Below is the list of the Supernova 12 - twelve Web 2.0 companies chosen as "connected innovators" for the conference.
 Attensa |  Ether |  lifeio |
 Netvibes |  PostApp |  PROTOMOBL |
 Sharpcast |  SoonR |  StumbleUpon |
 Vpod.tv |  Webaroo |  ZiXXo |
This is scaring me a bit. I'm getting that old "dot-bomb" feeling again. How many of these companies will make it? Most likely, not many if history is a guage. What is more troubling to me, though, is that out of all the new Web 2.0 companies out there, these 12 don't all strike me as revolutionary in any real way.
Some have very interesting ideas, but is it enough to build a company on? Well, apparently, this time around, most companies are not really out to be independently profitable...they are looking to get bought out by one of the big boys.
The big boys (Google, MSN, Yahoo, etc) are scared to miss the next big thing, and it is easier for them to buy out one of these startups and integrate their offerings than to build it all from scratch.
So this may be a new dot-com bubble, but this time, at least their is an exit strategy. There will be many deaths along the way, but hopefully not a huge nuclear explosion that takes them all out at once.
Let's hear it for progress.
1 comment:
Gibu, thank you for commenting. I do believe Sharpcast is one of the stronger companies on the list, which is what prompted me to say that "...some have very interesting ideas..."
I was obviously over-generalizing, but I specifically did not want to call out any one company, focusing instead on the "average" of all 12 as "connected innovators". I'm sure most people won't see this entire group as a whole as generally revolutionary.
What I am really trying to accomplish is a downplaying of the hype that is Web 2.0. Yes, there are many cool things coming out, and I am actually very excited about the direction the Web is going in, but I do NOT want a repeat of the last bubble. And over-enthusiasm can lead to bad decisions and over spending.
I will check out the Sharpcast Photos offering, as I am actually very interested in this type of technology. Thank you!
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