4 ms·

Ten Simple Rules for Starting a Company [PLoS Computational Biology]

28 points by michaelbarton 15y ago

tdr 15y ago
What a great reference! Having already started a company, I can say this is true and wish this list I'd had it before. BUT, the majority of these "commandments" I already knew. The important point missing here is that until you do it on your own (solo or with partners), you won't get that art & science part right: you'll just think it's luck. (prior expertise in your field + management/leading experience certainly helps)
- michaelbarton 15y ago
  Does the first point match your experience? I feel like VC emphasises getting a great product ready first over everything else.
  - tdr 15y ago
    I agree with the point, although it's a little "all over the place". I'm taking it as a "beware sign" for knowing what's ahead; i.e. to consider the big-picture around whatever you are building (it's very easy to get sucked into some "interesting direction" and get side-tracked; us geeks tend to do that). To answer your question: yes, if I would be an investor, I'd also want to see the prototype/MVP, because: - less risk taken - 1 picture == 1000 words => demo == millions words - you show you can execute what you wish (not getting side-tracked) from founder point of view because: - early adopters will help you shape your product (I just pivoted this month)
    - michaelbarton 15y ago
      I see what you mean about it being "all over the place" first they discuss a great product alone is not enough but then instead talk about plans and ideas rather than prototypes/implementations. I've never started a business so my naive viewpoint is that many of the most successful companies appear to be built on having a great product alone then focusing on profit second, for example Google, Facebook, and Twitter. These are the largest of the the large though, so is the story different for smaller companies?
      - HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
        That's not even the story for most big companies. Consider Apple, Microsoft, Toyota, Honda and Ford. In most cases "build great product first then focus on profit later" means you run out of money before anyone buys enough of your product for you to get back in the black.
      - Estragon 15y ago
        Never started a company either, but I think the key issue is barrier to entry. Facebook and Twitter have networks which are impossible to duplicate, and Google got a lot of money up front and used it to move really fast. In contrast, the great product they describe in the article is a standalone piece of software by a small group, easily duplicated if it takes off.
ahelwer 15y ago
Does anyone have any advice for a computer science student seriously looking at the field of computational biology as a place for a career? I'd all but forgotten about biology until reading The Diamond Age right before seeing a video of ATP synthase in action [1]. Now, I know stuff like that doesn't have a lot to do with what is done in computational biology, but it did fire the imagination. I'm working my way through Algorithms on Strings, Trees, and Sequences - Computer Science and Computational Biology by Dan Gusfield [2], and have implemented (with tests) all of the algorithms encountered thus far in addition to some of the exercises [3]. So far, I really enjoy all the material. Clearly reading a textbook is not enough to break into a field, but my degree is one in computer science and pure math with an internship in the HPC field. It's getting bit late to throw in a minor in biology or anything like that. However, all of my research-leaning friends in physics and such tell me that what everyone wants is someone who knows how to code, which is certainly something I know well. Is that similar to the situation in computational biology? Any other advice or knowledge of what it's like to work in the field would also be greatly appreciated :) [1] http://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/node/448 http://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/node/448 [2] http://books.google.ca/books/about/Algorithms_on_Strings_Trees_and_Sequence.html?id=Ofw5w1yuD8kC&redir_esc=y http://books.google.ca/books/about/Algorithms_on_Strings_Tre... [3] https://github.com/ahelwer/IvoryTower/tree/master/ASTS https://github.com/ahelwer/IvoryTower/tree/master/ASTS
- michaelbarton 15y ago
  Many bioinformaticians come from either biology or CS so this is a common question. In general if you are from CS you have to learn the biology, and if you are from biology you will have to learn to program. Both types will also usually have to learn some statistics as this is important for research. You mention that you enjoy the field which is perhaps the most important thing. I recommend finding a good masters degree in bioinformatics which should introduce you to many of the basic topics. A bioinformatics masters degree will also make you more competitive than with a degree alone. You'll need a PhD if you want to stay and go further in Academia.
  - ahelwer 15y ago
    I'd prefer to end up in the private sector. A masters in bioinformatics would be interesting... what universities have good programs for that? Are they very competitive to get into? Would it be reasonable for me to attempt a bioinformatics masters with zero non-self-taught knowledge of biology past high school?

