What's the best startup story you ever heard?
doesn't have to be about software
16 comments
If you've never read how Kenneth Cole (shoe/fashion company) started out by launching a movie production company, it's a great story: http://www.kennethcole.com/scripts/aboutus/ourstory.asp
James Dyson's story is one of the most interesting startup stories I know. Trying to sell your technology and everyone ignoring you...
http://www.bestchoicevacuums.com/dyson-story.html
http://www.bestchoicevacuums.com/dyson-story.html
Once someone told me about a guy who invented the disk brake, he went to a racing team to offer it, but they told him "we're looking for something to speed up our cars, not to slow them down."
At the end, disk brakes helped a lot in racing because drivers could reduce speed in less time which gave them more time to accelerate.
(I don't know if this is a true story or just a joke, but its a great story!)
At the end, disk brakes helped a lot in racing because drivers could reduce speed in less time which gave them more time to accelerate.
(I don't know if this is a true story or just a joke, but its a great story!)
I just read about the 17 year old founder of whateverlife.com yesterday. That is a great story.
Gary Dahl, "inventor" of the pet rock.
http://www.petsdo.com/blog/pet-rock-made-man-multi-millionai...
http://www.petsdo.com/blog/pet-rock-made-man-multi-millionai...
The guy made a million dollars. You know, I had an idea like that once. A long time ago.
It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor, and it would have different conclusions written on it that you could jump to.
It was a "Jump to Conclusions" mat. You see, it would be this mat that you would put on the floor, and it would have different conclusions written on it that you could jump to.
That's the worst idea I've ever heard in my life, Leon.
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Of all the stories in Founders at Work I think my favorite is Wozniak's. It still amazes me that he made the entire Apple II by himself, both hardware and software.
I would say Viaweb and/or Vermeer purely because there is so much information about them.
My personal favorite is the story of the Lycos founder in "Founders at Work". The guy just got a call from a VC, saying "we will give you money if you run a company with this great search technology we bought".
I enjoy reading about the early days of Netscape:
http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/nscpdorm.html
http://www.jwz.org/gruntle/nscpdorm.html
Please help keep all these stories at: http://startupflames.com/
Oops, looks like a few got out.
"The New New Thing" by Michael Lewis