One thing investors don’t really like to see is founders abandoning the startups they funded. But that is exactly what Ted Dziuba is doing with his startup PressFlip.
In a blog post Dziuba wrote that he was leaving the company “mostly because I’m going to be a father in March and need some stability, but also because I’m tired of the fight.”
Earlier this month Dziuba restarted his blog, Uncov, which generally mocks startups and entrepreneurs. The blog was shut down just a few days before Pressflip (then called Persai) originally launched.
In July I reviewed Pressflip and gave it a thumbs down, saying “Pressflip is far from launch ready, and under normal circumstances we’d add a page on Crunchbase for them and move on until it became interesting or went into the deadpool.” I also noted that it was much harder to build a startup than it was to simply criticize them, and wondered if Dziuba and his cofounders would have what it takes to keep fighting:
Pressflip/Uncov is a perfect illustration of The Man In The Arena quote from a 1910 Theodore Roosevelt speech given in Paris. It’s awfully easy to criticize the work of others but incredibly difficult to build something unique yourself. The Uncov guys are now in the arena, and failing. We’ll see if they have what it takes to take their hits and keep fighting.
I guess we now know the answer. At least for Dziuba, the answer to whether he has any fight left in him for Pressflip is a resounding no.
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Yeah, interesting it is… far more often though investors tend to dump the founders in favor of their own cherry-picked CEO. Depends on the situation of course.
But dumping your own company like that, right after launch, sure doesn’t look good…
I think it’s what they needed. Now Pressflip can be a more ordinary startup. Some people are just not cut out to be founders, you need to find the battle energising and if you don’t then it will be impossible for you.
he should have watched more Rocky IV
i think u mean rocky VI
No, definately Rocky IV.
3 months and already tired of the fight? It’s tough, no doubt, but you have to give yourself and the startup a chance of success. By shutting down after 3 months, the chance of success is 0. It’s really too bad.
Watching a soccer game is nothing like being part of it.
Soccer? It is a failure in the US.
The US just isn’t cut out to play soccer. Though some countries (i.e. Brazil) are absolutely amazing at it.
Some people just aren’t cut out to play the part of the founder.
Americans are only interested in sports where violence are rampant such as Football and Ice Hockey. They like to see people get hurt.
I figured this was coming. First He posted about dumb interview questions, then he restarted Uncov. Both actions that scream, “I am getting ready to quit my startup.”
You could call him a hypocrite. But let’s be honest, if he is a hypocrite, he is the funniest hypocrite of Web 2.0.
My favorite quote: “Go go gadget business plan” when talking about putting Adsense on your site.
I see so many people everyday in what is left of the web 20 scene. Most are great giving “advice” but few have the stamina.I do not want to critizise anyone who finds out early.
Easy for you to say, you didn’t fund him.
yes, those poor starving investors.
He clearly wasn’t passionate about his idea.
Its always a sign someone has no business sense when they:
Shut down (for no reason) a good site with a decent following (Uncov) for a weak startup nobody will use.
I mean, seriously- Even ‘Miss Pee’ has more legs than pressflip.
Apart from this I never found pressflip.com useful. Never received expected result.
Serves you right, Ted. In your own words, “FAIL.”
Maybe you should write a scathing post about PressFlip on Uncov.
I see so many people everyday in what is left of the web 20 scene. Most are great giving
Yay - nice to see him resoundingly prove where he belongs on the totem pole.
“One thing investors don’t really like to see is founders abandoning the startups they funded. ”
“Website: pressflip.com
Location: California, United States
Founded: June 5, 2007
Funding: $110k”
How many investors are we talking about here Mike? 110k ?
Is that like half a person investing?
If I only had 110k to fund an entire company, I would be tired too. It’s called overwhelming odds and impossible.
Investors should be aware that 110k is no longer enough to compete online, especially in these times.
It’s like he pays ONE single employee and he’s now bankrupt and out of business. Get real.
Not sure what happened, but I guess it was a complaint because you do it so well.
Beerco, orgii, and contracting aint much better on the execution side.
Exactly - specifically if you aren’t swinging from Arrington’s nuts to make your $110k go a little further.
3 co-founders, $110k and what, 9 months of work?
Do the math there genius - they get to work their asses, do something they are passionate about, build a product and launch it but still get ridicule for doing it while eating top ramen?
Check yourself
I guess with the whole fatherhood thing coming, he had to choose between building a business or writing comments on Valleywag all day. Always play to your strengths, I say. Win!
I assume Ted will devote his full time energy and vision and passion to F**ked Company 2.0 - aka Uncov.
Give him a break, he is going to be a father, he needs the steady cash.
That’s not how it works when you are one fo the people behind uncov. Sorry.
Pussy.
