I am in HW sytems, but I like Java/C++ programming, Android, UI design, GAE, Arduino, 3D printing, robotics, and more. I was hoping :-) that a shakeup will force me to give it a shot. Should I wait to see what happens at Q? (the statup would be in information extraction and fact discovery. I would need a couple of Android and Google cloud wizards)
7 replies (most recent on top)
Join IoT meetup in OC. Test your idea at a meeting.
Seems though like a startup mentality bubble. The ideas aren't well thought out or even researched.
I was laid off by another big company and many posted jobs are not real as the company will have layoffs soon.
Name me some companies in OC that are hiring hands-on electronics guys - please!
In a good economy you'd have ten companies to list right away.
Aerospace and Medical. Difficult for consumer product guys to move to.
Glad to see traction on the subject. For SD/TCA angels: There is a sizeable potential in Q engineering to tap talent as good as SV. Probably now is the time to organize an open house to gauge this potential.
@ ExQualcommEngineerStartupNow. Thanks for the constructive ideas (I'll follow through). The absence of a real startup ecosystem in SD bothers me a lot. This is one of the reasons you see so many desperate posts here from people that look trapped in their jobs they actually hate: they have no other choice @9212x
Don't feel bad for investors, they are looking for risky returns, not guaranteed returns. The right investor will latch on.
FYI, understand that the current QCOM situation is due to a failure of management to manage AND investors. Don't feel bad for them, they're laughing their way to the bank while employees who faithfully followed their lead are getting f**ked.
Do yourself a favor and raise the money. The investors can accelerate your company by 1-2 years which is a difference between day and night.
Also I know YC. Until you have a proven track record, don't piss on them. It's like trash talking about Jordan or Shaq when you're a puny middle school kid.
-
Prove to yourself that substantial demand exists. Yes, with proof, not a hunch. This means talking to at least 10 core target customers (b2b) or 50 for b2c ('core' means you might have to begin talking to even more people) . Take notes and see commonality, ask them how much they would pay before they decide it's too expensive.
-
Don't describe the tech, tell your potential customer why it's great for them (benefits). "saves you $400" or "50% faster".
-
Pitch to VCs in San Diego (ugh!) or Bay Area. Build product in parallel, as much as feasible. It sucks that unlike Bay Area successful founders, San Diego successful founders (e.g. Jacobs family) didn't invest in the tech ecosystem - invested in real estate, stadiums, theatre etc.
-
Continue to show growth to yourself
My plan is to bootstrap first, finish the prototype, launch, prove it has traction then go the venture path. I looked long and hard at what YC is doing, and I belive most of their picks are pure crap, therefore their real success rate of <1%. I would feel bad to take investor money, even if they belive is a good venture before I prove it in real life.
You're already starting a startup with in the wrong idea. The most important thing for you to do is figure out how you plan on making money, and write a business plan for that. And then you shop that plan with a bunch of angel investors (maybe relatives, friends, or crowd source it) so that you can actually use that money to hire people to help you do the real work. In other words, you need to stop thinking like an engineer, and more like a business owner.