[jhuckestein]

This is click bait. Expect to see a similar post with a different selection of startups on GigaOM, VentureBeat, TNW, Mashable, Pandodaily and every other such site.

You also have to wonder about how they select these startups (other than at random)? It's comparing apples to oranges and doesn't even seem to have a consistent metric (expected roi, innovativeness of idea, best pitch, etc).

Why is instacart not on there?

[3am_hackernews]

Yes, I was really curious about their metrics for ranking the startups.

As you correctly pointed out - why is instacart missing while 9gag is present? I can name so many much better alternatives to 9gag: instacart, KIPPT, Everyday.me etc.

[zio99]

But what if there is a way to rank these startups? Similar to how there are algorithms to pick startup winners: http://www.technologyreview.com/news/428427/an-algorithm-to-... and software to pick Blockbuster hits: PDF: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/papers/1329.pdf and of course, my very own academic research in this arena: http://startupframework.tumblr.com/post/29634915106/what-i-l...

What if the only criteria required by this article was to list startups that sold something (rather than be a platform or <insert disruptive buzzword here> that doesn't currently monetize. E.g. Makr.io, ReelSurfer). So that would boil it down to: Double, Coco Controller and a handful others.

As investor Kevin O'Leary would say: Follow the money.

[lacker]

9gag is a pretty obvious selection - they have tens of millions of users.

[3am_hackernews]

I was under the impression that quality triumphs over quantity for these cases.

[endersshadow]

Your opinion of the content/product being sold should not be mistaken for the quality of a business model. The two are vastly different things. For example, I don't smoke cigarettes--hate the things, but I'll be damned if tobacco wasn't a great way to make a buck in the past century.

[Kiro]

Because Instacart will fail while 9GAG already is one of the most successful YC companies ever.

[benologist]

Pretty sure most of their metrics boil down to previously generating pageviews on HN, with extra points for the SEO bonus when those pageviews were on TC.

[waterlesscloud]

They give you a one line bolded "why?" for each pick. All pre-tl;dred and everything.