

Why I pitched barefoot at Demo Day, and tips for being relaxed on stage - jkresner
http://www.hackerpreneurialism.com/post/81222695099/pitching-airpair-bare-foot-tips-for-relaxed-on-demo-day?ref=hn

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hga
What's the risk of disabling damage in going barefoot?

If I wasn't balancing damage to spine et. al. with risks to my feet, I'd wear
boots suitable for combat, as I did in high school were combat wasn't out of
the question. Strong hiking boots, actually, to protect from getting stomped
on, and as an implicit message of how I might reply to an assault.

Post-high school, when that would have been clear cut criminal assault, and
mobility became more important for avoiding criminal elements, I switched to
New Balance 9x9s (high quality running shoes, although I don't run), which I
still wear 3+ decades later. Although not around the house.

Anyway, my point is, that as an potential investor, I'd be concerned about
your balance of risk and reward; do you feet get dangerously hot that such a
risk is reasonable? Severe foot injuries can cascade to death
([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Tappan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Tappan),
albeit I'm sure he was older than you). It would be a factor in my making a
decision, even though I've known plenty of people over the years who don't
meet my standard of foot protection, including going barefoot, without
noticeable harm.

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gtani
I've seen the advice that musicians should never go barefoot at concert
venues/clubs, given nontrivial risk of incorrectly grounded amps and PA's, but
i can't find a source on googles 1st 10 results ("musician barefoot,
electrocution, incorrectly grounded PA").

Below link is similar advice: don't plug in amp while kneeling on wet ground,
essentially, don't complete a circuit through your heart

[http://www.noshockzone.org/stopping-hums-buzzes-and-
shocks-o...](http://www.noshockzone.org/stopping-hums-buzzes-and-shocks-on-
stage-%E2%80%94-part-1-volts/)

~~~
hga
Yeah, I had at least one friend in college who'd been a ham before, and who
was still alive because he'd followed the rule of keeping one hand in his
pocket while the other worked on hot equipment. A bit limiting, but worth it
for him!

Since hearing that I've tried to follow the rule, still do to this day.

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rhgraysonii
I personally think this is a cool concept. It's ballsy, but not provocative.
That's a sign of a solid person with confidence, which obviously would help
your overall pitch. I love the product, too. Best of luck to y'all :)

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rdl
I took notes on every presentation at Alumni Demo Day, and one of my notes for
yours was specifically "founders seem very good" (both your backgrounds and
delivery/confidence during the presentation), so this clearly seems to have
worked for you. (I'm pretty sure I saw you doing a run shortly before the
presentations started in the afternoon and you seemed much more nervous.)

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ChuckFrank
Ask yourself. 'What is the most important thing I have to say here?' And from
what I've read, being barefoot is not one of them. As PG says, 'Yes you can be
barefoot.', but that's not the story. And not knowing the difference says only
one thing to me - Beginner. But we all have to start somewhere. Might as well
be barefooted.

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junto
My feet look like a hobbit's. There is no way I'm going to expose anyone to my
hairy scary monsters.

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ewwtoes
Coming from NYC, one of my irrational peeves is men in sandals or barefoot
when not at the beach. Every time I walk around SF I can't stop noticing
slobby looking men with their toes on display. How hard is it to put on a nice
pair of shoes?

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dang
If a Hacker News comment is not good enough to post with your regular account,
it's probably not good enough to post at all. That's not always true, which is
why we don't ban throwaways. But it is certainly true in this case.

