AlexBlom | 11 years ago | on: Ask HN: Has anyone had success with Canada's startup visa?
AlexBlom's comments
AlexBlom | 11 years ago | on: Ask HN: I’m visiting Bay Area and I dislike the “hacker” culture. Please help
I've found subsequent trips to be much easier. Unfortunately, the most vocal and easiest to meet within the community were the most abrasive / kool aid driven. Keep digging.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Git add -p: a powerful git feature
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Selling Umbrellas In A Synagogue
IMO, it's the root of many social companies struggle to monetize with ads. We've been spoiled the last while because we knew what people were looking for, and could promote directly against that. In some ways, social ads are a step backwards from this.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Traits of successful non-technical solo founders
If I recall, the 4 P's are the standard marketing mix, with the 7 P's being called the extended marketing mix. FWIW, the 4 was definitely more central at my school.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Show HN: LearnStreet - The Best Place to Learn How to Code
The problem is I see this knowledge break when 1) it is applied to a more difficult problem that 2) is outside of the scope of the provided loop.
Spending time understanding the conceptual elements (when, where, why) before the how doesn't give immediate results, but it saves many headaches down the road and makes future tools / languages much easier to learn.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: A Conversation with bfeld on Startup Communities in Toronto - Oct 30, 2012
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Sorry Dan Shipper and other coders, you are wrong.
If you consider yourself a technology company, you need an understanding of your technology and what goes into making it. You may not be a master at each part, but you need _something_. It doesn't mean you are not marketing, but like marketing a technology implementation has several nuances that can't be overlooked. Tension always arises when these aren't well understood. Times this problem by 10 if you want "magic" / algorithms which little concept of how they will work (note: you don't need computing studies to figure this out, generally).
Note that I said 'consider yourself a technology company'. There are many companies based on technology that are not, themselves, technology companies (you can argue either way whether this is the right model, but it works). From my experience, these are the companies hunting less for technical co-founders (and who have less excuse for no traction pre product).
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Ask HN: Good iOS Tutorials?
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: B2B Is Unsexy, and I Know It
If you consider that equal to the first traction burst in B2C, then I'd argue that the ambiguity for B2C is just as large, if not larger, in the early days.
It is my no means an overall risk / reward inflection point (and if you are referring to 'this company is guaranteed to exit' I agree), but as an early 'this might have something' B2B can validate fast.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: B2B Is Unsexy, and I Know It
My last startup was pure B2B, and during our valley runs I found most potential partners / vc's / workers were very excited (in part because of the opportunity, in part because of perceived market movements, and in part because B2B can be fun) at the prospect of growing in B2B.
B2B companies may not spawn a media darling, but it doesn't make the business itself unsexy.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Show HN: Syncable - Stop searching old email threads on iPhone
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Show HN: Syncable - Stop searching old email threads on iPhone
1) App-less (just changed your contact settings); and 2) I am tinkering with some local app stuff for the folks who want it.
The focus right now is 1), but the point of getting out so early is to validate these assumptions.
Thanks for the feedback / questions.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
An issue has a one to many relationship with tickets. I built it, as I found I'd get many tickets about the same thing from different users. I wanted to be able to focus on solving the macro issue and not manage many issues. Terry Smith is one of the thinkers behind it.
AlexBlom | 13 years ago | on: Shown HN: Open Source Ticket Desk app
That being said, I see the value of tagging. Perhaps a future addition.
I'm an Australian who has been in Canada since 2009. The current iteration of the startup visa has some odd restrictions on Canadian capital imo.
You are generally better doing WHP to FSW
Disclaimer: ianal