Comments on: Echo Chamber Vs EcoSystem : Some Common Pitfall In Startup life

By: Prashant

Prashant — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:02:37 +0000

@Nishi: Thanks

By: Nishi/Chillibreeze

Nishi/Chillibreeze — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:41:01 +0000

This is one of the best posts I have ever read about startups! Please keep these coming.

By: Prashant

Prashant — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:37:27 +0000

@ashutosh: Thanks

@vivek : Thanks , i agree with you but important thing is to understand that its wrong on our part to hope these events should do it . Its our responsibility . These events are primarily for concept validation and feedback .

@Rohit: Thanks for the info ..i never heard of Hannah Kahn . will look for more of her work . Thanks .

By: Rohit

Rohit — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:27:14 +0000

The complete poem by Hannah Kahn is:

Ride a wild horse
with purple wings
Striped yellow and black
except his head
which must be red.

Ride a wild horse
against the sky -
hold tight to his wings

before you die
whatever else
you leave undone
once
ride a wild horse
into the sun.

By: Vivek

Vivek — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:11:35 +0000

Prashant,

Excellent article, but…

Isnt the echo chamber an inseparable part of the Web 2.0 phenomenon ? It is not just an Indian phenom.

In the US, the echo chambers have VC money.
In India, the echo chambers have VCs.

I dont think we are going to see gatherings like Barcamp, Proto, where internet startups have the business side figured out.

By: Asutosh

Asutosh — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:40:14 +0000

Prashant,

This is a great post.The echo chamber analogy is fantastic.I can recall a discussion with a friend who apparently is part of a VC firm .”If funding is critical for your venture to stay afloat/survive, then either shelve the project or rework on the bplan”. The echo chamber lulls you and makes you think that funds are easily available and any half – cooked idea can get funded.More thought needs to be applied in the planning stage and don’t just get carried away by the accolades you got for yourself in the echo chamber.

By: Prashant

Prashant — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:29:19 +0000

@Prabindh:Thanks for the kind words .

@Manas: Couldn’t Agree more ,Commitment and perseverance is the key .

@Nishant: interesting point you made about “running Out of cash” Vs “Running Out of Motivation” . Although it never occurred to me that way ..but it now seems so intuitive [in hindsight ] .

@Chica : Thanks for the Affirmation . Being objective about your own progress is very important but its very hard too. thats why wee have Advisory board and Directors . the post you are mentioning is from Munjal’s Blog http://www.munjal.typepad.com , you can find some of them at http://linkbun.ch/f3d . its a great read .

@soo ,@arpit: Thanks . I am glad that you liked it .

By: Arpit Agarwal

Arpit Agarwal — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 18:44:55 +0000

Awesome post, Prashant! I completely agree with all points mentioned… keep writing!

By: soo

soo — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:54:21 +0000

great post prashant. You have made very valid points, I’m impressed

By: chica

chica — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:51:50 +0000

Great read. I would like to add something which in my opinion is important too. I think startups should be able to objectively look at their progress, which is difficult since its their baby. But it certainly helps to be a bit removed from it and see it for what it is – a business.
I wish I had a link to the article I read, my thought comes from reading about Like.com’s strategy. I believe they started as a company offering photo recognition software, but when they had another month to go with their funding money, they did a reality check and realized that their business would not work out the way they envisioned. So they did, what I think was very creative, they figured that the best way to continue further was to use their photo recognition tool for eCommerce and now they have a pretty cool site.

By: nishant

nishant — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:49:32 +0000

This post is awesome, not just for the amount of gyan it contains but the way you have put it across. Also, the couplet at the end is plan amazing.

I agree with most of it but differ at subtle points.

1. I think its never the cash, its always the motivation. Even when it IS the cash its still the motivation to figure out that extra cash to stay afloat. It’s just that “running out of cash” is easier to understand/communicate and does not bear on your personal reputation (because its an external event) wheras “running out of motivation” is hard to put forth and also comes across as a personal failure.

2. Totally agree about consulting. Starts need focus to move fast, consulting kills focus and slows you down. Slowing down delays traction/users etc. which then kills motivation which as we saw in 1. kills startups.

By: Manas Garg

Manas Garg — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 09:48:57 +0000

As they say, there is no formula for success. And as you say, one can only give perspectives and not a recipe. What works in one situation may or may not work in another situation. Some things are about the execution style of an individual, some things are about the time and opportunities available.

My general observation is that eventually, it boils down to the level of commitment the core team and the surrounding environment has for making the company successful. When there is very high level of commitment, ways open up even where none seems to exist.

By: prabindh

prabindh — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:42:03 +0000

I loved this post. Its a pity we dont use all the opportunities. We just need to open our eyes. Thanks.