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Most of the last and current generation of tech university leavers appear to be trying to be the next Facebook - instead of trying to disrupt the enterprise sof
by mtkd 18y ago
Most of the last and current generation of tech university leavers appear to be trying to be the next Facebook - instead of trying to disrupt the enterprise software market.
It really bothers me that all these talented kids are outside of the companies that produce most of our economic activity - so big corps are still using the same crappy unproductive software they were a decade ago.
Not only is nobody inside these companies causing disruption - but I see few startups targetting core business functions like purchasing or logistics.
VCs could be driving this. Instead, like a herd, they are all trying to back the next greentech, cloudtech, socialtech etc.
The biggest opportunity to create cost savings for new businesses is in reinventing the way the enterprise apps work and communicate with other enterprises - for instance creating auction and bidding systems to improve procurement.
A startup has more chance of saving 1% of costs for a Top 500 company - than it has of being the next Facebook.
- potatolicious 18y agoI'd like to offer a reason for this - you're selling to the wrong person. With apps like Google, facebook, or any number of other startups, building a good product is in line with what your customers desire. Facebook was cleaner and more usable than Myspace, and customers responded in droves. Google produced better results and was easier to use than the competition, and customers responded... Enterprise software doesn't work like this. You're not selling to random data entry guy #21243 who will actually be using your big fancy enterprise package - you're selling to a PHB who couldn't care less how great and cutting-edge your product is. Someone told him to implement some system, he wrote up a RFP, and here you are. All he wants you to do is jot down a bunch of bullet points, make some big promises, and offer to take responsibility if it all goes down the toilet. He's not interested in your superior usability - there's no demand from up top for more productivity from the data entry monkeys, and it's not as if he will have to deal with this software every day... There's no room for innovation there, because those who pay for the product do not desire it, and will not reward it.
- mixmax 18y agoThat's a question of salesmanship. It's a very different sell than B2C, but much more rewarding. A facebook customer will maybe earn you $10, a corporate account might net you $100.000. It's certainly not as easy, but the reward per sale can be thousands of times bigger. And it's not true that corporate buyers don't care about quality or innovation - often they simply don't have much choice. And, of course you have to speak the right lingo.
- quantumhobbit 18y agoI think most hackers would rather go broke than learn to speak corporate lingo fluently.
- mixmax 18y agoEvery hacker needs a Jobs to their Woz.
- fuelfive 18y agoThis was one of the reasons why we started frogmetrics. :)