

John Doerr's Startup Manual (1997) - hwijaya
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/07/082doerr.html

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smakz
"In June, 1996 KPCB organized a $100 million Java Fund to back a slate of
startups using Sun's Java programming language, including Active Software,
Calico, Internet Security Systems, Marimba, and Netiva."

It's kind of funny seeing the precursor to web 2.0 style names.

I think his team oriented approach still rings true today. Any two
entrepreneurs can form a team, but it takes a special team to drive forward
down the right path. The initial product idea almost doesn't even matter, if
you have the right synergies and talent in a team, the product will evolve to
reach the market. I believe that is part of the philosophy of y combinator.

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loganfrederick
I believe this article was released right at the peak of the economic
boom/bubble. While I agree with his answer:

"Absolutely. Remember, Compaq was conceived at the House of Pancakes. But
before throwing in with the group, I'd advise the 28-year-old to think
carefully about the business opportunity, the markets, and the technology. And
think hardest about the team."

I think the most important part now would be the markets. Market timing can
determine if your technology is ahead of the curve or already on the road to
being quickly replaced/replicated. Business opportunity is also largely
determined by whether there is (A) a market that wants the business and (B) a
market that can financially support the business.

Potential customers could theoretically want a business but not be able to
afford it due to their own economic problems. This is probably a common
occurrence and is one of the reasons we even have economic contractions.

An argument could be made that market timing/identification is more important
than the original founding team.

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aristus
1997, not 2007.

"Three years ago, Doerr was already a famous Silicon Valley venture
capitalist. But the event that moved him to global business fame was the
arrival of the Internet."

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yagibear
See also <http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3103> and
<http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=492853>

