More about Xobni financing | Hacker News Reader

More about Xobni financing

bizjournals.com

14 pointsSam_Odio9 comments

I am somewhat suspicious that Xobni has no value to offer. Their evasive website recalls Mr. Graham's (or some other entrepreneurial evangelist's) insistence that if a company cannot tell you what they do in a sentence, they should go home. I agree that business targeted towards the masses (note that Xobni seems to only support Microsoft products at present) must have an easily understood purpose. What purpose does Xobin they serve?

In the entire length of their website, they do not explain what they do. They certainly don't in a single sentence. Perhaps, the magnitude and source of their investment suggests they are on to something. But, what explanation they have reeks of charlatanism in platitudinous corporate doublespeak: "in-depth analysis" that "takes email productivity to a new level." Please. This of course raises the questions what do they analyze? And how do they improve productivity? Either they have something to hide or nothing to offer.

Recall that Mr. Graham insists that there are no ideas worth protecting with secrecy; either Xobin disagrees (actually I do as well) or they have no good ideas at all.

Intriguing comment by pg about New England investors lacking confidence. Anyone venture a guess to why, and how this will change (or not) in the next 18 months?

Culture is obviously important. If NE is conservative, there are other proclaimed tech "hotspots" that are ultra conservative when it comes to web business.

The recent trend seems to be that SFP kids live and work in Cambridge for the summer, then move out to the valley right after the program's done.

If Cambridge/Boston investors aren't helping folks take their ideas to the next level, why do the program on the east coast at all? Mountain View's got nice weather year-round.

Boston's still number 2 (behind silicon valley) in most recommendations of places to start a startup (in terms of available capital, nerds/smart people, and proximity to other growing businesses).

Another part of the argument goes along the lines of: The YC Founders program is a 3 month intense program where the objective is to build as much of something people want during those 3 months while avoiding distractions of the real world.

In my own experience, unless you have a lot of friends in the Boston/Cambridge area - it's a lot easier to whole up down in Central/Harvard Square in Cambridge - than it is anywhere in San Fran or Palo Alto. There's just too much to do in the bay area (startup related networking / yc folks to chill with...etc).

That's exactly what I thought, too.

If Graham really feels that way about the East Coast investors (and especially if he says so publically), he might as well make California the permanent YC home.

That might mean that PG (and the other YC folks) would have to move as well. AFAICT, YC wants to be close to the founders for physical meetings. It might not be easy for YC folks to move (they have their lives, etc.).

Also, Boston is a niche: it is home to some bright tech people. YC is close to them, while the valley is away, so YC is the obvious choice for Boston students. That gives YC a competitive advantage at least in the area and makes it distinct. Moving to the valley would make YC more generic and less of a brand.

Willingness to move to the YC location is a precondition of being accepted into YC. I have to move from Mountain View CA to Cambridge MA for SFP... even though WFPs are held here, where I already live. But I'm not complaining at all; living in Boston for a while sounds great.

By "YC folks" I meant the YC partners: pg, rtm, tlb & x. Founders should be able to move easier: presumably they are younger, with less "baggage" and with more appetite for adventure.

FYI, 'x' is Jessica Livingston, according to the YC site. TLB presumably lives in the Bay Area; his Anybots company is here, anyway, and hosts the WC YC offices.

Which raises an interesting question as to how the YC partners handle the EC/WC split between the SFP and WFP. Do different partners play bigger roles in different programs? Does PG rack up the airmiles/spend 3mo of the year away from home?

Is cloning involved?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com