News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

Payton

Payton on Hacker News

Re:Reasons to move to a startup on Thursday October 23, 2008 @12:31PM (#341347)
I thought your posts were pretty funny. Keep up the good work. Good luck with the rest of your day - it sounds like you are going to need it!
Re:Ask YC: Anyone else trying out zenbe's email? on Tuesday May 06, 2008 @06:42PM (#182931)
I am using it along side my gmail account. I like the way the way they have improved traditional email. I like their tabbed interface and the calendar tool is fairly useful as well.

The best feature is the attachment tab. Having a list of all the attachments you are currently storing is a very nice feature.

I haven't had any problems with having other accounts forwarding to my Zenbe address, I am having a good beta experience!

Ask YC: How important is location when your startup isn't looking for lots of VC money?

Posted by Payton on Tuesday April 15, 2008 @05:19PM
from the self-post dept.

I have read in many places that if you are considering a startup, Silicon Valley, Boston and Seattle are your choices for places to work and live. The odds of success in these places are significantly higher than anywhere else in North America.I am asking this because I am currently living in Western Canada in a fairly low tech area and my future plans include web startups.My co-founder and I...

( Read More... | 14 comments | 7 points | on HN )
Re:How to hack together a Y Combinator application on Wednesday March 26, 2008 @05:05PM (#147279)
"The best people apply late"

I am really curious as to where that factoid came from and how you could quantify that.

I could see that the best people put thought into the application process, begin writing early and hold off on actually submitting until close to the deadline.

Re:Ask YC: How much would you pay to have Michael Arrington read your ... on Tuesday March 25, 2008 @05:41PM (#146187)
Paying someone to read an email about your startup is essentially advertising, very very targeted advertising. You are paying Michael Arrington X$ to take notice of your company.

I think your money would be better spent building a userbase and proving your startup in the market. Build your product before you build your marketing.

Ask YC: startup or traditional work experience?

Posted by Payton on Wednesday March 19, 2008 @04:48PM
from the self-post dept.

If a founder works on his company for a year, but can't seem to make it work, do future hiring managers see that time spent as a negative (couldn't find a way to make the company work, why would we hire them) or a positive (imagine all the lessons and skills they have developed in that year)?Would that year in the startup put you ahead of the pack, or behind it, since you would essentially have...

( Read More... | 19 comments | 16 points | on HN )
Re:Come stay at the hacker house in San Jose, Free on Wednesday March 19, 2008 @01:52AM (#140572)
Fun idea and an interesting way to get some smart people on your radar!
Re:KidZui: The Kid Safe Browser - trying too hard to control the inter... on Wednesday March 19, 2008 @01:44AM (#140565)
I was reading this article and was thinking about how parents are trying to protect their children from parts of the web, and the concept of allowing only a handful of approved websites seemed like overkill.

I am interested to hear the opinions of the YC community.

Re:Ask HN: Giving raises after a series A round on Wednesday March 12, 2008 @04:57PM (#135474)
In my opinion, getting a big injection of VC money doesn't make it alright to turn up your burn rate a significant amount.

I have never been through a round of funding, but it would make sense to keep your costs down wherever possible. A founder who just got a round of funding should be thinking on ways to increase the value of the company instead of their salary.

I would like to know what is the norm in VC backed startups. Are there significant pay raises or bonuses after a round of funding? Do the founders and the employees share the wealth? Or are things kept fairly similar to the status quo.