Even a superficial observer of the sharing economy will note that in virtually every area, there are tons of startups providing exactly the same service. While some are obvious clones of one original startup for a different market, many others appear to have popped up at roughly the same time. Why is collaboration so difficult among startups? Here are some of the main reasons:
(1) No great way of matching co-founders.
There's really no good way of matching co-founders on the basis of similar temperament and ideas. This means there is a natural impulse for multiple people to start on the same idea at the same time.
(2) Different goals.
Some people are out there to make money. Some people don't care about having money. Some people want to go all in and work all the time. Some people want to maintain a "balanced" lifestyle. Startups often end up in the "a lot of money" + "a lot of work" category, which just isn't for everybody. AirBnB isn't necessarily better than your next door neighbor's Bed and Breakfast that they've been running for 20 years. That said, that Bed and Breakfast isn't a startup either.
(3) Coordination.
Even though it's super easy to connect via long distances, it's not so easy to coordinate over long distances. Most people seem to need an office of sorts where they sit close to each other and collaborate. Having a hub helps a lot, but despite everything, there aren't real hubs in Europe in the same way there are in the US (i.e. the valley).
(4) Difficult to match up and evaluate skills.
Before I started working on my own startup I was approached by someone working on an educational startup (ex-salesperson) told me how awesome he thought I was and told me he would give me 30% of his company to build his product. I said, "Hmm, I know how to code, how about I just build something myself?" Thankfully in this case we weren't competitors of any kind (in fact, we've become close friends), but it is tricky to figure out how much value someone provides in the context of a startup. For me, being offered 30% of something that I would have to build myself was insulting. But it all depends on how far along the project is and how much value is being provided.
(6) Trust.
Trust is the sort of thing that is hard to gain and easy to lose. If you are going to work a lot with someone, you probably should trust them a lot. But it's super hard to trust someone you haven't worked with before and don't know well. That's why hubs (like elite universities) are so important. They give you a chance to know some really bright and motivated people that you might want to collaborate with in the future, ideally in the context of some collaborative project.
(7) "We want to be good."
Being good is tricky. Usually you have to make compromises in life. Some things (like a Tesla) are out of my price range, so I settle for something that has moderate fuel efficiency but uses petrol. Yeah, I would really like to have a Tesla Model S, but I just don't have the cash. There are lots of values that one could and should have, but there are all sorts of compromises one has to make at the same time. If you are too expensive in terms of your demands, you may be a great idea, but you probably won't be a startup. Is there a better way? Getting involved with networks where people of common temperament and interests can meet each other is an awesome way of meeting another potential founder for a collaborative ventures. Guess what? That's what OuiShare is.
As technology for helping folks connect with each other improves, so does the possibility of finding someone with whom you have a deep connection.
Often these connections take time to explore, time to build the trust necessary to build a venture, and to see if the values and capabilities of the different members match up. That's a tricky thing, but it can certainly be better than reduplicating effort and meaningless competition. I believe the world is steadily moving in this direction. More connections between people across the world mean that as soon as a project is initiated, people can know about it faster, and the right people can come together to make it successful. This kind of collaboration helps all of us. We should celebrate it. photo credit: ArtZone