Comments on: TheUnFunded asks entrepreneurs: You can dish it out, but can you take it?

By: Anthony Ha

Anthony Ha — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:27:27 +0000

@Chris You’re not the only one.

By: Chris Mancini

Chris Mancini — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 20:24:34 +0000

@anthony – I cannot believe I did not notice that disclaimer at the bottom…I feel like an idiot…

Chris

By: Cutting through the web of lies: VentureBeat’s top five April Fools hoaxes » VentureBeat

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 02:28:12 +0000

[...] I know, I know, you’re a big-shot executive, and you don’t have time for all this April Fools nonsense. To be honest, neither did we — yet there we were, watching TechMeme fill with lies, damned lies and statistics. So if you’ve been feeling like a character in a Philip K. Dick novel, or if you just sat April Fools’ Day out, we’re here to help. Here’s a summary of today’s five funniest, loopiest or most convincing hoaxes. I also talk a little more about April Fools’ Day, and how VentureBeat got fooled itself, in the mobile post below. 5. TechCrunch purchases TigerBeat — CNET reported that TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington acquired famous teen magazine TigerBeat and gave it the truly jaw-dropping name CrunchKids. Quoth Arrington: “I’ve always thought Big Tobacco had it right: Get ‘em while they’re young.” Speaking of jaw-dropping, what really pushes the article into awesomeness is this amazing picture of Arrington (left). 4. Valleywag pulls the covers on URLURL — New York City entrepreneur Nate Westheimer tried to convince a number of tech news site (bafflingly, not VentureBeat) to post fake news stories about a new site called URLURL. Like TinyURL, the site is supposed to convert long web addresses to short ones, but it actually just rickrolls you. Westheimer foolishly tried to recruit Valleywag, which promptly outed him and denounced cooperating websites who “line up to trick [their readers] and boost Westheimer’s profile for a day.” 3. Google attacks the web with pranks — Fake Google news included AdSense for conversations and a joint Google/Virgin expedition to Mars. My favorite, though, was Google Custom Time, through which you can trick people into thinking you sent an email earlier than you really did. Missed deadlines will be a thing of the past! If you really want to screw with someone, you can even mark emails as already read. Bonus points to Gmail for linking to the grandfather paradox. 2. Microsoft/Yahoo agree on buyout price — This one really freaked me out this morning, particularly since there was some real Microsoft-Yahoo news too. I would have saved myself a lot of heartache if I’d read the article a little more carefully, and caught this tip-off: “Employees that Microsoft decides to retain will be offered an XBox 360 game platform and a Zune music player as token of appreciation …” 1. TheUnFunded asks entrepreneurs: You can dish it out, but can you take it? — What can I say? We got punked. [...]

By: Anthony Ha

Anthony Ha — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:34:59 +0000

Jason — Fair enough. But if I’ve learned one thing at VentureBeat, it’s this: Even if an idea is stupid, it might still get funding.

By: Redeye VC

Redeye VC — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:05:32 +0000

The UNfunded…

Over the last several years, April Fool’s Day has been moving online – and although we’ve seen online pranks from startups, bloggers, and large Internet companies, I’ve noticed relatively few from venture capitalists. (Insert sarcastic comment a…

By: Jason

Jason — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 21:30:06 +0000

I think this site could easily backfire for VCs. I doubt that VCs would openly discuss entrepreneurs on such a website.

If you ever had the privilege of having some more behind-the-curtain encounters with some of the very best VCs, you would know that the very best are very secretive (especially among their peers) about their encounters. Rarely have I heard of a VC signing on a deal because of good reputation from another VC (why didn’t that VC invest in that idea then himself?).

Remember how arrogant Larry and Sergey were when they pitched Google? Remember how many VCs turned them down before they got their first round of capital? VCs never regret turning down a bad idea, but they do regret turning down great opportunities. If this site keeps track of such mistakes, I bet there are a lot of investors (LPs that is) who would want a database of that. Even better if VCs offer that information themselves.

Depending on the amount of comments, I would also assume that the whole image of VCs always being so super busy and engaged about their portfolio companies would change. I would take it as a red flag should a VC tell me that he was late for a meeting because he had to write his comments on theunfunded.com.

It is not in a VC’s interest to burn bridges with any entrepreneur. The opposite is actually the case. Who knows? Maybe the entrepreneurs need a second funding later on or maybe they changed their idea and are on to something big?

So, after all, a nice April’s Fool’s joke, but if you had a clearer mindset about the real landscape you would have probably identified that joke earlier (no offense VentureBeat, TC had me on this as well for some minutes

By: Now VCs are fighting back. TheUnFunded founded. Is that a April Fools Joke ? : albinoalbinism

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:20:27 +0000

[...] Venture Capitalists Fight Back Against TheFunded – VentureBeat [...]

By: Marc Fawzi

Marc Fawzi — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:52:38 +0000

Correction: my reply was a follow up to anthropocentric not Anthony.

And I guess I need to clarify that what I was referring to falls under “reference checking” not defaming, i.e. candid but not demeaning.

By: Marc Fawzi

Marc Fawzi — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 04:29:55 +0000

@Anthony:

You wrote: “April Fools. What VC would do this?”

VCs and IPO underwriters always talk to each other before hiring a CEO to take a company public or funding some startup.

There is in fact a Virtual “The UnFunded” going on email channels.

‘)

By: Anthony Ha

Anthony Ha — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:26:39 +0000

Mark — Yeah, it’s one of those things that seems really unconvincing in retrospect, yet I spent a decent portion of the afternoon talking about it with other VentureBeat writers and putting this article together.

Oops.

By: Mark Bao

Mark Bao — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:09:30 +0000

TechCrunch has been perpetuating several April Fools items, including their own. They got me with this one.

Have to say, though, very convincing.

By: anthropocentric

anthropocentric — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:59:47 +0000

April Fools. What VC would do this?

By: Anthony Ha

Anthony Ha — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:36:46 +0000

Chris: Did you read our disclaimer?

By: Chris Mancini

Chris Mancini — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:34:17 +0000

It scares me that VC’s could be posting negative comments on my performance. You cannot tell me that if I do a smashup job they will post it on there, but if I am overly nervous and bomb it, I bet I would be on the site in less than 15 minutes.

It is comparable to being blacklisted on Google’s search listings, there is quite a bit at risk.

Chris Mancini
http://www.propertystampede.com