A Real Semantic Search Engine is Coming: Q&A With Swingly CEO Andy Hickl
March 18, 2009
I had the pleasure of meeting Andy way back at Pitch Camp Dallas when he gave a short presentation on Swingly. Andy and his team have been hard at work moving towards the release of their search engine, so I was glad when he was able to respond to a few questions I had shot him a while back via email.
FWSB: Introduce yourself and tell us what is Swingly on both a layman’s and more technical level.
Hi, I’m Andy Hickl, CEO of Swingly.com.
Swingly is a new kind of search engine that’s aiming to change how people search for factual information. We’re looking to accomplish this by combining two powerful types of “semantic” search engines: automatic question-answering and adaptive recommender systems. (more…)
Q&A With Drop.io Developer Jake Good
January 28, 2009
FWSB: What is Drop.io and what is your role with the company?
Jake: Drop.io is the simplest place to share files and collaborate online. It’s as easy as that. We have a large number of common inputs and outputs into our collaboration platform, including: email, SMS, fax, Twitter, Voicemail, etc. With our service, people can collaborate online with a conference line, share documents privately, and ensure that the people they share their content with, don’t have to install any additional software or create accounts.
My role with the company is two fold. First and most importantly, I’m one of the Lead Developers. I’ve been with the startup since it’s initial idea landed on my plate as a consultant. Since then, I’ve also taken on the role and responsibility of creating and managing a large developer ecosystem on top of Drop.io, through our API. The role mixes development and hands on evangelism with many different people. We have some exciting projects coming out of the API and I’m glad I’m right in the mix of it.
Interview with startup lawyer Ryan Roberts
January 27, 2009
Ryan is a local attorney (in Southlake) and his law practice focuses on all the types of legal issues that startups face: incorporations, mergers & aquisitions, etc. Ryan is very active in the DFW startup community and was kind enough to participate in a quick Q&A with me.
FWSB: Many people seem to think that during an economic downturn, such as the one we are currently experiencing, innovation (or new company creation) is stifled. What is your perspective on that?
RR: I think economic downturns force people to re-evaluate their situation, whether they work for a startup or have a ‘day job.’ For those currently in startups, the downturn forces the founders to take another look at their ideas which typically leads to refined thinking. For those working ‘day jobs’, the downturn forces them to evaluate their own career, and wonder if they’ll be the next victim of a layoff. If these day job workers have been kicking around the idea of launching a startup, they tend to accelerate the launch process.
FWSB: Have you seen any trends in your own law practice with regards to the type of people looking for legal help? ie, more first time founders, more people still at their day jobs but starting something new on the side?
RR: I’ve noticed quite an uptick in new startups, especially since the beginning of December. Most of these startups have founder(s) with significant tech experience and I would venture about half of them are still working at their day job.
FWSB: One of the biggest challenges, and points of confusion, many first-time founders face is dealing with legal issues like incorporations, founders’ equity, etc. Services like LegalZoom position themselves to be cheap, easy and quick alternatives to hiring an actual lawyer. What is the difference between what a service like LegalZoom has to offer and what an actual lawyer can provide?
RR: From what I’ve seen, services like LegalZoom do not provide documents that deal with intra-founder, IP or capital raising issues (shareholders’ agreements, inventions assignments, etc.). LegalZoom is OK if you are a one-person company that is incorporating to get liability protection. But if you are more concerned about founders, IP, and investor issues, LegalZoom won’t meet your needs. And of course, LegalZoom can’t offer a startup any substantive advice. Basically, you just have to remember that LegalZoom (and other similar services) are geared towards those incorporating for liability reasons.
FWSB: What is the most common mistake you see first-time founders making before they come to you?
RR: With most startups, the initial investor may not be the last. Thus, you want to be sure that your initial round, however small, won’t affect the prospects of raising the second. Alternatively, you want to make sure the investment itself is structured well.
If a deal is pre-negotiated without counsel, it’s difficult to provide any constructive advice. Lawyers are great at papering deals, but we’re just as good at providing advice.
If you are thinking about a startup and need some legal advice/assistance you can visit Ryan’s website or blog for information contacting him.
