graybolt

Yes, the reef is being destroyed due to ocean warming and acidification, but this is very much partly the fault of Australia.

They're the #2 coal exporter in the world, about three times as much as the US for example. They consume massive amounts of CO2 per person and have made no efforts to decrease this while the rest of the world has. They burn massive amounts of coal and have no interest in changing this; investment in alternative forms of energy actually went down in recent years. This is despite having tons of space for wind turbines and literally perfect conditions for solar.

Australia also destroys its local environment with overfishing, introducing invasive species, clearing vegetation, and polluting the coasts.

If they want to pretend they're a first world country, they need to act like one.

Hmm. It certainly exists for startups. I've been part of teams for many startups where the team is shitty, the idea is shitty, and the startup has no future, but they're able to get funded to the tune of $100k easily before they crash and burn. There are certainly no obligations attached to most VC money.

Meanwhile, if I want to build something sustainable, even if I'm willing to give up a decent share of my company, and submit myself to oversight of how this money is spent and great terms for repayment or equity, I can't get anywhere. VCs aren't willing to consider a $XX MM market, only a $XXXX MM market. Even for a good team and a good idea, I've gotten nowhere. I'm totally willing to give up some double-digit percentage of a company, I'm just not willing to have to risk $100k if I want to start a company that requires $100k.

Australia seems to be heading towards some strange, horrifying dystopia. With Nauru, government spying, and the Reef, it seems on par with some kind of third world dictatorship.

For those that don't know: Australia operates a detention camp on Nauru where they made the prices of visas a nonrefundable $8,000, and people are raped, sexually assaulted and abused. The Australian government tries to suppress journalists writing about this.

The government wants to ban encryption and associate it with criminals and terrorists.

At the same time, it's doing its best to destroy the pristine environment it inherited, and the Great Barrier Reef is rapidly dying. Other countries, for the most part, reduced their CO2 consumption per capita since the 80s and 90s - Belgium 65% less, Poland 63% less, America 28% less, Australia actually increased theirs by about 10%.

They've got no bill of rights, they're destroying their environment and everyone else's, and they've got a powerful nanny state looking for more power. I don't get why they enjoy such a great reputation on the world stage.

It's tricky to figure out, because of course there's the standard 7% for 150k but they also do some later stage deals.

Yeah, that's how I understand the issue too. I don't think there's an easy way to do things, either you end up blocking some people with a legitimate use case or you end up becoming a spam farm.

So where else do you find capital, then, for something not focused on extreme growth? I've got plenty of ideas kicking around, and the experience and skills to build them, but they're entirely moderate-growth businesses with a ceiling of single- or double-digit millions a year in revenue. Most of them could be started for between $10-100k.

A bank is tricky; you put your own savings on the line, and most banks don't really care about your specific situation, just that you're a risky customer. I'd prefer not to use family and friends because that has the potential to destroy relationships. Angels are usually interested in large growth potential.

Where else do you look for capital?

Wow, basically all of the valuation is generated by the top 10 companies. 81% from the top 5, 95% from the top 10. I guess this explains VC strategy somewhat: if you're not trying to become a unicorn, you're worthless to the VC.

I wish there was more data supporting the idea of making small, long-term businesses, but it really seems like the big money is all in going for unicorn status. Which is a shame, because I think this drives some of the problem behaviors you see in SV.

It's a shame what happened to the circus. Is anyone here affiliated with one? I'd love to hear some personal anecdotes.

I think this is the biggest problem. If there are a lot of bad actors, you drag down the whole system, but if you try to prevent bad actors you run into a lot of issues.

A hard problem, and I don't envy anyone trying to solve it.

Are there still people who buy/sell illegally? What's the price difference, if you have any idea?

Note that they can't stop you from entering the country if you're a US citizen. They can, however, make it a massive pain in the ass. Anyone have any practical experience here?