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Your "about" says: > about: Non-techie (laywer) who left the practice of law to build a start-up. If you think I am crazy or its a long shot, all I have to say

by swombat 14y ago

Your "about" says: > about: Non-techie (laywer) who left the practice of law to build a start-up. If you think I am crazy or its a long shot, all I have to say is...my goal is to disrupt Google/Bing search or YouTube, now who is crazy? Sounds pretty crazy to me. That would explain why no investors are getting back to you. My suggestion: meet some real (ideally somewhat successful - by which I mean running profitable businesses, not multi-millionaire startup lottery winners) entrepreneurs, get to know them, and ask them for advice. Based on your post and bio I'd say you're at step 1 or 2 of a 1000-step journey, and yet somehow under the illusion that you're just about to get there. You will get there eventually, but it will take a lot longer than you think, and you should get help from people who are a few steps ahead of you.

will_brown 14y ago
"you should get help from people who are a few steps ahead of you." I think you are exactly correct, but how do I find the people a few steps ahead that are willing to help me? Again should I move to SV to find that community? In terms of business I have owned my own profitable law firm and simultaneously created V-Blood, LLC a vampire themed energy drink company. I never had any experience in beverages, sales, product packaging, product design, bottling, but within 6 months I had created from scratch V-Blood vampire energy vials and sold 65,000 units to Hot Topic a Fortune 500 retailer. Ironically, V-Blood received a cease and desist threatening lawsuit, but as an attorney I got the other side to dismiss their claim before even filing suit. I am not a stranger to starting and "running profitable businesses." As I noted I faced success and the lawsuits that come with it and instead of backing down successfully fought those too. So please understand I have previously journeyed 1000 steps and have more than enough energy to do it again, being on step 1 or 2 does not take the wind from my sails. That said before you peg my current start-up on 1 or 2, which it very well maybe, please take a look at it: www.ommageo.com
- josephlord 14y ago
  > ommageo.com Doesn't work on an iPad as far as I can tell and can't even tell what it does.
  - will_brown 14y ago
    Right the Google Earth plug-in is for PC/Mac only. Again one of the reasons for funding to develop an app so it is compatible on ios and android. Having to pick an initial version to develop I went web based over mobile. Regarding what it does, it makes a social network out of combining Google Earth and YouTube. Users can search for video content by browsing geotags in Google Earth and filter videos by date, @user, #keyword. Ideal for finding and sharing video from sports stadiums, concerts, outdoor activities (hiking, biking, skiing, surfing, skydiving ect...), news events, political protests, or any event that is intimately tied with time and location like the last shuttle launch.
    - josephlord 14y ago
      Fair enough. Imagining myself as an investor I would be concerned that it would be hard to get traction as an additional social network and it sounds too tightly tied to Google (Earth and Youtube) so I would struggle to see exit options apart from sale to Google and incorporation in G+. Given that I would be doubtful that a large exit would be possible as there is only likely to be one buyer so no bidding war. Now you may have plans to migrate away from Google dependency as you grow and actual VCs may have different views on these issues than me, I've been known to be wrong in the past ;). Instagram got $1BN while heavily tied to Facebook and Apple although they were launching their Android app at the time.

by swombat 14y ago

will_brown 14y ago

"you should get help from people who are a few steps ahead of you." I think you are exactly correct, but how do I find the people a few steps ahead that are willing to help me? Again should I move to SV to find that community? In terms of business I have owned my own profitable law firm and simultaneously created V-Blood, LLC a vampire themed energy drink company. I never had any experience in beverages, sales, product packaging, product design, bottling, but within 6 months I had created from scratch V-Blood vampire energy vials and sold 65,000 units to Hot Topic a Fortune 500 retailer. Ironically, V-Blood received a cease and desist threatening lawsuit, but as an attorney I got the other side to dismiss their claim before even filing suit. I am not a stranger to starting and "running profitable businesses." As I noted I faced success and the lawsuits that come with it and instead of backing down successfully fought those too. So please understand I have previously journeyed 1000 steps and have more than enough energy to do it again, being on step 1 or 2 does not take the wind from my sails. That said before you peg my current start-up on 1 or 2, which it very well maybe, please take a look at it: www.ommageo.com

josephlord 14y ago
> ommageo.com Doesn't work on an iPad as far as I can tell and can't even tell what it does.
- will_brown 14y ago
  Right the Google Earth plug-in is for PC/Mac only. Again one of the reasons for funding to develop an app so it is compatible on ios and android. Having to pick an initial version to develop I went web based over mobile. Regarding what it does, it makes a social network out of combining Google Earth and YouTube. Users can search for video content by browsing geotags in Google Earth and filter videos by date, @user, #keyword. Ideal for finding and sharing video from sports stadiums, concerts, outdoor activities (hiking, biking, skiing, surfing, skydiving ect...), news events, political protests, or any event that is intimately tied with time and location like the last shuttle launch.
  - josephlord 14y ago
    Fair enough. Imagining myself as an investor I would be concerned that it would be hard to get traction as an additional social network and it sounds too tightly tied to Google (Earth and Youtube) so I would struggle to see exit options apart from sale to Google and incorporation in G+. Given that I would be doubtful that a large exit would be possible as there is only likely to be one buyer so no bidding war. Now you may have plans to migrate away from Google dependency as you grow and actual VCs may have different views on these issues than me, I've been known to be wrong in the past ;). Instagram got $1BN while heavily tied to Facebook and Apple although they were launching their Android app at the time.