Not expecting serious journalism here, esp when Mike has an opportunity to bash the Uncov guys, but did anyone actually read his quote:
“**mostly** because I’m going to be a father in March and need some stability, but also because I’m tired of the fight.” (emphasis mine)
He’s leaving because he’s having a child - and as much as I can’t stand the little fuckers (rugrats that is, not the uncov guys) - I can understand how startup life, esp on 110k funding - and having a baby is incompatible.
When he says he’s tired of the fight, maybe he actually means in context of fighting to create stability for his coming family.
The big piece of advice to come out of this is that if you’re a VC investing in a company make sure that the founders are real nerds who are not going to get laid in a million year - or stipulate in the term sheet the mandatory use of condoms.
Or, that you are willing to completely neglect the family, which is what I’d do. I’ve already done it.
Another know it all twentysomething computer guy. Dime a dozen (but he’s a funny writer).
On the other hand, let us know when you start a family Mike — pokes and tweets don’t count.
Couldn’t happen to a more asshole’ish guy :). Just tickled to see someone who spends his days tearing others down get what’s coming to him. I just feel sorry for his kid. Then again, maybe having a kid will get the dude to mellow out a bit and stop being such a jerk? If not - EPIC FAIL.
I like the pressflip logo.
I’m all for the dieing hero…but entrepreneurship is not for everybody
but then again, if you take in Any amount of funding - then from the start, you better be in this till the end - and then some
holla holla
Actually, this is the first post from Ted where he sounds perfectly normal, i.e. a decent guy who values family. Which is why this post does not meet the Uncov “standards” of ” fuck-you-and-everyone-that-looks-like-you”.
Maybe he should watch Rocky for some inspiration. Just a thought.
Even if his startup changed the world of search and he exited with billions, he would still be a little douche troll . As it happened though, he got something funded with a bag of nickels, couldn’t execute, and failed.
It was just too much of a long struggle for the kiddo. 3 months is an eternity to a 21 year old with ADHD.
i try to avoid schadenfreude but this time it’s too tempting. what a whiny asshole. call the waaahmbulance. karma’s a bitch.
It’s gonna get worse if Obama gets in because he’s going to raise taxes on success in order to force less success. The quote I use is: sacrificing success so everyone can be poor and miserable - equally poor and miserable.
LOL the real reason he shut down Uncov is because commenters started posting pictures of his wife.
Hum … I have a mixed feeling about most of the comments…
On a side I agree that you don’t start a startup if you need a stable situation (cash, time to take care of your family, etc…). It would not be very respectful toward investors!
But your situation might change from the time you started and now…
Moreover it is always so easy to criticize someone who tried to do something… Pretty funny that most of the readers of this post would think that they know how to build a startup, promote a product and obvious they have the killer app … The reader who actually did something (successful or not) know how bloody hard it is!
It is true you are unlikely to make mistake by never doing anything… but then you should not comment the failure of others…
I am not defending Ted Dziuba for quitting, I just don’t know what happened (and apparently neither do you) … I think it is fair to talk about the reasons he has left but judgements without having knowledge of the situation? Not very smart…
What did he mean by tired of fighting? Getting financial stability for his family?
Fighting on a daily basis with co-founder or even investors about the direction the company should take? Or maybe just bringing the product somewhere…
Just another point here… 100K can definitely be enough to build a startup with a product. It all depends about the team, the business model and the idea… + networking I guess. You are not starting a search engine company with 100k but for few other things you could… at least to build a prototype…
Obviously with 100K you are not going to highly employees… but wasn’t there a post on TechCrunch recently about a Investor saying that the lesser a CEO and management are paid, the more likely the startup has to be successful?
I agree with you Michael on that! Passing judgment even without knowing the complete story might not be that smart… Easier said than done! there could be many reasons why Ted decided to quit. I guess it goes more to one’s VALUE SYSTEM and PRIORITIES of life. And, there are times when we realize about our priorities with various experiences. cheers…
Before you give up, please, please watch all Rocky movies. Please… you need a time for yourself, no wife, no kids, just you and rocky.
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, bash other people on their blogs (not exempting Scoble, Winer, nor this blog from this either)
Mike, absolutely great post. There is a large group of spectators who enjoy criticizing entrepreneurs but don’t have what it takes to go out and due it themselves.
This is why there is so much bonding among entrepreneurs and why I don’t like to criticize other founders based on what I read on blogs. It is way hard that it looks to build a business, and only folks who have tried truly understand that.
Alex
So much fun kicking a guy while he’s down!
if he can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen - and i guess he did get out
Wow the press release sounded promising…its a shame it didn’t go anywhere…a search engine that remembers what you like and makes recommendations…hmmm how novel.
