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Overhype

by Mike Masnick

Wed, Dec 15th 1999 11:58am





TellMe Raises Lots of Money - And Hype

from the PR-darlings dept

Okay, TellMe has been one of the hot startups that folks have been talking about for a while, but when they raise $47 million the hype goes crazy. While it is a lot of money, it's certainly not the most amount a firm has raised. The thing I find most interesting is the articles about it don't discuss much about the company and its business but about the founders. This sets off warning bells in my mind. When you don't have a compelling story, sell the people. Wired focuses on the old story that founders from the company come from both Microsoft and Netscape while the San Jose Merc focuses on the fact it was started by a guy who was kicked out of a prestigious high school.

2 Comments | Leave a Comment..


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  1.  

    TellMe Networks...

    identicon
    suzanne, Dec 15th, 1999 @ 1:13pm

    hey mike,

    believe it or not, but TellMe is going to be very successful and securing $47mil in funding is actually a pretty big deal [it's the largest amount any startup has raised for seriesB--ever].

    i guess your opinion of the

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]

  2.  

    Re: TellMe Networks...

    icon
    Mike (profile), Dec 15th, 1999 @ 1:58pm

    I never said that TellMe isn't going to be successful. In fact, I think they have a very good chance of being successful. I was just pointing out that the hype is a little strong. I realize that raising $47 million is a lot (though I have heard of deals that I believe were series B and were significantly larger, but that's another story). I was just pointing out that the focus has been on the people involved. I don't doubt that it's a very strong team, and the people are important. I just think it's worth noting.

    Why is it that if I mention things that I find interesting everyone assumes I'm attacking them?

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]


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