7 ms·

So what other VCs are out there funding moonshots? I'm curious, cause I'm working on a moonshot of my own. It's still fairly early-stage (self funding, saving

So what other VCs are out there funding moonshots? I'm curious, cause I'm working on a moonshot of my own. It's still fairly early-stage (self funding, saving money by doing a lot myself + hiring Russian aerospace engineers) so if there's anyone here on HN with a spare 20k/100k/1MM they want to spend on awesome futuristic technology, my email's in my profile :) I'm keeping the specifics of my company under wraps (to everyone but potential investors), but the idea is radically improved long distance transportation here on Earth with a near-zero carbon footprint as one benefit. I've considered various US gov't funding options, which can be really nice (they don't take any equity & some are pretty lax with how you spend the money) but those take a while to get, and you generally need someone who's got experience writing proposals if you want to have a good chance.

d_silin 6y ago
Someone said "Russian aerospace engineers"? Can you share a bit about your idea? My email is contact@exodusorbitals.com
- owenversteeg 6y ago
  Sure! Sent you an email :) Hiring Russian aerospace engineers worked out great for me so far, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the process to most startups. The biggest thing is that the geniuses that speak English well have all left Russia for various reasons. That leaves you with either non-geniuses, or geniuses with poor English. Usually, they've tried to learn English themselves and didn't get as far as they'd like, so "just hire a language coach" isn't a simple solution here. If you just want a lot of average engineer bodies, though, you can get that for cheap. I imagine it'd be ideal for something like building a tunnel or a bridge, with a lot of routine calculations and established design procedures. The other big thing is the hiring itself. I got extremely lucky - I'm good friends with a great Russian technical recruiter living in Moscow, who was able to actually find people for me. But even with that huge advantage, it was tough. If anyone has questions about the process, ask away - the idea of hiring expert engineers/programmers from cheaper countries has always fascinated me, and surprised me with how difficult it is.
  - d_silin 6y ago
    Thanks! Language barrier is not a problem in my case, I am fluent in both English and Russian. I know one can get cheap engineering talent in Eastern Europe, was more curious about your startup idea.
  - thanatropism 6y ago
    Anecdote 1: I have a translation of a Russian book of high school physics problems, most of which I can't solve. Anecdote 2: Michael Spivak's "Calculus on Manifolds" is famous as the hardest math textbook an engineer will have to tackle. Well, there are major theorems in that book that are "easy" exercises in Vladimir Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics.
    - mindentropy 6y ago
      > I have a translation of a Russian book of high school physics problems, most of which I can't solve. Irodov by any chance?

d_silin 6y ago

Someone said "Russian aerospace engineers"? Can you share a bit about your idea? My email is contact@exodusorbitals.com

owenversteeg 6y ago
Sure! Sent you an email :) Hiring Russian aerospace engineers worked out great for me so far, but I'm not sure I'd recommend the process to most startups. The biggest thing is that the geniuses that speak English well have all left Russia for various reasons. That leaves you with either non-geniuses, or geniuses with poor English. Usually, they've tried to learn English themselves and didn't get as far as they'd like, so "just hire a language coach" isn't a simple solution here. If you just want a lot of average engineer bodies, though, you can get that for cheap. I imagine it'd be ideal for something like building a tunnel or a bridge, with a lot of routine calculations and established design procedures. The other big thing is the hiring itself. I got extremely lucky - I'm good friends with a great Russian technical recruiter living in Moscow, who was able to actually find people for me. But even with that huge advantage, it was tough. If anyone has questions about the process, ask away - the idea of hiring expert engineers/programmers from cheaper countries has always fascinated me, and surprised me with how difficult it is.
- d_silin 6y ago
  Thanks! Language barrier is not a problem in my case, I am fluent in both English and Russian. I know one can get cheap engineering talent in Eastern Europe, was more curious about your startup idea.
- thanatropism 6y ago
  Anecdote 1: I have a translation of a Russian book of high school physics problems, most of which I can't solve. Anecdote 2: Michael Spivak's "Calculus on Manifolds" is famous as the hardest math textbook an engineer will have to tackle. Well, there are major theorems in that book that are "easy" exercises in Vladimir Arnold's Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics.
  - mindentropy 6y ago
    > I have a translation of a Russian book of high school physics problems, most of which I can't solve. Irodov by any chance?