Hacker News: wilschroter

New comment by wilschroter in "I had a VC-Funded Unicorn-in-the-Making and I Fucked it up"

wilschroter — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:07:32 +0000

This became one of the top 10 posts of all time on the /r/startups thread in 24 hours so I figured it might interest the community here.

I had a VC-Funded Unicorn-in-the-Making and I Fucked it up

wilschroter — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:07:32 +0000

Article URL: https://old.reddit.com/r/startups/comments/1idkm4b/i_had_a_vcfunded_unicorninthemaking_and_i_fcked/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42891317

Points: 4

# Comments: 1

New comment by wilschroter in "YC Updates and Additions"

wilschroter — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 21:12:25 +0000

I don't think Google would benefit from a YC-style approach. Google can afford to buy the winners because they have mountains of cash. They also can only invest the time in companies that have significant upside because the numbers they need to move the meter are so significant. YC is a different animal altogether. They use relatively small sums of money in hopes they will find a lottery ticket.

New comment by wilschroter in "Startups.co to Acquire Zirtual, Service to Resume"

wilschroter — Wed, 12 Aug 2015 02:28:43 +0000

This is Wil Schroter @ Startups.co. I was a customer like many who got the same email and was disappointed. This is a great company that made some bad moves. I'm not defending that. But I will tell you - it is still a great business, although obviously with some serious challenges. Will this be an incredible uphill battle? Of course. But I believe in the company and I think it's worth it.

New comment by wilschroter in "New Hacker News Guideline: Avoid Gratuitous Negativity"

wilschroter — Fri, 03 Apr 2015 19:58:49 +0000

Sorta feel like there needs to be more teeth to this than simply guidelines based.

@SamA what more "severe" approaches did you consider and why did you decide they wouldn't work? This is a difficult challenge.

New comment by wilschroter in "Fundable Acquires Clarity.fm as Part of Its New Launch Platform, Startups.co"

wilschroter — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 19:22:42 +0000

There's not.

New comment by wilschroter in "Fundable Acquires Clarity.fm as Part of Its New Launch Platform, Startups.co"

wilschroter — Tue, 03 Feb 2015 19:05:37 +0000

It's taken.

Why Aren't Investors Calling You Back?

wilschroter — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 14:10:46 +0000

Article URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/08/29/why-investors-arent-calling-you-back/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6295917

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Top 20 Startup Hotspots Globally

wilschroter — Fri, 23 Aug 2013 12:45:16 +0000

Article URL: http://www.fundable.com/blog/top-20-entrepreneurial-hot-spots-globally

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6263096

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Why Investors Don't Sign NDAs

wilschroter — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 15:48:14 +0000

Article URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/08/22/why-investors-dont-sign-ndas/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6257862

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

3 Red Flags to Avoid When Pitching Investors

wilschroter — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 12:08:03 +0000

Article URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/08/20/3-red-flags-to-avoid-when-pitching-investors/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6243116

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

New comment by wilschroter in "How to Deal with Startup Failure (Reload)"

wilschroter — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:26:10 +0000

If you get over your toes in operating capital it can absolutely happen. Think about a low margin business where most of the money just flows right back in operating costs. You only need a few months of mistakes to be in serious trouble.

How to Deal with Startup Failure (Reload)

wilschroter — Fri, 21 Jun 2013 18:20:51 +0000

Article URL: http://www.forbes.com/sites/wilschroter/2013/06/21/how-to-deal-with-startup-failure-reload/

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5919957

Points: 3

# Comments: 2

New comment by wilschroter in "How I Used ADD to Build Great Businesses"

wilschroter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:37:08 +0000

@superplussed. I've played with both. My diet isn't awesome, and never has been, so I'm sure that doesn't help. But if I could choose being more focused or giving up chocolate Pop-Tarts, I'm at a point in life where I'm just going to enjoy my Pop-Tarts and deal with the consequences.

New comment by wilschroter in "How I Used ADD to Build Great Businesses"

wilschroter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 15:30:36 +0000

@mortdeus - I'm not saying for a moment I wouldn't prefer more concentration. I would also prefer to be 6" taller, have 20 more points on my IQ, and be attractive to women. But life gives you what it gives you.

New comment by wilschroter in "How I Used ADD to Build Great Businesses"

wilschroter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:42:25 +0000

The first one does $2 billion and has 13,000 employees now, so it worked out OK. Blue Diesel which became Ventiv - public, now private.

New comment by wilschroter in "How I Used ADD to Build Great Businesses"

wilschroter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:41:16 +0000

Just shot you an email. Happy to share/help.

New comment by wilschroter in "How I Used ADD to Build Great Businesses"

wilschroter — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:38:32 +0000

(author here). The first 18 years of my life, particularly in school, were dreadfully plagued by ADD. I graduated at the bottom of my class in high school, went to summer school year after year, and was generally considered an awful student. I just couldn't concentrate and it was incredibly frustrating. It left me at a point where I really didn't think I had any capacity to do anything, and by 18 I hadn't even bothered to apply for college.

What I came to find out later, after I started a company at 19, was that if I could train my brain to sift out all the incredible noise, there was actually a lot of useful activity going on. 20 years later I finally feel I have a handle on it. I also learned I wasn't the only one. I wish I could sit down with so many more young ADD-laden students, founders and kids and help them along.

New comment by wilschroter in "Ebay Acquires Svpply"

wilschroter — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 22:11:35 +0000

Congrats team. Very few people every make it to the finish line of an exit, and for those that do, you inspire the rest!

New comment by wilschroter in "AMA with Barack Obama"

wilschroter — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 21:06:02 +0000

Given direct access to the most powerful person in the world, people on Reddit still act no differently. Yay consistency.