[amazing]

I previously wrote a post looking for someone to invest around $1000 in a new web2.0 startup company Rand8. A number of people were happy to invest $1000, However after looking at the feedback I received and reviewing my marketing plan with two very experienced entrepreneurs I believe I need to look for around $15.000.

Why? Although $1000 would have been enough to complete the website extra capital would be needed to succesfully market the project.

Here are some frequently asked questions I received from my previous post.

What is Rand8
Rand8 is a social bookmarking, blogging and homepage web application. Users are able to discover websites using a randomizer, bookmark these sites and write about them. To find out more visit www.rand8.com (and yes this is a unique concept. I dont want to explain every detail of the project as I would like my idea to remain my own)

How is Revenue Generated
Advertisers will purchase targeted page views. e.g. an advertiser can purchase 10,000 targeted page views and their website will be displayed in the Rand8 randomizer.

What stake will I receive if i invest?
I strongly believe this shouldnt be decided by me. Details like this will be negotiated with the investor.

All I am looking for is around $15000. I dont care how many investors it comes from

I hope this will answer some of your questions!
P.S - I hope this partially satisfies you Akula!!

[akula]

dude, me? My job is to get you up, running and profitable as quickly as possible

the best way to do that, does not involve you looking for handouts from strangers - especially strangers who can't do follow on funding

anyway, it's your journey. you need to make your own mistakes, and you plainly don't want to learn from other people

and, of course I'm not satisfied. a consumer facing, cracksense loaded, buzzword bingo.

website discovery is decent problem formulation, but your solution just has so many substitutes, not to mention a whole list of other deal killers

what do you want me to tell you? I want you to be successful. hence, do you have any idea how much can go wrong before you even make a decent weekly wage from a startup that's obviously not selling enterprise software?

I don't have any faith in consumer internet, so I'm definitely the wrong person to be talking to about things like rand8

btw: this is the problem with pitches on bulletin boards. if you need to pitch people, do it in private so you don't get blown to shit bits in public.

p.s. and don't give me crap: I'm just telling you what other people are thinking

[amazing]

Just out of interest Akula dont you run a Business Blog service or something? I can remember about a year ago you were trying to pitch your product to my previous business venture!

[akula]

yeah, that fell through. marginal revenues too low. cost of customer acquisition too high.

a classic case of optimism defeating rationality

I'm working on a number things right now:

1) a solution that helps large companies launch products through the blogosphere

2) qualitative web analytics

3) corporate social networking

4) ipo focused managed fund

I'd expect a few of those to fall through as well, but the mistakes aren't being repeated

I'd really prefer selling expensive products to a small number of people who can afford them, rather than giving away free stuff to everyone who doesn't have a budget

oh well, that's just startups I guess.... bait a whole bunch of hooks and hope something bites

[amazing]

they all sound pretty exciting. I can remember at the time when you pitched your business to me, I was thinking "how will this guy really profit from this". But we all learn from our mistakes!!

[akula]

indeed. and, I've made A LOT of mistakes

I'll tell you a funny story

There used to be a guy named Ed Wood

He's credited as the worst movie director of all time

He made Plan Nine from Outer Space which is critically acclaimed as the worst movie ever made

Well, he had a similar approach to a lot of founders who are putting together web 2.0 shops

He figured if he jumbled up all the hot and controversial topics of his time into one motion picture, then he's bound to have a hit (how could he not)...so he made a movie featuring UFOs, zombies, vampires, a mad scientist AND alien grave robbers (compressed into 2hrs of "soul-destroying badness")

It's the same with web 2.0 shops who squeeze blogging, wikis, podcasts, bookmarking, social networking AND tagging WITH rounded corners into one incomprehensible ooze of Adsense and PHP

history can't help to repeat it self

but anyway....it's not like any of this matters. every startup is just one stop in your journey. and it's the journey that's important

[amazing]

Originally Posted by akula

but anyway....it's not like any of this matters. every startup is just one stop in your journey. and it's the journey that's important

I completely agree. Now maybe I can get back to the real purpose of this post - finding capital!