1) http://hackerbooks.com just launched, (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2249390) and it scours the HN database for books and lists them with links to Amazon. I am interested in building a site that scours HN for website launch items, and lists them alongside their launch thread, a short description of what it does, its point score, and the founder's username.
There are spreadsheets that do this, but aren't effective.
Not even YC has a portfolio page.
-- Problem: good sites get launched on HN and then they get lost, or not easily found. There should be a way for them to be tracked, ranked, categorized and tagged. Seeing what people have done and are doing is a good way to find co-founders, mentors, relevant people and prevent duplication of effort. Most importantly, it is a way for users to find online tools and services that they'll use, and to see their founders who they could contact.
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2) Seemingly good founders and startups are getting rejected from YC, some being accepted after a 3rd or 4th attempt or raising large rounds immediately afterward. People from outside the US are flying into California and being rejected. I have details of a site that crowd-sources due diligence on startups - a task that investors now do.
It's basically about putting YC and Seedcamp-type application questions and their answers online, and then requesting and publicizing feedback. Responses and responders are just as important as the pitch, as seen with Quora and its priority on people answering. Tracking interested parties surrounding a startup team is as important as is tracking people interested and attending conferences on Lanyrd. Also, seeing what startups a person is involved with (investor, staff, mentor, user, supporter, partner) is important.
-- There was a time when putting a resume online was surprising and revealing to me, by way of LinkedIn. Now LinkedIn is close to an IPO. To me, startup questionnaires are as private and success-engendering as resumes, but now I think they should go public.
Person + resume = LinkedIn
Team + questionnaire = ???
So an online incubator.
