Virtual Incubator to All
pandodaily.com
pandodaily.com
A bit later my account went into some strange mode that I can only guess is being locked out. I figured they were moving back into physical space and left them to it, which is why I was surprised to read about the online focus in the article.
Maybe after it's had some time to iron out the bugs I'll give it another shot, but the lack of communication overall was pretty frustrating
It's by no means perfect. There are startups at all levels so sometimes you feel like other groups are slacking when really they are just in a different place (or are actually slacking).
There is no penalty for failure. (penalty is the wrong word but you wouldn't want to wash out of YC--pg has anyone?) groups would just fall off.
I tweeted the other day that the monthly demo day was too frequent and I think that is true. I think they should have 2-3 a year. In the end, inclusion into 'physical' incubators/funding/press will be the measure of nReduce's success and TOO much exposure may be a bad thing.
The ui is crude but improving. Angel list was a mailing list at first wasn't it? Hard to criticize nReduce for the ui when their model is still being flushed out.
Anyway, it's been helpful for loads of groups and I see a place for it in a: nReduce -> physical incubator / angel list sort of place. HN is the same thing--a community of like minded folks who tend to help each other. nReduce is just trying to organize the process a bit...
We very much appreciate you are willing to give us another chance!
Coming up fast (and soon to eclipse) in importance is the virtual feedback/community the program provides. The weekly advice on specific items and general conversations about direction/business model/strategy is awesome.
I'm in Ireland but booking a ticket tomorrow to visit the nReduce team and my nReduce group members in Manchester next month. Anyway, the program is evolving and I think may end up being a real bonus for young/aspiring startups.
The last 4 weeks have been great, went from prototype to alpha.
When I think about my group and that they are waiting for my video (as I wait for theirs), I just can't slack around and so I get back to coding. When I record videos, I feel like I'm on TV but for ~15 people. Just can't let them down!
A bit of unsolicited feedback -- the very first thing I did when I landed on your homepage was groan at the Lobster typeface.
(http://www.mishes.com/articles/lobster-font-abuse)
Don't get me wrong - Lobster's a great font, but because it is so overused I don't think it's a great choice for any real branding.
Glad you are liking ThetaBoard. It's gonna be good. Email me at support@thetaboard.com and I'll upgrade you to a premium account for free.
nReduce is quite active in San Francisco and we have been involved since the first meetup. Joe and Josh are doing an amazing job, essentially they built an entire social platform in a few weeks. We really love the ability to post weekly video updates, and get great feedback from other founders.
* The sheer number of teams who joined up (300+ worldwide and 100+ in SF): There are a lot of people who are eager to participate in a startup incubator.
* The motivation, ability, and intelligence of the people I've met: These are the smartest and hardest-working people I've encountered in years.
* The power of self-inflicted group pressure to drive productivity: I consider myself highly self-motivated and productive but I stepped up my game knowing my peers were reviewing my performance via the nReduce weekly video check-in tool.
nReduce is a work-in-progress and I think we all realize Joe Mellin and Josh Schwartzman are making it up as they go along. I heard someone grumble that they didn't get pizza and beer at every weekly meeting. They missed the big picture. nReduce is a social experiment that is taking flight because there's a need and desire for startup aspirants to join together for mutual aid. It styles itself an incubator, it's a big meetup, it's an online social network. I see it as something more, though, as a unique form of social organization for smart people who are helping each other create businesses that deliver value.
No, it's not the same thing as YC, but that's OK. Support is support and everything counts in it's own way. The one thing I realize more and more with every passing day is that this is hard. After the 10th time that somebody declines to return your email, or answer your phone call, after someone blows off a planned appointment with you for the 4th time (after 3 previous reschedules), when you get off work at the $DAYJOB and trudge home on sore feet to crawl upstairs and hack for another 4, 5, 6 hours, when you wake up on < 8 hours of sleep day after day after day, and when you fly from Chicago to RDU for the 4th time in a month so you can be home to meet your cofounders to hack a few hours.... you realize that this is no joke. Making a startup go takes some fucking serious hard work and sacrifice.
So yeah, if a group of people from a virtual incubator (or even something like Startup Guild, or the local Hackers & Founders meetup) do nothing but provide support, encouragement and the occasional "attaboy", that can be huge.
and now to go listen to 'Til I Collapse for the umpteenth time... :-)
'Cause sometimes you just feel tired,
Feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up.
But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength
And just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up
And not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse.
- How are you guys going to make money? I realize the virtual model is very, very lean...but I imagine you'll have to pay the bills eventually. What's the business model?
- How does nReduce feel about smaller side-projects, lifestyle or micropreneurial projects? Is it only for teams and startups that are looking to get big?
- We are not a gate keeper. Meaning we don't say which projects get in.
The real filter is whether other teams will want to collaborate with you. If you have a small project and are not engaged you may have difficulty connecting with great teams. Or you could also just connect (build a group of other startups) with other part time people.
So in summary, any project can join. And for the most part if you are working consistently and help out the other teams in your group, you should have a great experience.
Best of luck!
I see incubators providing three main benefits: 1. Community feel. Startups can get lonely, frustrating, etc. 2. Easier access to advisors/mentors/funders get to the next stage. 3. Credibility in the same way graduating from Stanford makes you seem more credible.
NReduce helps with #1, but #2 and #3 are unknown. It felt really rough initially, and has improved every week. We'll see what really happens in the next couple months. When people start getting access to their mentors and investors, we'll know if there are benefits outside of building a startup community.
I have participated every week since the beginning. Virtually - using the site - as well as attending the SF Tuesday Beer+Pizza meetings. Both bring a lot in terms of motivation and feedback.
Kudos to Joe and Josh!
Uhh, no. Y-Combinator is a nod to the fixed point combinator: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed-point_combinator#Y_combin...
But names are just names. We tried to have a bit of fun with ours.
For instance, there are some famous VCs (A16Z come to mind) that only want action in US-based companies.
How are you guys tackling this issue?
Why are you guys insisting on having a LinkedIn URL?
That's very annoying.
Definitely appreciate the feedback!