I just checked out uncov and it looks mildly entertaining. But I don’t read TechCrunch for inside jokes.
ted should have stayed on the sidelines mocking everything. you didn’t see howard cossell take up boxing. once ted got into the ring, it was already over, everyone was going to take it out of his hide for being an unrelenting a-hole on unov.
many of us have made asses out of ourselves, learned, and moved on. ted made the mistake of shitting his intestines out loudly and grecelessly IN PUBLIC. he’ll wear “fail” like an albatross until he finally gets out of the valley entirely, which i expect will happen in a year or so.
as for pressflip, just close up. having ted on board at least bought you some notariety. with him gone, you’re just losing time you could be applying to selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door.
Let’s break down what Ted Dziuba wrote sentence by sentence, shall we?
Ted writes: “As is Michael Arrington’s usual style, he is showing his personal vendetta against me to mischaracterize what I’ve said.”
Uhh, let’s see. Ted’s usual style is to write cruel things to mischaracterize other startups, largely writing nasty things to make them look bad, feel bad. And yes, mostly all that he wrote was personal. Careful analysis my ass.
Ted writes: “My priorities have changed. I am now facing fatherhood, and I want to do what is best for my family.”
And these guys whose startups you delightfully enjoyed tearing into pieces, did they not have their own families that they have to support? Some of them may not have children of their own, but do they not have an aging father and mother who just needs some financial support? Perhaps a sibling that they are trying to help put through college?
EVERYONE has their priorities. If you think you’re the only one who faces shifting priorities in life, you’re just plain dumb.
Ted writes: “This is horrifically irresponsible on Michael’s part, but that sort of thing is to be expected. Michael, you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Ted, you’re known for not exactly being that friendly to startups. Your notoriety is infamous, such that your ill intent is more that “sort of” to be expected - it’s pretty much ALL that anyone can expect from you when you open your mouth. It is you, who should be ashamed of yourself.
Last but not least, Arrington’s contribution to startups is at best, *a lot*, and at worse, greater than zero. This is an unbiased FACT. Ted’s contribution to startups is at best, approaching zero - but largely, negative. A large negative number.
Yes, it’s fun to kick a man while he is down - because this is the same man that took joy in kicking others while they were down. Karma’s a bitch eh, Ted? Nothing personal against you, but f*** you.
Who cares?
A entrepreneur needs to be a magician at creating all the circumstances around him and his company in which he can be profitable. Unless this was a real personal dissaster he has proven not to posses the magic. End of story.
why?
karma is a bitch.
Mike:
But it IS true you had an advantage others have not…
…you caddied at 1980s hip law firm Wilson Sonsini.
Wilson Sonsini: Where every Old Mustache, Thurston Howell III, and boarding school is fast-tracked for partner.
Everyone, that is, except YOU.
As attorney, you seemed to have championed mediocrity. A worker bee M/A attorney. Not even “Of Counsel.”
That’s OK. It seems as though you have done a swell job identifying successful companies to invest in.
Edgio, Dogster, Dancejam…
…or as they say in the big leagues: “Strike ONE, Strike TWO, Strike THREE.
Dear Mr. Allington:
My name is Jay Liew. I am a nobody with blog designed by escaped retard runaway cheerleader.
Look at me, Mr. Allington. We same.
You hate someting. I hate somting.
You have website. I have website.
You are rich famous. I have website.
You live in Valley. I sell to blood to support Blog design.
We same. You and me. We same.
Look at me, Mr. Arrington. Look at me.
You friend:
Jay Liew.
maybe he shouldnt have used the word abandon.. he shouldve turned everything over to a business manager of choice by the investors if he wanted to retire with the money from the funding..
The amount of money needed is related to the audience or customer reach the company is expected to have.
A company has 3 parts:
- product development
- sales & marketing
- running costs
If the product is simple: less product development
If the market is a niche: less marketing
If it is a web service: S3 and EC2 or similar can do wonders
If it is a physical product: then running costs will be high
You’re suppose to go down with the ship as a founder. I think the long run effect will be the loss of credibility. Whether or not people think $110K is a lot of money, its still money and you just can’t quit.
Bemused refers to babies as “little fuckers”?
Without question, that is the most disturbing comment ever posted on this board. And that’s saying quite bit…
I can only guess Bemused is echoing the very words of his own mother, who at this moment is wondering why she didn’t opt for a back alley abortion.
Bemused: please kill yourself.
Awww..what a shame. Little foul-mouthed Ted couldn’t hack it in the real world, huh? Found out that running a company was more complicated than optimizing the Javascript on the site? Wow. Who would have thought that?
Oh. That’s right. Anyone who isn’t a complete nerd douche-bag and understands that running a business is a lot harder than sitting around bitching about how small Javascript files are. In other words, 99% of the population already knew this.
Ted - You deserve EPIC FAIL. And you got it. And it brightened my day to hear about it.
Whatever:
Are you Bemused’s circlejerk partner?
I think you are.
Bemused hates little kids, which he calls little fuckers.
Creepy.