know about your equity grant is the percent of the company you are being...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The one number you should know about your equity grant is the percent of the company you are being granted (in options, shares, whatever…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Four categories of Bitcoin-related projects New Bitcoin-related software projects are launching every day. From what I can tell these projects...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
New Bitcoin-related software projects are launching every day. From what I can tell these projects fall into four main categories: Bitcoin…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Samsung’s predicament In the past year, Samsung went from being a moderately successful electronics manufacturer to the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In the past year, Samsung went from being a moderately successful electronics manufacturer to the leading non-iOS mobile device maker…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Is now a good time to start a company? Back in 2006, my co-founder at Hunch, Caterina Fake, wrote a blog post called “It’s a bad time to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Back in 2006, my co-founder at Hunch, Caterina Fake, wrote a blog post called “It’s a bad time to start a company.”  There were no doubt…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How to disrupt Wall Street Sarah Lacy has a very interesting post on TechCrunch where she argues that the internet is finally...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Sarah Lacy has a very interesting post on TechCrunch where she argues that the internet is finally starting to disrupt Wall Street. I’d love…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
If you aren’t getting rejected on a daily basis, your goals aren’t ambitious enough My most useful career experience was about eight years ago when I was trying to break into the world...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Agency problems “Agency problems” are what economists call situations where a person’s interests diverge from his or...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“Agency problems” are what economists call situations where a person’s interests diverge from his or her firm’s interests. Large companies…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"The Future of Reading Depends on the Future of Learning Difficult to Learn Things" Socrates’ complaints about writing included “Writing removes the need to remember”. He meant that a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Socrates’ complaints about writing included “Writing removes the need to remember”. He meant that a prosthetic brace on a healthy limb will…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Technology predictions For those of us in the prediction business, it’s sometimes useful to go back and read past...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For those of us in the prediction business, it’s sometimes useful to go back and read past predictions to try to discern patterns in what…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Being friendly has become a competitive advantage in VC Over the last decade or two, the supply of venture capital dollars has increased dramatically at the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Over the last decade or two, the supply of venture capital dollars has increased dramatically at the same time as the cost of building tech…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Online privacy: what’s at stake It is widely believed that a flourishing democracy requires an independent, diverse, and financially...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is widely believed that a flourishing democracy requires an independent, diverse, and financially solvent press.  With print newspapers…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Trusting platforms In response to my post yesterday about how an internet of people has enabled a new wave of web-based...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In response to my post yesterday about how an internet of people has enabled a new wave of web-based marketplaces, Nick Mango commented…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The problem with tranched VC investments In venture capital, tranching refers to investments where portions of the money are released over...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In venture capital, tranching refers to investments where portions of the money are released over time when certain pre-negotiated…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Two eras of the internet: pull and push The evolution of the internet is an extremely complex topic. Sometimes it is helpful to find broad...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The evolution of the internet is an extremely complex topic. Sometimes it is helpful to find broad patterns that make it easier to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Timing your startup I never had the opportunity to invest in YouTube but I have to admit that if I did I probably would...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I never had the opportunity to invest in YouTube but I have to admit that if I did I probably would have passed (which of course would have…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The default state of a startup is failure If you are starting a company and wondering why nothing good seems to happen unless you force it to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If you are starting a company and wondering why nothing good seems to happen unless you force it to happen, that’s because the world wants…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Plans are nothing, but planning is indispensable It is widely believed that writing a business plan is a waste of time, because: 1) very few people...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It is widely believed that writing a business plan is a waste of time, because: 1) very few people will read it, and 2) you’ll end up…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"Natural languages are adequate, but that doesn't mean they're optimal" Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Languages are something of a mess. They evolve over centuries through an unplanned, democratic process that leaves them teeming with…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Twitter and third-party Twitter developers I can’t remember the last time the tech world was so interesting. First, innovation is at an all...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I can’t remember the last time the tech world was so interesting. First, innovation is at an all time high.  Apple, Google, Facebook…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Always have 18 months of cash in the bank I was once told by an experienced entrepreneur (I can’t remember who) to always have at least 18...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I was once told by an experienced entrepreneur (I can’t remember who) to always have at least 18 months of cash in the bank. The logic…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
