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I think "Stealth Mode" covers a pretty large range of behaviors. We're far from stealth mode; we tell pretty much everyone everything that we're up to. We have

I think "Stealth Mode" covers a pretty large range of behaviors. We're far from stealth mode; we tell pretty much everyone everything that we're up to. We have no secrets and we handle all chats/negotiations/everything with all of our cards face up. However, we only reveal all in face to face conversations, never in a broadcast. This gives us more opportunities to refine our message, collect feedback, forge real connections, and affords us the ability to do those things without burning opportunities for first impressions and without risking one skeptic from taring the collective perception by a group. Using this strategy, we've been called "Stealthy" by people on the fringe of our current network. For some, that adds a little bit to the mystique and excitement, so they become willing to take a meeting with us. This strategy has been pretty successful so far. EDIT: And if you're a super smart developer in the Seattle area looking to join a funded, early stage startup, we'll buy you a coffee/beer and reveal all! Email me: brandon@thinkfuse.com

eladgil 16y ago
That is an interesting point. When we were in the "stealthy" part of Mixer Labs' lifecycle, telling people "we were not telling most people what we were doing" made people want to talk to us more. E.g. recruiting sometimes went more smoothly, as people took the call just to find out what we were doing. :)
sardonicbryan 16y ago
I agree. When I think of "Stealth Mode," I think of people who won't tell anyone what they are doing or what their startup is about, and you actively discourage people who know from talking about what you do. I think that the Google behavior described doesn't fall under "stealth mode" for me. People knew what they were doing, they just didn't know how lucrative it was. Might be a small distinction, but I think it's a meaningful one if you're trying to have a discourse about strategy.
- flipside 16y ago
  Rather than "stealth mode", "low profile mode" is best for companies in a market that might attract a lot of attention. The most important thing is to balance the need for attention to fuel growth against the risk of inspiring competitors. In other words, don't hype your startup if it will do more harm than good. Patience is a virtue for a reason.

eladgil 16y ago

That is an interesting point. When we were in the "stealthy" part of Mixer Labs' lifecycle, telling people "we were not telling most people what we were doing" made people want to talk to us more. E.g. recruiting sometimes went more smoothly, as people took the call just to find out what we were doing. :)

sardonicbryan 16y ago

I agree. When I think of "Stealth Mode," I think of people who won't tell anyone what they are doing or what their startup is about, and you actively discourage people who know from talking about what you do. I think that the Google behavior described doesn't fall under "stealth mode" for me. People knew what they were doing, they just didn't know how lucrative it was. Might be a small distinction, but I think it's a meaningful one if you're trying to have a discourse about strategy.

flipside 16y ago
Rather than "stealth mode", "low profile mode" is best for companies in a market that might attract a lot of attention. The most important thing is to balance the need for attention to fuel growth against the risk of inspiring competitors. In other words, don't hype your startup if it will do more harm than good. Patience is a virtue for a reason.