jonathancordeau

Soylent < 2.0 seemed to leverage the promise of easy shipping/portability, which > 2.0 seems to lose? Soylent as a sustainable nutrition source in areas where it's far superior to what little nutrition may be available, is less likely stable in liquid form. It's a shame, as this seemed to be one of the greatest promises of the brand beyond convenience. Not sure what the differentiation is anymore, amongst other MRP's such as Phood.

The ability to provide capital, access to a network, personal and professional support, real world experience (in that order) to founders in pursuit of helping them "change the world" is an awesome opportunity. Most VC's I've interacted with truly seem to feel this way. So in that sense, yes, it would be great to be a venture capitalist. Unfortunately, as argued in "The E-Myth", there are probably better avenues, at least for the later 3, to help founders, without the 800lb gorilla of submitting to the "VC system".

I'm curious if you see this as validation that cc processing is a commodity?

Why would you want to leave PayPal Pro, for Stripe, if you're getting a lower rate w/ PayPal? Assuming the effective rate, including your monthly fee is still < Stripe.

"If you're a merchant I wouldn't see Visa and American Express investing and taking equity in Stripe as a good thing."

What's best for the merchant is what's lost in much of these discussions. The continued fragmentation of the industry has left merchants struggling to navigate necessary customization and even more difficult documentation; although Stripe has led well in this area. Since accepting alternate payment methods and the ability to switch processors is prohibitively difficult, competition is artificially constrained - leaving "fees as high as possible". That's why we're building http://accepton.com Would love to chat: jonathan [at] accepton {dot} come

Maybe you should build it. YC RFS Maybe? https://www.ycombinator.com/rfs/

Well put. Greg and the Collison's have built an amazing product, helping to pave the way for innovation in the space. However, we agree that there's a larger fundamental issue that can't be addressed by the processors themselves. That's why we're building http://accepton.com I'd love to hear the challenges your clients are facing: jonathan <AT> accepton DOT com

The process of applying is valuable in and of itself. It will force you to clearly communicate your idea and what potential it truly has. You'll likely refine your idea alone through the application process. Don't plan for the downside, rather, "act as if" and churn out the best possible application.

The probability of "luck" increases with marked investment in preparation. Preparation includes understanding the market and the problem, and building a product to solve the problems identified for that market. A great product does not beget product/market fit. Rather, a product that delivers a solution, communicated well to a market that needs that solution, may result in product/market fit (growth). Hence, understanding the needs of a market are critical. Therefore, research (preparation), a marketing discipline, is a crucial precursor for the elusive luck we all seek.

...but if you had to pick one thing, what would it be? Curiosity abounds.

Context; I've been a paying PipeDrive customer for a couple years. Not sure how I originally was exposed to the product, (not appsumo), but I've stayed because the of the product.

Florida's new, expanded definition of a slot machine includes "any machine or device or system or network of devices" used to play games of chance or skill, which can be activated by not just inserting money, but an "account number, code, or other object or information." - Doesn't exactly show a real solid understanding of this whole "Internet Thing", and it's importance to the economic growth of the state of Florida...

If I were you, I'd go directly to the source: @cjc (stripe) and @jkwade (balanced) It seems like you would be served well by both companies, so you should definitely share your specifics and see which one is the best fit.

I think you've missed the point Chris. I wasn't bashing Stripe at all; quite the contrary actually. I have a ton of respect for their founders & team. However, there are some elements which are essential to our platform and payments model, which Stripe/Connect/Marketplace cannot provide; Descriptor & Money Management, among s few other nuance things. With so many options out there today, (many VERY BAD options), I merely wanted to share our process and headaches, in the hopes of saving another entrepreneur a bunch of time.

I agree that Stripe has built a great product, and they have a great team. I too have had the absolute displeasure of working with a host of other gateways, and it's easy to separated Balanced & Stripe from the rest of the pack. They are both in another league when it comes to ease of use, integration and features. However, for a marketplace with any volume, the ability to change the soft descriptor for charges across different merchant accounts is a non-negotiable necessity. You can find this gem in Balanced Docs: appears_on_statement_as: optional string. Text that will appear on the buyer's statement. Characters that can be used are limited to...:(https://docs.balancedpayments.com/current/api?language=bash#...) Just try charging a few hundred credit cards with a generic descriptor and the wave of charge-backs will help you to understand the importance.

Donald Eastman, President of Eckerd College in Florida wrote a great op ed piece on this subject a while back. It's worth a read http://awe.sm/d6AhQ

As a graduate of this small liberal arts school, I can relate to the power of "participating in learning communities, in which they [students] live, study and socialize with other learners."