There are two ways to make large datasets useful I’ve spent the majority of my career building technologies that try to do useful things with large...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve spent the majority of my career building technologies that try to do useful things with large datasets.* One of the most important…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Financing risk Startups that raise seed funding face the risk of not being able to raise additional money. This is...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Startups that raise seed funding face the risk of not being able to raise additional money. This is what is sometimes known as “financing…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Incubators It seems like every successful entrepreneur I know at one point or another kicks around the idea of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It seems like every successful entrepreneur I know at one point or another kicks around the idea of creating an incubator. The appeal is the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Inside versus outside financings: the nightclub effect At some point in the life of a venture-backed startup there typically arises a choice between doing...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
At some point in the life of a venture-backed startup there typically arises a choice between doing an inside round, where the existing…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Later-stage rounds and “setting the bar too high” I recently had a number of conversations with CEOs of later-stage startups (generating significant...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I recently had a number of conversations with CEOs of later-stage startups (generating significant revenue) that went something like this…
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Selling to enterprises For some reason when you are selling information technology, big companies are referred to as...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For some reason when you are selling information technology, big companies are referred to as “enterprises.” I’m guessing the word was…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Allocation investing and the social premium The rational way to invest in something – a startup, public company, venture capital firm, real...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The rational way to invest in something – a startup, public company, venture capital firm, real estate project, etc. – is to base your…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Entrepreneurs need to learn some law I recently wrote a post where I said entrepreneurs need to understand term sheets on their own,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I recently wrote a post where I said entrepreneurs need to understand term sheets on their own, without the assistance of lawyers.  I got…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why the web economy will continue growing rapidly Here’s the really good news for the web economy over the next decade.  Consumers are spending more...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Here’s the really good news for the web economy over the next decade.  Consumers are spending more and more time online, yet only about 1…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Accurate contrarian theories When Google released its search engine in 1998, its search results were significantly better than...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When Google released its search engine in 1998, its search results were significantly better than its competitors’. Many people attribute…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The computing deployment phase Technological revolutions happen in two main phases: the installation phase and the deployment...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Technological revolutions happen in two main phases: the installation phase and the deployment phase. Here’s a chart (from this excellent…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Crypto token roundup Roundup of lots of recent posts on crypto tokens: Balaji S. Srinivasan — Thoughts on Tokens Fred...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Roundup of lots of recent posts on crypto tokens: Balaji S. Srinivasan — Thoughts on Tokens Fred Wilson — ICOs and VCs here, Ethereum in 2…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Yahoo should invest in products, not advertising For 10 years, Yahoo was my default home page.  Now I can barely stand using the site.  I still use...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For 10 years, Yahoo was my default home page.  Now I can barely stand using the site.  I still use it for Finance and Flickr, but that’s it…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
E-commerce startups Very few successful e-commerce companies were started in the 2000s. Since then, e-commerce startups...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Very few successful e-commerce companies were started in the 2000s. Since then, e-commerce startups have enjoyed a revival. Dozens of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Facebook, Zynga, and buyer-supplier hold up The brewing fight between Facebook and Zynga is what is known in economic strategy circles as...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The brewing fight between Facebook and Zynga is what is known in economic strategy circles as “buyer-supplier hold up.” The classic…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Notes on the acquisition process Ten years ago, startup financing was an insider’s game. Since then, the topic has been widely...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Ten years ago, startup financing was an insider’s game. Since then, the topic has been widely discussed on blogs, to the great benefit of…
