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One thing I find a bit weird is the investor focus on SaaS. The desire for Hardware/science based startups seem to get talk about a lot, but almost every one of

by new299 10y ago

One thing I find a bit weird is the investor focus on SaaS. The desire for Hardware/science based startups seem to get talk about a lot, but almost every one of these "how to pitch"/"what I'm looking for as an investor" articles is focused on SaaS. I know this particular investor is exclusively SaaS, but isn't there a wider desire for hardware/science based startups? Or is it all just talk?

pryelluw 10y ago
A SaaS allows them to track growth easily. You have n susbcribers who pay x a month. It costs y to bring them in and they use the product for z months. It a matter of then looking at the numbers and knowing how much ghr company will be worth in a given time period. Other types of tech products are not as straightforward. Becomes more of a coin toss. Not that a SaaS is a safe investment.
- new299 10y ago
  Right... which comes down to: "it's easy for them to measure and understand". And ultimately investors say they want hardware/science. But they don't really...?
  - jayjay71 10y ago
    A very prominent investor told me that hardware founders need some sort of celebrity attached to their name to raise money. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are rare. Investors know hardware is hard and the lead times are longer, so they see that as added risk which makes them less likely to invest. Many investors, as a rule, won't even consider hardware and there are very few that specialize in hardware. It's a bit of a catch-22 with investors that say they want you to be different, because most of them really want you to be like everybody else. The majority are trying to ride the next wave, only a very small number are actually trying to find it independent of "signalling." Every investor is different, every company is different, but if you're doing something unconventional you're probably going to have a very hard time. And now that Pebble has essentially failed, that's going to make investors a lot more wary about investing in consumer electronics.

by new299 10y ago

pryelluw 10y ago

A SaaS allows them to track growth easily. You have n susbcribers who pay x a month. It costs y to bring them in and they use the product for z months. It a matter of then looking at the numbers and knowing how much ghr company will be worth in a given time period. Other types of tech products are not as straightforward. Becomes more of a coin toss. Not that a SaaS is a safe investment.

new299 10y ago
Right... which comes down to: "it's easy for them to measure and understand". And ultimately investors say they want hardware/science. But they don't really...?
- jayjay71 10y ago
  A very prominent investor told me that hardware founders need some sort of celebrity attached to their name to raise money. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are rare. Investors know hardware is hard and the lead times are longer, so they see that as added risk which makes them less likely to invest. Many investors, as a rule, won't even consider hardware and there are very few that specialize in hardware. It's a bit of a catch-22 with investors that say they want you to be different, because most of them really want you to be like everybody else. The majority are trying to ride the next wave, only a very small number are actually trying to find it independent of "signalling." Every investor is different, every company is different, but if you're doing something unconventional you're probably going to have a very hard time. And now that Pebble has essentially failed, that's going to make investors a lot more wary about investing in consumer electronics.