Valley-based startup accelerator Y Combinator celebrated its 15th demo day yesterday, with 75 fledgling startups pitching their ideas to a dazzling collection of idea-hungry VC firms and pageview-hungry press outlets. Here’s what we think some of the companies do, based on their rather unpronounceable names. Read More
Of all the ghosts of tech bubbles past, none looms as large in our memory as the ultimate flameout classic, Kozmo.com, which offered one-hour free delivery of any item on its site.
Oh, foolish Kozmo, how we loved you. Let us count the ways. One for the ability to order a pack of cigarettes, VCR, or a lobster dinner, all from the same place. Two for your strong-calved bike messengers, pumping up and down Broadway. Three for permanently gifting us with VHS tapes of “Magnolia” and “Edward Scissorhands,” forever housed in our parent’s bookshelf, after you went under. Shitty business model, glorious service.
So we’re particularly pleased to see that someone is resurrecting the concept, albeit with a little less boomtime hubris and much better planning skills. Read More
