Thanks for the link, I didn't know about this story - I just received an email from James and now I feel even more honored. I am doing quite a lot with Firebase these days and this makes me want to use it even more.
Ha. Well, it's a natural progression I feel if you're an idea person - you end up with too many ideas than you could ever do on your own, so instead you can support teams that are highly passionate, and working on problems you (hopefully) understand.
What's your take on this? From the fact that you are pointing this out would you say he hasn't changed his spots? (I know nothing about him which is why I am asking..)
On USV, my dealings have shown them to be incredibly hands off. Had a case where I made a deal suggestion to USV v. one of their famous investments. They said "I've thought they should do something like this for years, they won't but we respect that it's their decision". (Or something like that not an exact quote obviously..) Which is to bad (for me) because that investment recently had a big big announcement.
Another one I like is "John Hummer" from Hummer Winblad.
A memorable name can be an important asset. It can be a branding if it makes a strong positive impression. Of course like anything lacking one can be overcome once you gain a reputation. [1]
I know someone whose last name is "Bogus" believe me nobody ever forgets that name.
The reason why I love seeing this is because these guys fall squarely in the category of work hard, iterate for years and get rewarded. This wasn't an overnight success. Rather, it's the result of an extremely smart team committed to making something great. I'm really excited to see what they come up with over the next few years.
I find it amazing that a company can get over $5 million without yet charging for their product. But then again, they kind of just did get people to pay for their product, just not customers/end users...
They're not. The baseline probability of profitability for these types of companies is incredibly small. However, the potential profit that you might make for any one of these companies is extremely high (usually by selling the company, not by the company's inherent ability to turn a profit) - so invest in multiple companies and if you're lucky the 'big one' will beat your losses many times over.
I'm interested in the pricing decision. How big is the market for apps that are popular but free or unable to support the higher prices? I wonder if any thought went into a plan for them?
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 145 ms ] threadKeep on killing it, guys!
Looking into how your product compares with Parse...
Come to think of it, this surprises me.
To a firebase hater, I know someone indirectly, whose product you bought and silenced. No good move, sir.
Now that's kind of cool for a VC!
Maybe they wised up? :P)
http://waxy.org/random/arsdigita/
Edit: I have no idea if that actually means something; it's just a name I remember from Greenspun's writing.
A memorable name can be an important asset. It can be a branding if it makes a strong positive impression. Of course like anything lacking one can be overcome once you gain a reputation. [1]
I know someone whose last name is "Bogus" believe me nobody ever forgets that name.
[1] Fred Wilson, Paul Graham
(Need to update the investor page though, currently not showing USV./)
https://www.firebase.com/about.html
The reason why I love seeing this is because these guys fall squarely in the category of work hard, iterate for years and get rewarded. This wasn't an overnight success. Rather, it's the result of an extremely smart team committed to making something great. I'm really excited to see what they come up with over the next few years.