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That's deeply unfortunate. I loved you guys on demo day. Based on my choices, apparently I shouldn't try more angel investment. I was an investor in NewsLabs

That's deeply unfortunate. I loved you guys on demo day. Based on my choices, apparently I shouldn't try more angel investment. I was an investor in NewsLabs. This would have been another "yeah, let's invest" choice if they were interested (they weren't). I think I may have picked the two first to close up shop.

pclark 16y ago
or etacts got acquired, of two startups you'd have invested in, one had an exit (and the other returned some of your money?) - now scale that intuition to an entire portfolio ... :) http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/email_crm_startup_etacts_probably_just_got_acquire.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/email_crm_startup_etact...
- angelbob 16y ago
  NewsLabs did indeed return some of the money. There are several companies that I could have easily chosen that seem to have done well. It's just that the ones where you can see in advance that they're going to rock usually aren't looking for small, independent investors without a network of contacts. In fact, by demo day several of them had already taken enough funding from seriously high-prestige investors that they weren't really looking even then. The Etacts guys were very pleasant and personable about that, though, and were still very happy to talk :-) I hope they did get acquired. Go them!
joshu 16y ago
I didn't realize you were angel investing, Noah. Drop me a line. NewsLabs wasn't raising enough money, so I didn't even consider it. I've said it before but: don't invest in companies raising too little. They will fail.
- axod 16y ago
  > "I've said it before but: don't invest in companies raising too little. They will fail." I presume that by 'they will fail', you mean that the company will fail to make your required ROI as an investor, being acquired for millions? At first read it seems like you're saying that unless you raise a ton of money you can't build a successful profitable business... IMHO Newslabs failed because it was a terrible idea, not because of anything else.
  - joshu 16y ago
    I mean that it will go out of business. Venture backed companies raise mone because they have have some significant buildout to complete before they can got market. Raise too little and the chances of reaching that point are too small. Additionally, if a startup cannot attract a certain amount of interest from investors, that is a big hint, too. Note that didn't say how much that minimum is. You are making assumptions. Bootstrapped businesses are great, too. But I am talking about a different kind of company. Anyway, yes, the news space is dismal and I avoid it. But I never needed to get to that part of the analysis.
    - axod 16y ago
      Thanks for clarifying. VC backed startups seem like a whole different world.
      - joshu 16y ago
        Well, raising money = venture backed.
- haploid 16y ago
  Interesting perspective on "raising too little". I was previously unaware that all bootstrapped companies fail.
  - wyclif 16y ago
    That's not what he said at all, you made an illogical leap there. He was obviously talking about companies seeking VC.

pclark 16y ago

or etacts got acquired, of two startups you'd have invested in, one had an exit (and the other returned some of your money?) - now scale that intuition to an entire portfolio ... :) http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/email_crm_startup_etacts_probably_just_got_acquire.php http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/email_crm_startup_etact...

angelbob 16y ago
NewsLabs did indeed return some of the money. There are several companies that I could have easily chosen that seem to have done well. It's just that the ones where you can see in advance that they're going to rock usually aren't looking for small, independent investors without a network of contacts. In fact, by demo day several of them had already taken enough funding from seriously high-prestige investors that they weren't really looking even then. The Etacts guys were very pleasant and personable about that, though, and were still very happy to talk :-) I hope they did get acquired. Go them!

joshu 16y ago

I didn't realize you were angel investing, Noah. Drop me a line. NewsLabs wasn't raising enough money, so I didn't even consider it. I've said it before but: don't invest in companies raising too little. They will fail.

axod 16y ago
> "I've said it before but: don't invest in companies raising too little. They will fail." I presume that by 'they will fail', you mean that the company will fail to make your required ROI as an investor, being acquired for millions? At first read it seems like you're saying that unless you raise a ton of money you can't build a successful profitable business... IMHO Newslabs failed because it was a terrible idea, not because of anything else.
- joshu 16y ago
  I mean that it will go out of business. Venture backed companies raise mone because they have have some significant buildout to complete before they can got market. Raise too little and the chances of reaching that point are too small. Additionally, if a startup cannot attract a certain amount of interest from investors, that is a big hint, too. Note that didn't say how much that minimum is. You are making assumptions. Bootstrapped businesses are great, too. But I am talking about a different kind of company. Anyway, yes, the news space is dismal and I avoid it. But I never needed to get to that part of the analysis.
  - axod 16y ago
    Thanks for clarifying. VC backed startups seem like a whole different world.
    - joshu 16y ago
      Well, raising money = venture backed.
haploid 16y ago
Interesting perspective on "raising too little". I was previously unaware that all bootstrapped companies fail.
- wyclif 16y ago
  That's not what he said at all, you made an illogical leap there. He was obviously talking about companies seeking VC.