Check out the project we knocked out at Startup Weekend Seattle EDU:
We created this game called DeathMath in 54-hours at Startup Weekend EDU. The title speaks for itself doesn’t it? If you were expecting some type of violent game with a splattering of math, you’ve come to the right place. This is a fighting game where you go one on one with another player and the only way to inflict damage is to answer the math questions quicker than your opponent, and correctly. Pretty simple, but oh so fun. We wanted the game to be engaging and entertaining for kids because all the other educational games weren’t, at least in our eyes. And if it helped strengthen ones mathematical chops by drilling them over and over again — all the better.
This was so much fun to work on. At first, I was terrified to work on a game since I’ve never done any real game development before. Jordan was able to help out so much in terms of domain expertise and showing just what can be done with HTML5 canvas. We were also super lucky to have great illustration by Kyle and graphic design by Joe (huge requirement for making a game). I even ended up writing the multiplayer match-making server that didn’t even make it to the demo. I at least want to polish & open source that, and would love to get the multiplayer pieces working.
Xmarks considers charging users…
I’ve always though that xmarks (formerly foxmarks) solves a great problem, and provides value to it’s users. But, a few days ago, xmarks announced they are shutting down. They do give a great history on what lead up to this decision and why, and having known people that work there, I can both understand what went wrong, and why.
Here’s something even more interesting. After a few days and outcry from it’s users, xmarks is now considering staying alive by charging it’s users. I’m sure this seems blindingly obvious to outsiders (charge your customers), but there are a number of reasons why didn’t ever charge.
My take is they should have started charging long ago, and in fact the $10/year is way too cheap. They could get away with $3-10/month. Yes, converting from free-to-pay is a difficult process, but it can be done, and it is worth it. At TeachStreet Dave has written and talked about how we made the transition.
No, it won’t give them a crazy 10-100x return. In fact, they still likely need to find a different way to grow their business and pivot until they find it. But charging for their service allows them to cover their costs and keep their business running while they can grow.
TeachStreet: 3 years in code.
I realized that it’s almost the 3 year anniversary of when I joined TeachStreet and when we started writing code. (it was actually mid-September 2007). This is a visualization from our git repository from gource. Sometimes you’ll see similar usernames as the same coders check in code using a different machine, but you should be able to recognize the regular employees, and as they’ve changed over time.
125 Pounds of Hell
And it begins… TeachStreet’s weight loss challenge. We as a team plan to lose 125 pounds (all together) in the next 52 weeks. And boy do I need to get on this again. Here’s my plan:
- Walk to/from work (easier now that I’m closer to work, even though Denny’s a big hill)
- Work out 3 times a week, then ramp to 5 times. Again, having nice workout room in new apartment should help lots here, so I have no excuse.
- No more snacking at work
- Continue eating healthy dinners during the week with Jane (will continue on this one, because Jane’s already pretty awesome at that)
- Eat Healthier at work for lunches (bringing in more salads/sammiches)
- Limit coffee/tea to 1 a day (unless I have without sugar/cream)
- Lower beer intake (switch to mixed drinks with soda water and/or only drink on weekends)
Good to see the TeachStreet mention!
I’d also like to think that these companies also spawned from the need for something better in those niches. Craigslist is great, but it’s an almost direct translation from newspaper classifieds. It does have great selection, but sometimes people need better tools to solve specific problems.
The Spawn of craigslist
Like most VCs that focus on investing in the applications layer of the internet, I’m fascinated by craigslist…
I find it particularly interesting how craigslist is able to legitamitely compete (if not dominate) in such a broad range of categories. They do so using less features and “worse” interface design than their competition (Sidenote: Craigslist is case-and-point that “more features” is *not* a competitive advantage, so please remove your features chart from your competition slide in your pitch deck, thanks!).
I put together this pic that visualizes how entrepreneurs have tried to carve out niches from craigslist, some more successful than others. This is in no way a comprehensive list (feel free to add to it in the comments below), and in some places, one might argue that craigslist is getting whipped (homeaway? others?). Also, some companies may have been founded early enough that craigslist wasn’t an original competitor. Regardless, it’s amazing how craigslist’s broad, horizontal approach to creating marketplaces is successful overall.
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Dave & Stella at TeachStreet HQ (photo via jane)
