

What's the next "big thing"? - merlincryption
http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/37387?nlid=4371&a=f

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donofrip
This is great. I really like the visualization of where there are gaps in the
space for new technologies. (Happy to see I fall in a nice white space!) This
sort of mapping makes a lot of sense for investors--hedge funds and asset
managers use similar algorithms and maps in the investing world all the time.
It only makes sense that the same tools available to the public market could
be used in the private markets as well.

That said, I'm interested in the database of failed and successful companies
which the group put together. I'd like to see how they account for things like
founder personalities, the personal network/connections of the founders and
early investors, and some of the other "soft" traits that can make a big
impact on a new company. While it wouldn't be hard to fit these into an
algorithm, I'm not sure if it would be easy to find reliable inputs for this.
There are so many variables that can affect the ultimate success and failure
of a startup. This to me would be a very difficult project to undertake. I'm
sure the results of this are proprietary...