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It’s not that seed investors are smarter – it’s that entrepreneurs are Paul Kedrosky recently speculated that there might be seed fund “crash” looming. Liz Gannes followed...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Paul Kedrosky recently speculated that there might be seed fund “crash” looming. Liz Gannes followed up by suggesting seed investors are a…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The myth of the overnight success Angry Birds was Rovio’s 52nd game. They spent eight years and almost went bankrupt before finally...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Angry Birds was Rovio’s 52nd game. They spent eight years and almost went bankrupt before finally creating their massive hit. Pinterest is…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Facebook is about to try to dominate display ads the way Google dominates text ads It is customary to divide online advertising into two categories: direct response and brand...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Machine learning is really good at partially solving just about any problem There’s a saying in artificial intelligence circles that techniques like machine learning (and NLP)...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There’s a saying in artificial intelligence circles that techniques like machine learning (and NLP) can very quickly get you, say, 80% of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Technology and job creation In response to my recent post “Making industries ‘garage ready’ for startups“, venture...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In response to my recent post “Making industries ‘garage ready’ for startups“, venture capitalist Jordan Elpern-Waxman made an interesting…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
New York City is poised for a tech revival One thing that was puzzling about the “web 2.0 boom” from 2003-2008 was how irrelevant the East...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One thing that was puzzling about the “web 2.0 boom” from 2003-2008 was how irrelevant the East Coast, and particular New York City, was…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Dividing free and paid features in “freemium” products One of the most difficult decisions to make when developing a “freemium” product is how to divide...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the most difficult decisions to make when developing a “freemium” product is how to divide the product between free and paid features…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What’s the right amount of seed money to raise? Short answer:  enough to get your startup to an accretive milestone plus some fudge factor....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Short answer:  enough to get your startup to an accretive milestone plus some fudge factor. “Accretive milestone” is a fancy way of saying…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Owning equity in your company should be as common as owning equity in your home What belongs in common to the most people is accorded the least care: they take thought for their...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The importance of institutional redundancy Every system built by a single institution has points of failure that can bring the entire system...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Every system built by a single institution has points of failure that can bring the entire system down.  Even in organizations that have…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Twelve months notice Generally speaking, there are two approaches to relating to other people in the business world. The...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Generally speaking, there are two approaches to relating to other people in the business world. The first approach is transactional and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Lessons from the PC video game industry The future of media is here — it’s just not evenly distributed The success or failure of tech and...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The future of media is here — it’s just not evenly distributed The success or failure of tech and media products depends on complicated…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Notes on raising seed financing Last night I taught a class via Skillshare (disclosure: Founder Collective is an investor) about how...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Last night I taught a class via Skillshare (disclosure: Founder Collective is an investor) about how to raise a seed round.  After a long…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
A massive misallocation of online advertising dollars In an earlier blog post, I talked about how sites that generate purchasing intent (mainly “content”...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In an earlier blog post, I talked about how sites that generate purchasing intent (mainly “content” sites) are being under-allocated…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Online advertising is all about purchasing intent A while ago I dug up this quote from Business Week from 2000: But how will Google ever make money?...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A while ago I dug up this quote from Business Week from 2000: But how will Google ever make money? There’s the rub. The company’s adamant…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What’s strategic for Google? Google seems to be releasing or acquiring new products almost daily. It’s one thing for a couple of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Google seems to be releasing or acquiring new products almost daily. It’s one thing for a couple of programmers to hack together a side…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Proprietary services vs open protocols
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Hardware startups For a long time, entrepreneurs and investors shied away from hardware. This seems to be changing. As...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
For a long time, entrepreneurs and investors shied away from hardware. This seems to be changing. As Paul Graham says, there are many…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Firing Firing is awful. You can try to avoid it, but even the most selective founders make serious...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Firing is awful. You can try to avoid it, but even the most selective founders make serious mistakes. Here are a few things I’ve observed…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The NYC tech scene is exploding The pace of innovation in the New York area is very impressive right now. Some of the top...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The pace of innovation in the New York area is very impressive right now. Some of the top entrepenuers in the country are building and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Capabilities and sensibilities “The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
