Comments on: TechCrunch 50 Demo Pit vs My Bank Account

By: FAS(t)-tracking 20 million of money wasting… « BLITZKRIEG BOPP

FAS(t)-tracking 20 million of money wasting… « BLITZKRIEG BOPP — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:26:47 +0000

[...] even get help in raising 20k to go a Superstar event in the US to promote & kick-off their new venture. We live in a country where the best thing in start-up support is entrepreneurs themselves chipping [...]

By: Mike Butcher

Mike Butcher — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 14:58:34 +0000

If you ever make it again, contact me. I may be able to help in some way. Failing that, TechCrunch Europe does write about Irish startups, I hear ;-)

By: Branedy

Branedy — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:45:44 +0000

If you want to see a cheap and easy low power server setup, I could show you what I managed. Might be just the ticket for a ‘starter’ system.

By: Irish Silicon Valley, dont make me laugh

Irish Silicon Valley, dont make me laugh — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:25:41 +0000

[...] to the demopit would attend, Unfortunately one of my favourite idea’s (got a full demo) from Sabrina Dent couldn’t make it due to lack of funds and to me on a weekend where I have watched the [...]

By: Ashish Anand

Ashish Anand — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:37:01 +0000

Hi Sabrina:

Congratulations! We’re one of the demopit companies as well…and we are going. There’s a mix of opinions in this thread and they are probably all correct in their own ways. We believe in opening ourselves up for scrutiny, feedback, exposure and opportunity. Great things happen when you embrace the unknown, but you have to actually be there.

End of the day, the opportunity will be what you make of it. Most companies underestimate the importance of networking and marketing while those are the two most important things early stage entrepreneurs can do. Hope to see you there, all the best!

Ashish

By: JD

JD — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 09:18:49 +0000

Hi Sabrina, we’ve also been selected so understand you :)

I believe to be a winner, be with & learn from winners.
So I’ve asked a few past TC50 attendees & winners, as well as some basic research by my team. Response was 50/50. But we’re going !

I cant recommend if you should invest to go as I dont know your product/app. But ask those who have been-there-done-that. Bottomline:

- $$ You need angel funding,but make VC contacts there for future if you’re planning a series A downthetrack. Its a marriage so you must get to know each other.
We’ve put together a top 10 list of those we’d love to “marry”. The world’s Gods of Web 2.0 will be there.

- Media, dont count on much due to the comp, but you could actively leverage being selected as world’s top 150 startups

- Biz partnerships & networking with the world’s best is key. (Even more hiring the best).

- Wifi sucked (very embarrassing for TC50 I think), so prepare offline verison if go.

- The other thing that sux is TC50 doesnt give clear guidelines/rules re. what we can & cannot do re promotion leading up to 14.9. Ex. FB, Twitter, etc.

As for us, we’re planning to launch there, and will be raising a Series A soon. Hope to win the People’s Choice !:) TC50 is another step in building meebee into a $Billion company. What are your goals ?

Always happy to help fellow webtrepreneurs.
Cheers, JD

By: neuro

neuro — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:41:03 +0000

Sabrina, if you need a technical hand with anything (or if John needs a hand!), please give me a ping, you know – as always – how to find me.

Ciara, I’ve been in Katherine’s kitchen, and it is awesome.

By: B

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 22:27:18 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve raised money, and maybe this is no longer available, but it sounds like a project that an EI feasibilty grand would be ideal for, assuming you’ve already spent some of your own cash on the project.

By: Frank P

Frank P — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 20:30:43 +0000

Sorry I can’t be of any help, but congratulations and can’t wait to see what you’re building in there :)

Glad to see you’re getting sound advice from people above, even if it is all contradictory – that’s the way of it I guess, at the end of the day you’ll have to weigh it all up and go with your gut.

From the comments tt does sound a bit like TC50 isn’t quite what you’re actually looking for right now, but that it might deliver something out of left field nonetheless.

Coffee soon I hope. Best of luck in the meantime.

By: Thomas

Thomas — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:20:50 +0000

Well I can’t give you any advice on whether or not to go to SF or how to get some money. I however want to say, that if I was running a public web app (which I don’t) investing in proper hardware would be a good thing to do. At least in theory because I must admit that I’m mostly rather negligent when I comes down to data backup. (I know, I know,…)
But well, I’m just thinking about what happened to ma.gnolia.com or Journalspace not too long ago…