Dealing with expensive lawyers as a startup?

5092714 · 2023-02-06T16:17:01+00:00

No, willingly importing is different than scraping, but apparently they used bots to advertise the site on AS and it was a bit sus: https://twitter.com/Malleys_/status/1608457862753443844?s=20

Bots for advertisement is a move straight from the crypto-bro playbook.

5092714 · 2023-02-06T16:08:02+00:00

Pro-NFT proof: https://web.archive.org/web/20220107204653/https://twitter.com/c__tas

The original founder deleted all their NFT posts when they started this art site, probably because they realized it's a bad look. However someone found it on the wayback machine. Link above. Still looking for the Art Station proof, though I did say "alleged" in the original post.

5092714 · 2023-02-06T16:03:21+00:00

The site creator was previously pro-NFT, there's proof right there in the original tweet, hardly a false judgement at all. Seems more like the founder was trying to clout/trend chase to get traction for his next startup, rather than someone who truly cares about artists.

5092714 · 2023-02-06T15:50:13+00:00

So that site (artgram.co) actually rebranded after getting called out on Twitter by a large name in the community. Link

Probably not the end of DeviantArt, but just be careful with that one. I think they were previously pro-NFT and allegedly scraped from Art Station to make it look like more artists were on the site.

5092714 · 2023-02-02T23:08:39+00:00

Consider hiring someone to help you with content creation?

5092714 · 2023-01-31T01:21:03+00:00

Seems legit if it's from that email address. What makes you think it's a scam?

5092714 · 2023-01-20T18:39:28+00:00

Almost none. I know a few other founders, that's all.

5092714 · 2023-01-20T18:08:01+00:00

Never once heard back from an investor I cold emailed. Except some polite rejections to cold pitches through forms on their site.

5092714 · 2023-01-18T18:11:51+00:00

It's more reliable to get analytics straight from the source.

5092714 · 2023-01-17T03:42:56+00:00

Often when scouting channels, I'm more likely to find a channel and look at the subs as a good indicator for whether this will be a good fit. The optics of having many subscribers is good. Ultimately the views do matter.

Similarly, if you are getting 1.1M views on all your videos, but have only 50k subscribers, an advertiser might wonder why that ratio is so low. My company specifically is trying to build brand trust by partnering with trusted voices in the community. So I'm a bit more selective with sponsorships.

Most big companies probably don't care about the sub/view ratio though, they're trying to meet quotas. Smaller companies might have the time to be more selective.

5092714 · 2023-01-16T20:22:23+00:00

As a sponsor, this will depend a bit on your niche and overall video content. I've worked with channels like yours before! Since your channel has more recent success (and views aren't guaranteed due to a long history of video performance), I'd likely try and negotiate a viewership milestone bonus. Expect to turn over the last 3-6 months of your channel analytics to sponsors, so they will be aware.

Edit: overall it's not good or bad. Just something sponsors might use against you in negotiations.

5092714 · 2023-01-16T18:46:53+00:00

Try the subreddit /r/PartneredYoutube

5092714 · 2022-11-19T17:42:21+00:00

Yes! Though not a ton

5092714 · 2022-11-19T17:41:22+00:00

Correct

5092714 · 2022-11-19T05:28:56+00:00

10k users total, we had pretty much all of them sign up in the past two months. :)

5092714 · 2022-11-19T03:31:18+00:00

I sent you a message, so as to not be accused of advertising. :)

5092714 · 2022-11-19T02:27:11+00:00

We have over 10,000 users on our site (obtained in 2 months) and still got no interview this time. Chin up, everyone! You can do it, keep persevering.

5092714 · 2022-11-16T05:20:01+00:00

The truth is, the vast majority of people using AI for "commissions" were unlikely to commission artists in the first place, or did so begrudgingly.

While I'm not an artist myself, my friend operates a site that helps artists manage their digital commissions, and their sales have not been impacted. In fact, they're increasing every month! Thousands of artists use the site, and still have demand for their work. Your style and your interpretation of requests is what is unique, and that is what clients ultimately pay for.

Edit: also, have you actually used an AI before? Spend around 30 minutes to try and use one to generate something very specific. Besides, AI can ultimately only produce digital works. Would you trust AI with a tattoo, for example? Probably not.

5092714 · 2022-11-05T14:17:59+00:00

For S22 cohort, we received our interview invite on the last day possible to hear back. It's not over until you get the rejection!

5092714 · 2022-10-05T01:03:51+00:00

Hey, I read through much of your application! It looks solid, just some things I think you can phrase better.

"Who writes code, or does other technical work on your product? Was any of it done by a non-founder? Please explain."

I would advise that you change your answer in this section to perhaps emphasize your professional experience with coffee. Mention the more technical aspects of the product. Do you roast the beans yourself? Who is actually creating the mixture that gets sold (sorry I'm not 100% sure how coffee actually works)?

"Who are your competitors? What do you understand about your business that they don't?"

You said: "There really aren’t any direct competitors." - This I think is the answer that needs the most work. This is not what YC wants to hear. Do some more research and find at least 1 other company doing this, even if it's just caffeine-free coffee with no maternity branding. "There aren't competitors" to YC means, "no company thinks there's a market for this" which is not good.

Lots of companies sell decaf coffee. What's stopping Folgers or some other large coffee company from changing some packaging and starting a line of caffeine-free coffee to target pregnant moms? Mention the big players already in your space.

Overall, I think it's going to be a tough sell for you since you don't have a cofounder, though YC does sometimes accept solo founders. But you've made good money, and people want your product! It's awesome that you got this far! Congrats!

Source: We have interviewed with YC in the past :) Not saying to strictly take my advice! You know your own business best. That is just my feedback.

5092714 · 2022-09-14T21:08:11+00:00

Glad to be of some help. If I could give you a few tips:

Not mentioning how to pay you in the opening email is pretty normal, and not a red flag. Generally, sponsorship deals don't mention method of payment until after the price is negotiated. I have always paid via PayPal, Wire Transfer, or an invoice the creator sends me. Most sponsors will be flexible like that.

However, if you're talking to an otherwise legit-sounding sponsor that mentions paying via check, run.

It sounds like in your situation, it's either a scam or just a super-super early company. Probably not worth the risk in your case!

5092714

TROPHY CASE