Ask HN: Would any web devs like to co-found this startup with me? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Would any web devs like to co-found this startup with me?

8 pointscdvonstinkpot15 comments

Hi,

I'm working on a startup which aims to provide big data processing for the financial sector one day- when we're able to reinvest revenue such that we can expand capacity sufficiently to meet minimum server count requirements necessary to reside in a data center 2 blocks from Wall Street, which would mean we'd have a server cluster large enough to accommodate 1 or 2 small 'big data' customers.

To begin we're just offering large, full server sized VPS instances as close to Wall Street as we can afford to be as we startup, which is 30 miles away and still offers low latencies to financial data. Just not low-'est'.

I would like to have a web developer join me in this effort as a co-founder. This because I have web development needs which I cannot afford to pay for with anything other than equity. And I _absolutely_ need a super-polished site to clinch the sales I aim to make.

I don't believe if I were to start learning to code myself that I'd have the necessary skillset to build the site I need, after a short period of time learning how to code, so I need someone who really knows what they're doing.

I currently have 3 campaigns launched on various websites with the aim of finding a co-founder, each of which is linked to on my website at this page:

http://superspeedyservers.com/Web_Developer_Wanted.html

On this page there is a link to a password-protected page which I don't want the general public reading, which details my wants for the website design. I'm happy to share this page with HN readers, so the credentials to access the page are as follows: Username: <blank> Password: remarkable-quality

I post this here in case there are any interested parties who read HN who might be interested in joining me, so that I'm exploring all avenues of attaining my goal.

Kindest Regards,

-c

So what exactly are you offering that they can't get today? How do you plan to differentiate yourself? Are you just going for a "lowest price" strategy, or will you be competing on the basis of having lower latency due to being physically near Wall Street? Do you know if Wall Street firms are even using 3rd party "big data" providers? Those guys are usually pretty secretive, will they actually push their code to servers they don't control?

For that matter, do you know if they already have their own data centers that they would favour over using yours?

Have you spoken to any of these Wall Street firms that you think you are targeting?

Sorry, don't mean for this to sound negative... I think the general idea of serving Wall Street customers with Big Data / HPC services sounds intriguing, but I worry if you've done enough research yet, and if you truly have a handle the competitive landscape and market situation.

Of course, I'm well known for quoting Bob Parsons and saying "Don't be afraid to enter a crowded market, just be better than everybody else" so even if there are competitors, I wouldn't aim to discourage you. But I would encourage you to known exactly what criteria your customers will value, and make sure you know exactly how you will be "better than everybody else" if there is existing competition.

Anyway, just some random thoughts...

Some of the competition I see on Google are outfitted with proprietary hardware/software appliance solutions that provide latency lowering benefits, and are located in the same buildings as the financial exchanges with direct connections to them.

Others are no more than a run of the mill VPS provider that's close to Wall St. - like I'll be.

In my case I'm offering the fastest commodity servers on the market, and will eventually have clusters built of these servers capable of tackling big data workloads. That's all.

I'm certainly not in a race to the bottom of the price wars.

OK, sounds pretty cool. "Just be better than everybody else" then. :-)

I looked at your website and remember reading about few of your submissions such as trying to find a co-founder, web developer etc. I can help you with some development on that front (no fees). But I would like to know more about you as person. I could not find enough information about you, what have you done in the past etc. Connect with me on my email id (its in the hn profile).

Hey, thanks a lot. Composing email now.

Sent

"provide big data processing for the financial sector " "as close to Wall Street"

Can you clarify who exactly are your target customers. Wall St banks ?

I don't really know. I just know they need it.

Is... is this a troll?

The synergetic energy of The Product will lure people in. "Why didn't I think of that!" and "It's so simple and obvious but I never saw it coming" will be common terms after people use The Product.

The Product will appeal to wide range of audiences of all ages. People will share The Product with their friends, family and co-workers over social media sharing websites. The Product will be blogged about, tweeted, shared, liked, +1'd, reviewed, tagged and even more. The Product will be viral.

The Product will satisfy corporate clients in ways no other product has. The Product will deliver integrated solutions within tight deadlines and boost company morale by over 200%. The Prodiuct will make employees want to work through their lunch break and stay late after work.

The Product is for you. For Everyone. For the future.

Thank you for this. I derived great pleasure reading it.

It's impossible to know that your target market needs something, if you don't even know who your target market is. Statements like that are not going to help you find a cofounder, not to mention your method of finding a cofounder is backwards from how successful relationships are usually formed.

I see your point, but I still have 6 months to figure that out before I launch- I'll get to it in time.

I was busy figuring out the product until I got sidetracked with the website, now I'm on that & marketing.

It'll help me with my marketing to have a handle on my target market, so its only natural that this research comes next.

My cousin's husband is in banking, and I just reached out to him today to talk with him about resources that'll help me gain an understanding of the kinds of workloads that my customers might run. At the very least he'll be able to point me in the right direction as to where to conduct research.

I think you're too smart for your own good. All of this research sounds great, but the best solution is usually the simplest.

What you choose to focus on will make or break your business. The banking industry is a tough one to break into, so it's an uphill battle to begin with. What you think is a "natural" next step, is the furthest thing from it.

The fact that you are conducting research through a cousin's husband is a red flag. You need personal knowledge of the industry. You need to be balls deep in the banking industry before you try to cater to their needs.

Sell something you have an interest in and your enthusiasm will shine through, thus increasing your odds of success.

Clickable: http://superspeedyservers.com/Web_Developer_Wanted.html

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