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Re:The Waypoint NDA by vertis on Monday June 22, 2020 @08:06AM (#23599290)
I've had more than my share of pitches where people would want me to sign an NDA. Pitch a business that they haven't done any work on, and that requires all the risk upfront to be software development (i.e. my potential contribution), and then not want to go 50/50 in the business.

I've bothered to follow up on some of these businesses, and I've yet to miss anything substantial.

But in the absence of any other data, NDA becomes a very good indication of whether I should continue the conversation.

Can someone run off with an idea and make a billion dollars? Maybe. But I would suggest that an NDA gives very little protection. If the person is going to do that and actually manages to make a billion dollars from it, then all you have is a piece of paper saying the person won't discuss the idea without specifying the idea.

Unless you then have a paper trail of discussing the idea, how can you argue that that was your idea? Most subsequent discussions in my experience have been verbal.

Worse still they have a billion dollars to fight the matter in court.

Re:The Waypoint NDA by pc86 on Monday June 22, 2020 @09:28AM (#23599906)
I still remember a chat I had with a guy around 2012 or so. His idea was basically about.me, but only for realtors, and worse. Even as "I have a million dollar app idea!!1" ideas go, it was pretty terrible. He wanted me to write the entire thing "in a week or two, right?" and got pretty offended when I laughed at his proposed 80/20 split. He also stormed out of the coffee shop we were in when I laughed again when I refused to sign the ex post facto NDA he pulled out.

I still think about him sometimes and wonder who he's bothering now.

Re:The Waypoint NDA by mgkimsal on Saturday June 27, 2020 @03:34PM (#23664046)
I think some people have a hard time understanding that you, me and others who do this for a living have literally hundreds of ideas - we can see a basic marketplace idea and spin up a dozen variations based on demographics, industry, etc. Without a solid plan of execution/sales, demonstrated industry contacts and ideally some measure of success in this same industry, me executing your idea is statistically a big waste of my time (and may unintentionally end up tying me to you in ways I don't want to be tied). Lots of downside, very little upside.

Now, if you have a huge name and track record... I can get it. Years ago talked with someone who'd done some deals with the 'guerilla marketing' guy (Levinson IIRC). After a while, he was more or less just licensing his name/brand for a cut, but it was worth it because there was already a track record and built-in audience - anything with his name/brand would be guaranteed some degree of sales on day one.

Most people who've approached me with ideas like that haven't had that success. Even in one case where I was working with a guy who had executed multiple businesses and had good success (one 8 figure exit) - we just couldn't work together - our expectations of each other never synced up.

Re:The Waypoint NDA by SavageBeast on Monday June 22, 2020 @12:21PM (#23601983)
Same thing has happened to me more times than I can easily remember! My take on this has evolved to be "If I can steal your idea/product/scheme as a result of a 60 minute conversation about it then you most likely have a terrible idea". Once a month some idiot comes to tell me about their Great Idea For An App (that I can build for them in exchange for EQUITY!!) and I honestly don't even listen to them anymore.