28 points by michaelbarton 15y ago

tdr 15y ago

What a great reference! Having already started a company, I can say this is true and wish this list I'd had it before. BUT, the majority of these "commandments" I already knew. The important point missing here is that until you do it on your own (solo or with partners), you won't get that art & science part right: you'll just think it's luck. (prior expertise in your field + management/leading experience certainly helps)

michaelbarton 15y ago
Does the first point match your experience? I feel like VC emphasises getting a great product ready first over everything else.
- tdr 15y ago
  I agree with the point, although it's a little "all over the place". I'm taking it as a "beware sign" for knowing what's ahead; i.e. to consider the big-picture around whatever you are building (it's very easy to get sucked into some "interesting direction" and get side-tracked; us geeks tend to do that). To answer your question: yes, if I would be an investor, I'd also want to see the prototype/MVP, because: - less risk taken - 1 picture == 1000 words => demo == millions words - you show you can execute what you wish (not getting side-tracked) from founder point of view because: - early adopters will help you shape your product (I just pivoted this month)
  - michaelbarton 15y ago
    I see what you mean about it being "all over the place" first they discuss a great product alone is not enough but then instead talk about plans and ideas rather than prototypes/implementations. I've never started a business so my naive viewpoint is that many of the most successful companies appear to be built on having a great product alone then focusing on profit second, for example Google, Facebook, and Twitter. These are the largest of the the large though, so is the story different for smaller companies?
    - HeyLaughingBoy 15y ago
      That's not even the story for most big companies. Consider Apple, Microsoft, Toyota, Honda and Ford. In most cases "build great product first then focus on profit later" means you run out of money before anyone buys enough of your product for you to get back in the black.
    - Estragon 15y ago
      Never started a company either, but I think the key issue is barrier to entry. Facebook and Twitter have networks which are impossible to duplicate, and Google got a lot of money up front and used it to move really fast. In contrast, the great product they describe in the article is a standalone piece of software by a small group, easily duplicated if it takes off.

ahelwer 15y ago

Does anyone have any advice for a computer science student seriously looking at the field of computational biology as a place for a career? I'd all but forgotten about biology until reading The Diamond Age right before seeing a video of ATP synthase in action [1]. Now, I know stuff like that doesn't have a lot to do with what is done in computational biology, but it did fire the imagination. I'm working my way through Algorithms on Strings, Trees, and Sequences - Computer Science and Computational Biology by Dan Gusfield [2], and have implemented (with tests) all of the algorithms encountered thus far in addition to some of the exercises [3]. So far, I really enjoy all the material. Clearly reading a textbook is not enough to break into a field, but my degree is one in computer science and pure math with an internship in the HPC field. It's getting bit late to throw in a minor in biology or anything like that. However, all of my research-leaning friends in physics and such tell me that what everyone wants is someone who knows how to code, which is certainly something I know well. Is that similar to the situation in computational biology? Any other advice or knowledge of what it's like to work in the field would also be greatly appreciated :) [1] http://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/node/448 http://www.mrc-mbu.cam.ac.uk/node/448 [2] http://books.google.ca/books/about/Algorithms_on_Strings_Trees_and_Sequence.html?id=Ofw5w1yuD8kC&redir_esc=y http://books.google.ca/books/about/Algorithms_on_Strings_Tre... [3] https://github.com/ahelwer/IvoryTower/tree/master/ASTS https://github.com/ahelwer/IvoryTower/tree/master/ASTS

michaelbarton 15y ago
Many bioinformaticians come from either biology or CS so this is a common question. In general if you are from CS you have to learn the biology, and if you are from biology you will have to learn to program. Both types will also usually have to learn some statistics as this is important for research. You mention that you enjoy the field which is perhaps the most important thing. I recommend finding a good masters degree in bioinformatics which should introduce you to many of the basic topics. A bioinformatics masters degree will also make you more competitive than with a degree alone. You'll need a PhD if you want to stay and go further in Academia.
- ahelwer 15y ago
  I'd prefer to end up in the private sector. A masters in bioinformatics would be interesting... what universities have good programs for that? Are they very competitive to get into? Would it be reasonable for me to attempt a bioinformatics masters with zero non-self-taught knowledge of biology past high school?