How Kayak got traction; my interview with Paul English [video/mp3]

He makes a point of mentioning that he doesn't always recommend that start ups get venture capital funding. Sometimes the pressure to grow from having so much money causes the company to collapse.

I tend to agree with him here. A little funding is good, because it can allow you and your team to work full time. I know that my projects would get done faster and with better detail if I didn't have to work a day job to accomplish it.

Having tread carefully usually leads to better decisions in my experience.

I'm not sure this is the best example for young startup founders: Paul English started out with a shitload of cash to burn on hiring and his cofounder was one of the former heads of Orbitz. Makes me wonder how I can compete with that on my shoestring budget. Maybe this is the level that Gabriel Weinberg is starting from given that he has already launched and sold a company before. But I'm not there yet so this feels a little discouraging.