I seriously hate being this guy, but this is taking short-sightedness to a ridiculous level. You guys drifted from one idea to another to another like a windsock. Then you suggested that you decided to pitch an investor about the idea you were "passionate about" that you got from a thread on Reddit, seemingly days before. See the problem here?<p>The other question I have is why you were so adamant about getting funding. If the idea is so good and people want it so badly, why seek investment? I don't mean this as a dig. I just don't understand why so many people wanting to start businesses work from the assumption that they need to make obtaining funding the end goal, and if they get into an incubator or get some investor money, they win. Nowadays, it seems like building a successful company is a process that is tightly guarded like entrance to an elite university, and if you don't get in, you can't succeed. In reality, there has never been a time as favorable for starting a purely tech-based company than right now. You can do in a few hours of work per week what used to take a team of full-time engineers several months. You don't need to invest in equipment or inventory. And yet, ironically, it seems that the companies that most desperately seek funding (and most often get it) are the companies that least need it.<p>That said, having advisers is another matter, and I know that having connections in high places is never a bad thing. My point is that I think the process described here, (and in so many articles on Mashable and TechCrunch) unnecessarily discourages people, and prioritizes the unimportant aspects of building a business.
Glad to finally know the story!<p>Are you guys the reason why they locked the 500 offices permanently (so you can only get in with a iPhone app)? Did Dave finally tire of all the ramdom dudes pitching him?
Please hyperlink any mention of Meloncard or any other product that remains live, you're on the front page of Hacker News make the most of it! I had to <i>search</i> for your product, that's so backwards!
It's great to see you reaping a reward for going out on a limb - congratulations!<p>How do you think your pitch would have been received had this been in a more traditional forum? Do you think you would have achieved the same results, or would you have pitched a completely different angle?