patrickryan's comments

patrickryan | 7 years ago | on: Why it's hard to answer “when to raise a series A”

TLDR

"...this doesn’t provide the sort of certainty I know founders want in answering the question of when to raise. However, I think that knowing that there is no clean answer is important because it provides a framework for thinking through the relative advantages you have when thinking about a raise."

patrickryan | 7 years ago | on: Why it's hard to answer “when to raise a series A”

I looked this up as well! Hah!

patrickryan | 10 years ago | on: Ask HN: My startup has failed. What comes next?

I was in the same situation as you at the end of last year. After 2.5 years working on a Techstars VC funded startup as a co-founder, we failed. Unfortunately at the time, I didn't have the extra cash to take time off, so I sent a few emails out (to the Techstars network) and a few weeks later jumped onboard another early startup as the first engineering hire. I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to join another early stage company, but they offered a nice salary (I obviously chose salary over equity), a nice bonus, + some equity. They were the perfect fit for me, so things worked out well.

If you have the $$ to travel before moving on, I would advise you to take some time off to relax and get your mind away from the startup world. Go see your family, it's amazing how much they care.

Lastly, you will experience many emotions for many months following, don't take it too hard. Life goes on, things happen for a reason, and good luck! It will all work out.

patrickryan | 11 years ago | on: Show HN: Poll – Voting done simply in real time

If there was an option in Tally to hide votes so they don't influence decisions, it would be more useful. We used it at Techstars recently and didn't find the results very accurate. That said, it's very slick and simple, which I really liked.

patrickryan | 11 years ago | on: Startup School 2014 applications are open

Yes, you should attend if you get accepted. Sure you can watch it online, but there's nothing like sitting in the audience, actually experiencing the talks, and meeting really smart people. During my first Startup School in 2009, I stayed with the founders of no-name startup (at that time) called Airbnb. It was super early days, and I remember walking into a loft where about 10-18 people were working. I met some really awesome friends during that trip. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I have made to this day.

I highly recommend attending if you get the chance. I've been twice and both times have been well worth it (I traveled from Texas both times).

patrickryan | 13 years ago | on: Tesla messes with Texas over how to sell its electric cars

I've seen many in Houston.

patrickryan | 13 years ago | on: Instacart stops selling alcohol for compliance reasons

I saw this coming, especially with their "Send beer to your friend in San Francisco" promo a few weeks ago. There are just too many regulations on alcohol.

patrickryan | 13 years ago | on: 37signals invests in The Starter League

This is awesome. I spent the summer working from Excelerate Labs at 1871 Chicago, where Code Academy (now Starter League) teaches their classes. Neal and Michael are doing things right, and the Chicago tech/startup community has benefited greatly from it. Jason Fried was a mentor at Excelerate this summer and it's great that he's giving back to the Chicago community. Chicago is becoming a new hub for startups, and the Starter League has graduated many talented developers that are now working on their own startup or for others.

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: Facebook response to Lovestagram. Our Valentine's weekend project.

This is awesome, sent to my gf. Thanks and nice work!

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Rich Dad Poor Dad... Worst Personal Finance Book of All Time?

The quote I always remember from the book goes something like, "The average dad, also the poor dad, tells their children to work hard in school and get a steady job in a good company. The rich dad tells their children to start a company."

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: Get Startup Advice from Steve Blank

Thanks, I agree but that was all he would give.

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Ask HN: How many side projects did you work on this year?

Just one since I was busy with my senior design project for the first half of the year in order to finish college.

Skillow, A pinboard for entrepreneurs: http://skillow.com

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Show HN: A Pinboard for Entrepreneurs, Skillow

I just added http://skillow.com/tour to give a simple how it works. Every item or listing now has a REPIN button, I'll work on making it more clear. Thanks!

patrickryan | 14 years ago | on: Gowalla Is Reborn As A Beautiful App For Travel And Storytelling

I worked at Gowalla last summer and I can tell you that there are superusers who travel around only for the beautiful stamps and to collect items, but that number is very small. Gowalla has always been about travel and exploring. This move is not a surprise in any way.

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: "Why I'm Dropping Posterous This Weekend"

I just moved back to Tumblr after using Posterous for 6 months or so. I finally got tired of the slow page loads and buggy editor I experienced using Posterous.

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: Ask HN: Are any of you at X where X is some college?

Texas A&M University here, anyone else?

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: How to Hack a Marathon

4 Advil before the race? This is a bad idea, from experience. I took 2 Advil before a 10K and felt great, but within an hour after the race, I was in complete pain. My stomach was cramping and I couldn't get up out of bed for at least 45 min. If you Google "Advil" and "running", you will find many articles that warn you about the mixture. I've ran two half-marathons without pain killers, it's definitely the way to go.

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: Show HN: Our app - FourSquare for Beer

It looks like http://untappd.com has some competition now.

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: Drones Get Ready to Fly, Unseen, Into Everyday Life

After viewing the video of the MIT lab using the AR Drone I'm confused...

From the Development License of the SDK Drone API (Article 5 v):

"AR.Drone, shall have for sole purpose to be used by a User for entertaining, game, leisure or training. The creation of applications for the use of the PARROT Drone for military, and, without limitation, security, watching, spying, defence, cartography is strictly forbidden."

patrickryan | 15 years ago | on: Ask HN: Buying domains for side projects

I've encountered this same problem multiple times.

The fix: don't buy the domain until you are ready to launch the project. This allows you to build without having to adapt your project to a domain name. It's much easier to find a domain that describes your project after it has been completed. It also saves you money if you never carry out your grand ideas.