[plt-scheme] Re: Change the World

Noel Welsh <noelwelsh at yahoo.com> writes at Mon, 21 Mar 2005 02:07:48 -0800:
> Given the hot-bed of Scheme research that is Boston, some of the
> locals must have ideas that just need a bit of a push to change the
> world.  I just wish I could apply...

The Paul Graham summer startup thing does indeed look like a good deal,
and I'm seriously considering it myself.

Some comments...

Keep in mind that angel funding is usually not too difficult to get
around MIT, since pretty much everyone is 0-2 social network hops from
amateur and professional investors.

Workable business ideas aren't that hard either.  Shop any idea past an
Harvard MBA student, and s/he'll be able to reformulate and spin it in a
credible-sounding way as a variation on whatever the supposed next (or
current) big thing is.  (Not that I recommend relying on MBAs to shore
up weak ideas.)

The really difficult thing is finding the right people: right abilities,
right motivations, right availability.

Finding the right people is especially tricky if you're looking for good
Lisp hackers, as there are surprisingly few Lisp enthusiasts even here
in Cambridge, MA, nowadays.  (I blame MIT for letting undergrads use
Java.)

However, should you find someone who's invested lots of energy in
getting good with Lisp, you know one important thing about their
motivations: they certainly aren't in it for the money. :)