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Ask HN: Who would fund a pro-2A startup?

5 points by ei8htyfi5e ↗ HN
I have an idea for a digital product that I would use everyday, would spend thousands on every year, is addressing a very large, stale market with limited technology and inert competitors. Only catch is it revolves around the gun community. As I understand it, VCs cannot invest in these ideas. I’m building it as we speak but would like it to go faster and am exploring raising a round. But my only question is how? Everything I know from YC does not apply here. Any ideas?

10 comments

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bradwood
Gun products sound very US-centric... And even there, there is lots of anti-gun sentiment. Are you sure you want to exclude most if not all of Europe, half of the US, and potentially more from your addressable market?
ei8htyfi5e
Thank you Google search… This is not the question I asked.

It’s a large, stale market with incompetent competitors and no technology. I feel confident the idea will work and scale. The people with an anti-gun sentiment are not my customers.

Globally there’s nothing stopping this idea from interfacing with governments or other buyers abroad but initially the market is US.

masonic
>most if not all of Europe

Yeah, it's not like there are any gun makers of significance in Austria... or Germany... or Switzerland... or the Czech Republic... or Belgium... or Russia... or...

gerikson
From what I can see following YouTube videos is that there is a ton of innovation and small business activity around guns in the USA. Maybe approach one of the bigger companies in that space?
Gollapalli
What do you need funding for? How much does it actually cost to build this thing?
ei8htyfi5e
Speed, so I can prove it out quicker. Building this on my own, after work, will take me a while. Wouldn’t need much to prove it out. Maybe $250k. I can do product design and engineering myself. Would be nice to hire a contractor to handle a few things I’m weaker at.
egberts1
You would have to live outside US and it’s territory before engaging in such tertiary funding.
ei8htyfi5e
What? Why?
egberts1
Tertiary meaning there is a 3rd-party involved.

Many US regulations stands in the way of this 3rd-party interactions and firearms, not to mention the buyers (2nd-party) and you (1st-party).

masonic
I think VCs can invest in any legal realm they choose, although some may seek to avoid publicity because of de facto cancel culture in blue states.

Have you identified an existing, profitable product/service that you wish to disrupt with your product?

I'm curious. I co-founded what was the largest local grassroots RKBA group in the country in the 90s-2000s (originally an NRA Members' Council, we later disassociated from NRA to avoid problematic intra-NRA politics). Contact info in profile.