How did people find out about the big companies like Uber etc when they were early startups? Were they advertised about normally or are there more niche places to find out about them to get in earlier?
Follow the successful VCs & Angels & work for who they invest in
I’ve been looking at really early startups lately too, it really depends on what you’re looking for, there’s a ton out there. It’s actually super hard for startup to hire good people, so they’re inclined to talk to you. If you spend the time to talk to them, it becomes obvious who is good and who are just sketchy.
Crunchbase, angel list is a good start. You can also look at accelerators like Y Combinator, 500 startups. One of the best indicators is which VC has backed the startup, so looking at portfolio investments of Sequoia, Andreesen, Benchmark and other top tier Sand Hill VC’s is a great way to identify startups that have the backing of a successful VC. That said 8 or 9 of 10 startups with funding fail to become a unicorn or return outstanding return.
Left google to join a so called rocket ship. Dreamt of millions, the company however went for a down round after my 4 years of slogging there with no social or a cushy google life. Even my girlfriend left me for I had no time. I am back at google now, and my paper value has become 1/4 though the rocket ship lost more. My advice, don’t do it unless you are 200% sure it will work out.
Much needed advice. Thanks
Lol nobody can be sure if it will work out. Lyft or even Uber can still fail. Go to startups after they found product market fit, round D or so, only if they have compounded growth, or better yet growth is exponential.
Crunchbase and PR pieces related to the company to get an initial pulse. Then in depth research on the leadership team, funders, if there's already a product in the market, etc.
You should never make a judgement about a startup based on their own PR
Agreed but it can give you an idea of where they are as a company. You can read between the lines and decide whether there's substance or if it's just premarket hype.
Angel list?