

Ask HN: What's your startup's competitive advantage? - wensing

From PG's writings, I'm inspired to believe that simply being a startup with superior technology is in and of itself a huge advantage, and a lasting one.<p>But that's not what investors want to hear, is it?<p>This makes me wonder: who really are your competitors?  The ones that really might kill you?
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adrianwaj
Competitors are those that provide you with the inspiration to innovate more
on your products and solutions. They usually are trying to solve a similar
problem for the same set of people.

edit: for the more pragmatic, add "Be grateful to your competitors and then
have them crushed."

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wensing
In that light (which I think is great), your competitors might not even be
web-based!

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pedalpete
I think when VC's talk competitive advantage they are obviously looking for
what sets you apart from the competition, but I suspect they want it framed in
such a way that it speaks to the lock-in factor.

If your competitive advantage is that you have the best UI, that isn't good
enough, because that can be copied. What sets you apart which your competitors
can't replicate, or which puts up barriers (assuming you have some market
share).

Those are my thoughts.

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wensing
Staying on that subject of UI, why hasn't the iPhone UI been successfully
copied?

Jason Fried has said that "the copier doesn't know why the original looks the
way it looks.", therefore superficial imitation is insufficient.

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adrianwaj
VCs like to hear that your market size is huge, because even if you take a
fraction of it, it's still significant.

Look at the way you approach a problem, can you hit two birds with the one
stone. What about 3?

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lsc
Who are your customers. VC? or the people using your service?

Its an important decision.

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wensing
The people using our service, of course. But that's not really my question.
I'm wanting to know what people pitch as their competitive advantage.

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lsc
For instance, strong lock-in is good for the VC, but bad for your customers.

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wensing
Might not be good for the VC either, and some are smart enough to realize it.
Google was VC funded but believes strongly in Data Liberation, AFAIK.

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medianama
source of sustainable competitive advantage... as they say