What carries you up will also bring you down In Rules of Thumb, Alan Weber quotes legendary venture capitalist John Doerr discussing the original...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In Rules of Thumb, Alan Weber quotes legendary venture capitalist John Doerr discussing the original business plans for companies he…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
When should you give up on an idea? Suppose you launch your new startup and don’t get the traction you were hoping for. How do you know...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Suppose you launch your new startup and don’t get the traction you were hoping for. How do you know whether to give up or keep going? This…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The only college major that matters If you want to work in venture capital focusing on internet/software companies, or start one of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
If you want to work in venture capital focusing on internet/software companies, or start one of those companies, or work as an employee in…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"A man will be able to carry one in his vest pocket" Nikola Tesla predicted the development internet-connected smartphones back in 1926: From the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Nikola Tesla predicted the development internet-connected smartphones back in 1926: From the inception of the wireless system, I saw that…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Builders and extractors Tim O’Reilly poses a question every entrepreneur and investor should consider: are you creating more...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Tim O’Reilly poses a question every entrepreneur and investor should consider: are you creating more value for others than you capture for…
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Getting a job in venture capital Getting a job in venture capital is extremely hard.  There are a lot of really smart, well...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Getting a job in venture capital is extremely hard.  There are a lot of really smart, well qualified, eager people who want to work in VC…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Which VC firm should I pitch? A friend asked me the other day “Which VC firms should I pitch?” and I started to respond to him,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A friend asked me the other day “Which VC firms should I pitch?” and I started to respond to him, but then realized that most of my…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Options The financial term “derivative“ refers to a security whose value is a function of another security...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The financial term “derivative“ refers to a security whose value is a function of another security such as a stock or bond.  The most common…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Who should learn to program? Recently, there’s been a lot of talk in the tech world and beyond about getting more people to learn...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Recently, there’s been a lot of talk in the tech world and beyond about getting more people to learn computer programming. I think this is a…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Platform distribution risks When your product extends a platform’s functionality, one of the main risks you face is that the...
over a year ago
20
over a year ago
When your product extends a platform’s functionality, one of the main risks you face is that the platform could embed your product’s key…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"We leverage the billions of dollars spent on the consumer mobile phone business" NYTimes has an excellent profile of Planet Labs, a startup that makes low-cost satellites: These...
over a year ago
cdixon.org RSS Feed
And then, suddenly, it works The other day a friend was demoing a new app he was working on. My first reaction was: “Yeah, yeah....
over a year ago
20
over a year ago
The other day a friend was demoing a new app he was working on. My first reaction was: “Yeah, yeah. This is nicely executed version one of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Are people more willing to pay for digital goods on mobile devices? Mary Meeker’s [ ](images/screen-shot-2009-12-27-at-11-51-18-am.png) The assertion seems to be that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Mary Meeker’s [ ](images/screen-shot-2009-12-27-at-11-51-18-am.png) The assertion seems to be that there is something special about the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
"Bitcoin is the currency the internet deserves and needs" George Gilder discusses the importance of Bitcoin in a very interesting interview: To have a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
George Gilder discusses the importance of Bitcoin in a very interesting interview: To have a civilization you need more than just bits and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Dividing equity between founders A friend asked me recently if I knew of any good guidelines for dividing up equity between founders,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A friend asked me recently if I knew of any good guidelines for dividing up equity between founders, and specifically what to do in the case…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Joining a startup is far less risky than most people think Joining a startup is far less risky than most people seem to think.  In fact, I don’t know if anyone...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Joining a startup is far less risky than most people seem to think.  In fact, I don’t know if anyone has ever studied this systematically…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Question from a reader I’ve gotten some emails recently from readers of this blog with questions about early stage...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve gotten some emails recently from readers of this blog with questions about early stage startups.  I’m sorry if I haven’t responded to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Techies and normals There are techies (if you are reading this blog you are almost certainly one of them) and there are...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are techies (if you are reading this blog you are almost certainly one of them) and there are mainstream users – some people call them…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Man and superman There are two broad philosophical approaches to explaining the forces that drive world events. The...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are two broad philosophical approaches to explaining the forces that drive world events. The first one is sometimes called the Great…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Eleven Reasons To Be Excited About The Future of Technology “The strongest force propelling human progress has been the swift advance and wide diffusion of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
