

FOBO (YC S11) fades off into the distance - mikeknoop
http://fobostories.tumblr.com/post/98323799703/fobo-fades-off-into-the-distance

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minimaxir
"It’s been just about two months since FOBO launched its local marketplace app
for consumer electronics. But already, the app has proven wildly successful in
its home market of San Francisco, where it’s pushing a $1 million run rate and
spreading just by word-of-mouth."

[http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/16/fobo-
video/](http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/16/fobo-video/)

The kicker? The article was posted _seven months ago_. It shows that "proven
wildly successful" can still mean your startup dies in half a year.

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tonydiv
Something doesn't add up.

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minimaxir
It would not surprise me that "$1 million run rate" means "$1 million worth of
products sold through our service," or some other actuarial abuse.

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baddox
> If you have any loose ends to tie up, pending sales, or earnings left in
> FOBO, be sure to do so in the app, so we don’t have to have the FOBOTs track
> you down to get you paid.

I'd like to check on that, since I sold some stuff on FOBI a while ago.
Unfortunately the app doesn't seem to exist in the App Store. It shows up in
my iPhone's spotlight results, but the App Store page never loads.

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seanmccann
This one always rubbed me the wrong way after the "1 million run rate after 2
months" article. Since run rate was likely last week * 52, they simply sold
$19k worth of good and took their 15% or $2.9k. An accomplishment for founders
trying to get anything "to stick" but nothing to brag about!

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ChuckFrank
I was a huge fan of FOBO as I cheered from the sidelines. If any of the FOBO
guys are interested in talking about their experience, I'd love to take you
out for a drink or two, on me. Msg me if drinks sound good.

