I wish not to disrupt the mood of the population on HN, but a question.
When will the majority of tech entrepreneurs begin to build products and services targeted at more than, say, a few hundred people?
It seems most of the tech startups are heralded by tech websites, and the only people using the services, are... you guessed it: other tech people. Such a limited base of
customers!
Lastly, why are there so many derivative based startups, who piggy back and rely on another service? Are the dollars going to be realized when you cash out by being acquired by a company that wants to add you as a feature?
I think the problem with startups isn't that they target a few hundred people. They probably target a couple hundred thousand people. The problem is that it is invariably THE SAME people... and that the people they target do not pay money for the things that startups sell. To the extent that startups sell anything. Because they realize they can't. Because their target does not pay money for software or services. (They'll pay for some technology -- iPods, for example. But they won't buy what startups are selling. Sorry. They also won't buy anything from anyone who runs ads on the Internet, which is why "We get a billion eyeballs and then we MONETIZE!" is going to be a tough row to hoe the next few years.)
I have a teeny tiny software business. 95% of my customers are female. The average age is, making an estimate, north of 35. I deal with a lot of @aol and @roadrunner email addresses. Despite the abject disbelief I get when I tell my software writing buddies the story, it really is possible to sell software to folks who do not know what RSS is and do not care that their websites validate.
So why do I feel like I'm one of the only guys trying to do it?
I think most startups are not really startups. They are more like elementary school science projects, where all the kids show off to other kids what they are doing.
When will the majority of tech entrepreneurs begin to build products and services targeted at more than, say, a few hundred people?
It seems most of the tech startups are heralded by tech websites, and the only people using the services, are... you guessed it: other tech people. Such a limited base of customers!
Lastly, why are there so many derivative based startups, who piggy back and rely on another service? Are the dollars going to be realized when you cash out by being acquired by a company that wants to add you as a feature?
I just want to know.