sthomps

oh my god, give me a break. Everyone has their own opinion on what works for them. Single, co, tri, quad, what does it matter? Sure if you have the perfect people working together in unison then it will be easier. It comes down to YOU, as you allude to. And just because you can't do it alone doesn't mean that you have to lump everyone in together.

This is like the NYC vs SF debate, we are like schoolchildren. "My way is better". Now it's the single vs co-founder debate. Statistically, two people starting a company are usually better than one. But remember that every situation is unique, and what works for people works for people. That's the reason that we have so many different types of companies.

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Vancouver - great startup scene and one of the nicest places to live in the world. Plus it's a quick flight to SF, a 2 hour drive from Seattle (an amazing startup area) and you are in Canada.

No-one in this thread has even talked about macroeconomic conditions. A lot of the places mentioned (especially US) are going downhill in a hurry for most professions. Yes, high-tech exists in a bubble that is excellent for startups, but debt is debt. Just consider the future before you move to that place.

I would agree with Vancouver for North America, and London for Europe area.

I could not agree more. I had the exact same experience going through school. I would always ask for more work in order to be challenged. I would constantly be looking to do more, because you are correct, school is extremely catered to the average student.

Also, about that quote, because I wrote it, I don't get the readers experience. But looking at it now I can completely get your frustration. I would feel the same thing, since I was frustrated going through school, even though I did fine. I wrote that line as more of a generalization.

"The most successful student in many cases is probably the very average child. Being excessively inquisitive and driven makes the classroom hell, because the system seeks efficiency, and that means punishing the margins for not fitting in with the crowd." This is bang on. Thanks so much for the great comment.

these are all true. I guess I should put something in about the struggle to get to happiness sometimes. I meant the statement as really an overall generalization.

Has anyone read the book? I would love to hear some people's opinions before I decide to buy. Thanks

Good point. Lot's a great comments on those. Sorry about the repost, I haven't been checking HN as often lately and missed those.

Good point. I forgot how much of a slime bag that guy was.

great post

I think we need to stop trying to coin the phrase "Silicon Valley North". Toronto, or Ottawa, or Montreal or Vancouver can not, and never will be SV. The infrastructure, funding and talent just isn't here. Instead, Canadians should be proud to create new companies that aren't part of the "echo-chamber", but are instead profitable, disruptive and innovative. We should be trying to model NYC and the companies they are pumping out rather than trying to be a whole other ecosystem.

Sorry if there were any times when the site was down. I was updating the theme while this was posted. Thanks!

Nice post. The world is lacking tons of culture (although you don't always need to go to university to get it, especially if you are a self-learner). Enjoyed the post though.

Thank you for the kind words. Yes, there are two ways to take this post. I'm hoping most people will take #2, as that is the reality we live in. We live in a time where we can do anything we want, at the lowest level of risk in history. The older structures of society will continue to come down as we evolve at an ever greater pace.

Very true. We don't know what the retirement age shift will be. My guess is that it pushes upwards until we have people working until they are unable to anymore. We can see that coming with the lack of savings and commitment to finances.

Nope, not a secret ad. While Sokanu can help people by helping them find their passion, it has nothing to do directly with the issue of globalization and it's economic effects.

I did that, except I deleted, not deactivated. I'm not a hardcore privacy guy either, but they got to be a little too much after f8

You bring up some really good points. Thanks for the examples. I will check out your blog post as well.

I looked it up, and found the stat. I remembered the 80% wrong, actually 42%. The 80% were for book purchases last year. Should be changed on the post. Thanks for reading

p.s. here's some more stats: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08...

Exactly, that's the point. You are extremely correct. Of course a non-technical founder can run a startup. However, there is this stigma that business guys have no place in a startup,and I wanted to show that depending on the type, of course they do.

true.

Those are great examples. There are a multitude of things to do in a company, and everything has to work in unison. I also think you write a very good blog, the posts are great.

That's a good post, and I agree with you. However, I never said anything about not paying them. Pre-seed funding for non-technical founders should go towards that in order to get an alpha built.

Thank you. I agree 100%, that is why I wrote the post. I didn't reveal it too much in there, but as a non-technical founder, there are ways to make it work.

You never know, that is a distinct possibility. If the numbers are relatively correct, then it is a different way of doing business. If not, then it is another case of trying to get marketing any way he can.

Hi Mark,

First of all, I must say, your website is very impressive. I would love to chat with you about AI at some point. You are correct about the non-techs understanding and empathizing with the developers. I am a non-technical founder myself, that's why I wrote the post. I try my best to understand the processes and problems that the tech team goes through. I try and learn as much as possible in order to not be in the dark.

I also like the fish analogy :D

It seems as if there is always a debate as to whether this is a yes or no question. In the post, I say "no" to startups and yes to scalable startups. I think that this topic is subjective and hard to define as yes or no.

I agree, that is well laid out. The VC sphere will start to rotate towards "real businesses", not companies that will 'hopefully' make money some day by turning a magic key.

Hi, It seems like everyone thus far has given good opinions, however they are missing the real point. It is not about what they did or their experiences, it's how school relates to you. With your extra credits and starting in a junior year, that is an awesome advantage. However, you get out of school what you want to put into it.

What are your goals when you get out? Just because someone is interested in start-up culture/hacking doesn't mean they are meant to be an entrepreneur and apply to a startup program. They are completely separate things. If you love to hack, and are good at it, you can get a great job at a top company/consult/join a startup. Maybe joining a startup for 2 years right now would be great. It may take off and you won't need school. If not, you were already two years ahead.

My situation is a little different, I'm 18 and graduated from high school this past June. I chose to forgo university to start a company. I am a non-technical founder and so I don't do the hacking, I do the biz dev. Best decision I have ever made. But that is in my situation. I don't sit around and just do charts. I read 4 books a week, trying to learn as much as I can. For me, I am better at learning from myself than I am under a schedule over 4 years. I can absorb way more info at a faster rate this way.

The decision is completely personal and up to you. Just go with your gut, and don't care about other people. When you are successful, no-one cares if you have the letters beside your name. The better PR story is the kid with no college. The downside is the average job force applications later on. It doesn't sound like you are an average person, so I wouldn't worry about this.

Best of luck!

congrats! Fantastic service.