“The strongest force propelling human progress has been the swift advance and wide diffusion of technology.” — The Economist In the year…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
eBay vs Amazon: decentralized vs centralized e-commerce Note: The company I cofounded, Hunch, was acquired by eBay in November 2011. I am now an eBay...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Note: The company I cofounded, Hunch, was acquired by eBay in November 2011. I am now an eBay employee. But all the opinions expressed below…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Maximizing capacity utilization as a startup premise In stark contrast to other major airlines, Southwest has been profitable for 40 years. If Southwest...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
In stark contrast to other major airlines, Southwest has been profitable for 40 years. If Southwest had one core “startup premise” it was…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why is enterprise tech so far behind consumer tech? Because it can be. Brian Manning put it nicely in a comment to my post yesterday about enterprise software: In my...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Brian Manning put it nicely in a comment to my post yesterday about enterprise software: In my opinion, enterprise technology is WAY behind…
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As elegantly produced as movies and as engaging as great novels MIT professor Woodie Flowers argues that higher education's current approach to online learning is...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
MIT professor Woodie Flowers argues that higher education's current approach to online learning is misguided: We decided to assume that the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on the iPhone contact list controversy and app security 1. I’ve heard rumors that lots of apps have been uploading user contact lists for years. One person...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
1. I’ve heard rumors that lots of apps have been uploading user contact lists for years. One person who knows the iOS world well told me “if…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Between failure and Facebook Recently, a friend was trying to recruit a programmer to join his early-stage startup. The...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Recently, a friend was trying to recruit a programmer to join his early-stage startup. The programmer had just graduated from college and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Three types of acquisitions There are three types of technology acquisitions: - Talent. When the acquirer just wants the team...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There are three types of technology acquisitions: - Talent. When the acquirer just wants the team (generally just engineers and sometimes…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The product lens There has been a lot of discussion lately about the markets for startup financing. Many of the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There has been a lot of discussion lately about the markets for startup financing. Many of the discussions use words like “valuations…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
function my_exit_payout(…) /* aggregateoptionsstrike_price = your options strike price per share * number of shares you own...
over a year ago
20
over a year ago
/* aggregateoptionsstrike_price = your options strike price per share * number of shares you own company sale price is 1) if private…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Non-linearity of technology adoption When I was in business school I remember a class where a partner from a big consulting firm was...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When I was in business school I remember a class where a partner from a big consulting firm was talking about how they had done extensive…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google’s feature creep Microsoft used to be considered the king of feature creep.  Here was Microsoft Word when it was most...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Microsoft used to be considered the king of feature creep.  Here was Microsoft Word when it was most cluttered: I don’t use any of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The new economy According to the Business Insider, Facebook is “‘Beating The S— Out Of Its Numbers’ Thanks To...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
According to the Business Insider, Facebook is “‘Beating The S— Out Of Its Numbers’ Thanks To Zynga’s Virtual Goods.”  I wanted to try to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Information is the (other) currency of venture capital Many seasoned entrepreneurs have had the following experience.  A VC eagerly wants to meet with you....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Many seasoned entrepreneurs have had the following experience.  A VC eagerly wants to meet with you.  You have what seems like a very good…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some lessons learned Note: Google was kind enough to invite me to give a short talk at their Zeitgeist conference earlier...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Note: Google was kind enough to invite me to give a short talk at their Zeitgeist conference earlier this week. It was a really interesting…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
If you asked people in 1989... "If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
"If you asked people in 1989 what they needed to make their life better, it was unlikely that they would have said that a decentralized…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Regulatory hacks A common way to think of business regulations is by analogy to sports: the rules are specified up...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A common way to think of business regulations is by analogy to sports: the rules are specified up front, and the players follow the rules…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Founder Stories Erick Schonfeld from TechCrunch asked me a few months ago if I’d be on a TechCrunch video show where...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Erick Schonfeld from TechCrunch asked me a few months ago if I’d be on a TechCrunch video show where we interviewed startup founders. I love…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How to select your angel investors I’ve seen a number of situations recently that are something like the following.  A VC firm signs a...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve seen a number of situations recently that are something like the following.  A VC firm signs a term sheet with an early stage company…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Steve Jobs single-handedly restructured the mobile industry With the introduction of the iPhone, Steve Jobs achieved something that might be unique in the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
