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> If I invent a flying car that runs on a couple of AA batteries, then saying so is not going to give away my secrets and allow competitors to beat me. Your point is well taken, and I thought of that. But my concern is that if I explain the market opportunity, then some big companies or big VCs will rush to do something that looks like that. If my project is a flying car on two AA batteries, then they will come out with a flying car with a small engine that charges a 200 pound battery pack and can fly maybe two miles, publicize the heck out of it, and make my effort just ignored, no matter how much better it is. Besides, as I've explained here, I've explained to lots of VCs the problem I'm solving. They don't care. They won't pay attention to any explanations. That's why here I focus on traction -- VCs won't touch my work with a pole 5 miles long, and about the only thing I don't have now is traction. So, we know the truth: What they really care about, about all they care about, is traction. Maybe in the past that was good for their businesses, but now it's so cheap to start a company that by the time there is that old traction, a solo founder (they hate solo founders) with meager opex won't want, need, or accept a term sheet and BoD. I admit that there are not yet very many such startups, but the door is now wide open to a golden road of just such successes. E.g., can get a 64 bit, x86 processor with 8 cores and a 4.0 GHz clock for less than $150. Can put it on a $100 motherboard in a $50 case. Can get main memory for about $9 a GB. Can get nearly all the Microsoft server side software for free in their BizSpark program. But my point here is to do a big favor for HN readers, to push back against the OP, to explain that VCs just don't read their e-mail messages, want warm introductions but don't know the best people, etc. I've given up on VCs, e.g., have insulted them here. So, I'm pushing back against the OP as a favor to the HN audience. Guys, save your time. Write VCs anything you want as in the OP, and the VCs will just ignore it, usually not even open the e-mail. I've just done you a big favor. |