[dopeboy]

I'm a recovering founder after winding down my startup a couple months ago. I've been thinking about getting back on the saddle and in service of that, meeting with folks who could be potential co-founders.

One of the first ~5 questions I ask is whether they want to bootstrap or go down the VC route. Because they are very different paths, with different levels of pressure and mostly importantly, expectation.

You _have_ to know that from the outset, else it's just trouble.

[laurex]

Bootstrapping social tech ain’t easy. Expectations that this tech is free, plus the immediate need for support and safety for general populations mean that it’s very different than say, B2B SaaS.

[aleph_minus_one]

> Bootstrapping social tech ain’t easy. Expectations that this tech is free, plus the immediate need for support and safety for general populations

Start with and focus on an audience that has different expectations than the general population.

[BeFlatXIII]

Remember when The Face Book was for college kids only and GMail was invite-only? That's how to start.

[aleph_minus_one]

These are indeed possible examples.

[dopeboy]

Good points - social communities have less of an autopilot component than b2b SaaS.

[DeathArrow]

Social networks don't seem to be a great business idea regardless if you want to bootstrap or get outside money. And regardless of monetization model.

[Dig1t]

Which path do you want to go with in your next startup?

[dopeboy]

Leaning venture backed.