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Ask HN: Startups outside US, what to do?

9 pointsby _pcpealmost 14 years ago
I am one of those peoples who are dreaming to get their own startup done but are living in under developed country such as Nepal (Asia) where Internet hasn't touched the mainstream of people's daily life, what should they do?<p>Move to USA? Visa is a great issue for us peoples. Seed investment as low as 10K USD means 70K NRS (local Nepali currency) which means a lot where local rich investors don't understand what technology means.<p>Should I just leave the dream of my own startup and get a job of working on local outsourcing company that does the same outdated php/mysql websites for clients?? I understand bootstrapping is the way you might say, but that's like OMG, is it really possible that way?<p>I am just getting kinda frustrated now.

7 comments

darylteoalmost 14 years ago
Hi desushil,<p>perhaps some insight into "why" you are dreaming to get your own startup done would go far towards understanding your desires.<p>Is it that you desire money? Then perhaps a startup in your case might not be the best solution. Is it that you desire a leadership position? There are other ways up the ladder. Is it that you desire creative challenges? There might be opportunities for you to outsource your skills via other channels as well rather than just the "local outsourcing company".<p>Those are just examples. But ultimately, remember that in order to start something, you must have a product. And the best way to find a product is to find a problem that needs to be solved.<p>You say that you live in an underdeveloped country. That is a problem. Can you solve it?<p>Of course, that sounds simplistic, as I cannot tell what your overall situation is. So, best of luck wherever you go from here :)<p>Regards, Daryl
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fezzlalmost 14 years ago
Seek solace in the fact that you have a cost advantage over other US-based startups. For example, where I live, I only need to make US$0.30 to get a US$1 equivalent in the country where I'm based, making it much easier to attain ramen profitability.
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angryasianalmost 14 years ago
Just keep in mind that companies will buy market leaders in different countries. Believe me starting a startup in the US doesn't make your job any easier, and actually may be more difficult because of the competition. You don't need large market share, just need to build a loyal one. I would believe that there are enough internet users for you to start something.
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petervandijckalmost 14 years ago
1. Bootstrapping is possible. Try a small project.<p>2. Try working independently. Work hard, get a good reputation. Worth a try.
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sathishmanoharalmost 14 years ago
Hi, I'm from India. I totally hear you.<p>India is a diverse country with huge population and internet penetration is getting better. But, I still have few problems. I'll list it below, perhaps lets see if you can relate with them.<p>Problems<p>1. Co-founder Problem:<p>Most Tech People here learn technologies, lets say programming languages, because thats what they teach them in college. Most of them don't have a nag, or sense of technology at all. Pure geeks are scarce resource, kinda of people who learn technologies because, they want to learn them. Here Most of the people follow money. Many people are in software industry for the simple reason, thats where they can get most money. If theres a better oppurtunity to make money making omlets, most of the software companies will have hard time finding employees. The culture in southern asia makes it touch to find people, who does stuff, because they like doing it.<p>2. Oppurtunity Problem:<p>I've researched for past few months, and found there is really a VC industry in India, Most of them live in ghost towns with no online presence. While US investors and startup fostering culture is all over the internet. Eventhough, I hate the concept of building a company for good exit (which is like marrying a rich man to get divorced), there are certainly some incentives for US tech companies, where you have other tech companies who might be willing to aquire you (even for petty cash), is a boost for starting a company. The thought of get rich or die in hell is big no starter, and makes people go for safer mediocrity.<p>3. Resources Probem:<p>Just as in cofounder, hiring people who have intrisic interest in technology is difficult, Getting many people to work on something that has value in the future (without investment) is extremely difficult in asian culture.<p>If you have some of these problems, I have a some good news. I've found some work arounds for these problems.<p>Solutions<p>1. Co-founder or Investors Problem:<p>I haven't found a great solution for this problem, But, I have a workaround, If you can't find anybody, put yourself in the places, where somebody might find you. I teach web Design tutorials in youtube (in my mother toungue), which has a small following. When somebody is intersted in tech and have right attitude gets together through that, I might find a great cofounder, or have interest in investing, I might find an investor. If you can't find somebody, make yourself findable. Have a great online presence. Also, look among friends, may be there aren't techies, but you might find a friend with great business sense.<p>2. Resources Problem:<p>Find something that gets most done, with minimal effort, I found Ruby On Rails for web application, does exactly this. Don't get lost in scaling problems, Because, by the time you worry about scaling problems, you might have something in hand to showoff and seek investment. Today you can see video tutorials, and put together a website, you can pull this off with just a computer and a few bucks. May be your website will look ugly, just google for google's first version of their website. Take a deep breath and start working on it. Don't start a company yet. You can always work on projects, that can later become companys. This should not be a Problem, not for staring.<p>3. Oppurtunity Problem:<p>This is a great One, Having less oppurtunities is actually good, if there are more people ready to buy and invest, people tend to make companies, just for the sake of making them. So, Ask yourself what do you want to build most, even, if you cannot make money or sell it. Build something that gives you satisfaction, and that would make you think "that was worth while". If you can't find something, go on with your studies until you find one.<p>Hope this helps. Cheers.
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nandemoalmost 14 years ago
Have you considered making a service for people who live outside Nepal?
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_pcpealmost 14 years ago
Typo: 10K USD = 700K NRS (Nepali currency), sorry!