With the introduction of the iPhone, Steve Jobs achieved something that might be unique in the history of business: he single-handedly…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some problems are so hard they need to be solved piece by piece Andrew Parker had a great post a few years ago where he sketched out all the startups going after...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Andrew Parker had a great post a few years ago where he sketched out all the startups going after pieces of Craigslist: Startups that have…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
It’s not East Coast vs West Coast, it’s about making more places like the Valley I’ve written a few times about what seems to be an exploding tech scene in NYC.  This is sometimes...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve written a few times about what seems to be an exploding tech scene in NYC.  This is sometimes interpreted as arguing that NYC is a…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Nine reasons screenshots are awesome By taking a screenshot, you can “export” from any app on any device. You can “import” screenshots...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
By taking a screenshot, you can “export” from any app on any device. You can “import” screenshots back into any app that imports photos…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The thin edge of the wedge for virtual reality Pius Uzamere argues that virtual reality will succeed first in business applications instead of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Pius Uzamere argues that virtual reality will succeed first in business applications instead of gaming: The most interesting virtual reality…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
News is a lousy business for Google too There is a widespread myth that search engines have taken profits away from news websites. A few...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a widespread myth that search engines have taken profits away from news websites. A few months ago, Rupert Murdoch said: “Google…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Equity value Warren Buffet once said: Buy into a business that’s doing so well an idiot could run it, because...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Warren Buffet once said: Buy into a business that’s doing so well an idiot could run it, because sooner or later, one will. This is a useful…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
a16z VCs are experts at analyzing industries and identifying new opportunities, which is why it’s odd...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
VCs are experts at analyzing industries and identifying new opportunities, which is why it’s odd that the VC industry itself has so…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The Internet is for snacking Web products have followed a steady evolutionary path from the compound to the atomic. Today’s...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Web products have followed a steady evolutionary path from the compound to the atomic. Today’s popular social sites are spin outs of…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The importance of asking people questions Andy Weissman’s blog has the tagline “Maximizing the serendipity around you.”  It’s a good...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Andy Weissman’s blog has the tagline “Maximizing the serendipity around you.”  It’s a good philosophy.  I think one of the simplest ways to…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Business development: the Goldilocks principle Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Background: At Hunch, we switched our focus (“pivoted“) about 14 months ago from B2C to B2B. Over that time, we pitched over 500 potential…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The economic logic behind tech and talent acquisitions There’s been a lot of speculation lately about why big companies spend millions of dollars acquiring...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There’s been a lot of speculation lately about why big companies spend millions of dollars acquiring startups for their technology or talent…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Don’t be creative about the wrong things When founding a tech startup, there are certain areas where you should spend time trying to be...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
When founding a tech startup, there are certain areas where you should spend time trying to be creative/innovative. Generally these should…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Founder vesting The most important term in a startup term sheet that no one seems to think carefully about is...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The most important term in a startup term sheet that no one seems to think carefully about is founder vesting.   There are two key points…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The time to eat the hors d’oeuvres is when they’re being passed The efficient market hypothesis is a widely taught financial theory that states, roughly, that under...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The efficient market hypothesis is a widely taught financial theory that states, roughly, that under certain generally-held conditions…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
SEO is no longer a viable marketing strategy for startups Many of the today’s most successful informational sites such as Yelp, Wikipedia and TripAdvisor...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Many of the today’s most successful informational sites such as Yelp, Wikipedia and TripAdvisor relied heavily on SEO for their initial…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
