4 ms·

I have been following Paul Graham for some time and attended Startup School a couple years ago. At that time pg was somewhat adamant that they were not be inte

I have been following Paul Graham for some time and attended Startup School a couple years ago. At that time pg was somewhat adamant that they were not be interested in funding companies innovating in the 'online dating' space. Of course they ended up funding iminlikewithyou. But the initial negativity led me to decide against applying to YC. But it hasnt stopped our team from following our dream. We have been working very hard on modernizing (in fact revolutionizing) 'online dating'. When I tell people this they are generally unbelieving and point out all the terrible shortcomings of current sites. To me, that signals opportunity. We are really going to change things for the better. Although our site is still under wraps, if you are interested in finding out more then visit http://www.jumbledate.com http://www.jumbledate.com and put your name on the list.

pg 18y ago
At that time pg was somewhat adamant that they were not be interested in funding companies innovating in the 'online dating' space. I doubt I said that. In fact I used the wretchedness of existing dating sites as an example of an opportunity for startups in a couple early essays on startups.
- iloveyouocean 18y ago
  Yes, it was exactly those articles ('Ideas for Startups' and 'How to Start a Startup') that solidified my intentions to leave the (poorly managed) startup I was currently working on and do my own thing. I have never looked back. The comment I was referring to didn't appear in an article, but rather in a conversation when pg said something like (paraphrasing) "We have seen enough applications with ideas for online dating sites." If I am mistaken about this, then I apologize, perhaps I simply didn't limn the context or feeling of the statement. In any case, my original intent in commenting was to say, 'Follow your heart and your dreams, regardless of what the world says.' You will almost certainly learn something valuable from this experience.

pg 18y ago

At that time pg was somewhat adamant that they were not be interested in funding companies innovating in the 'online dating' space. I doubt I said that. In fact I used the wretchedness of existing dating sites as an example of an opportunity for startups in a couple early essays on startups.

iloveyouocean 18y ago
Yes, it was exactly those articles ('Ideas for Startups' and 'How to Start a Startup') that solidified my intentions to leave the (poorly managed) startup I was currently working on and do my own thing. I have never looked back. The comment I was referring to didn't appear in an article, but rather in a conversation when pg said something like (paraphrasing) "We have seen enough applications with ideas for online dating sites." If I am mistaken about this, then I apologize, perhaps I simply didn't limn the context or feeling of the statement. In any case, my original intent in commenting was to say, 'Follow your heart and your dreams, regardless of what the world says.' You will almost certainly learn something valuable from this experience.