App store shenanigans I’ve downloaded and tested a few hundred iPhone and iPad apps.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I’ve downloaded and tested a few hundred iPhone and iPad apps.  One thing that I’ve noticed is that many of the top rated and ranked apps…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Why the integrated approach to mobile devices is winning Until last week’s announcement of the new Surface tablet, Microsoft had taken the same approach to...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Until last week’s announcement of the new Surface tablet, Microsoft had taken the same approach to mobile devices that they had with PCs…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The experience economy Before World War 2, the middle-class in the developed world struggled to afford basic needs. In the...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Before World War 2, the middle-class in the developed world struggled to afford basic needs. In the post-war boom, standards of living rose…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
How We Got To Now I really enjoyed Steven Johnson's How We Got To Now. I read a lot of history and science books, but...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I really enjoyed Steven Johnson's How We Got To Now. I read a lot of history and science books, but this book stood out because 1) the…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Google and newspapers: the false choice of opting out First let me say I love Google.  I think Google created one of the greatest inventions of the past...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
First let me say I love Google.  I think Google created one of the greatest inventions of the past century and continues to give back much…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Naming your startup The Name Inspector has a good post today regarding 6 naming myths to ignore. I think it’s generally...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The Name Inspector has a good post today regarding 6 naming myths to ignore. I think it’s generally right on.   Naming is so important and…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Increasing velocity Two common discussions in the startup world right now are 1) the increasing speed at which new...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Two common discussions in the startup world right now are 1) the increasing speed at which new apps/websites can gain mass adoption…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
The idea maze The pop culture view of startups is that they’re all about coming up with a great product idea....
over a year ago
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over a year ago
The pop culture view of startups is that they’re all about coming up with a great product idea. After the eureka moment, the outcome is…
cdixon.org RSS Feed
Some thoughts on when to raise money, and the current financing environment A key question for founders is when they should try to raise money. More specifically, they often...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A key question for founders is when they should try to raise money. More specifically, they often wonder whether to raise money now or wait…
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Climbing the wrong hill I know a brilliant young kid who graduated from college a year ago and now works at a large...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
I know a brilliant young kid who graduated from college a year ago and now works at a large investment bank. He has decided he hates Wall…
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Showing up Mark Twain famously quipped that “80 percent of life is showing up.” Running a startup, I’d say it’s...
over a year ago
18
over a year ago
Mark Twain famously quipped that “80 percent of life is showing up.” Running a startup, I’d say it’s more like 90 percent. For example, I…
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Pivoting My Hunch cofounders and I frequently ask ourselves: “If we were to start over today, would we build...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
My Hunch cofounders and I frequently ask ourselves: “If we were to start over today, would we build our product the same way we had so far…
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Pitch yourself, not your idea There is a widespread myth that the most important part of building a great company is coming up...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
There is a widespread myth that the most important part of building a great company is coming up with a great idea.  This myth is reflected…
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Size markets using narratives, not numbers Anyone who has pitched VCs knows they are obsessed with market size.  If you can’t make the case...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Anyone who has pitched VCs knows they are obsessed with market size.  If you can’t make the case that you’re addressing a possible billion…
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Web services should be both federated and extensible One of the most important developments of the web 2.0 era is the proliferation of full featured,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
One of the most important developments of the web 2.0 era is the proliferation of full featured, bidirectional APIs.  APIs provide a way to…
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Growth curves of startups Pick whatever metric you want for gauging the success of a particular startup: profits, revenues,...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
Pick whatever metric you want for gauging the success of a particular startup: profits, revenues, pageviews, etc. A graph I’d love to see is…
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Revisited: big VCs investing in seed rounds A few years ago, the trend of companies raising smaller seed rounds combined with the emergence of...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
A few years ago, the trend of companies raising smaller seed rounds combined with the emergence of new seed funds caused many big VCs to…
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Thanks… I got my first computer (TRS-80 Model 1) in 1980 at the age of 8.   I got my second computer – an...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
I got my first computer (TRS-80 Model 1) in 1980 at the age of 8.   I got my second computer – an Atari 800 – two years later.   I was…
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Graphs It has become customary to use “graph” to refer to the underlying data structures at social networks...
over a year ago
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over a year ago
It has become customary to use “graph” to refer to the underlying data structures at social networks like Facebook. (Computer scientists…