Comments on: Special Feature: So You Wanna’ Start an HPC Business? http://insidehpc.com/2010/11/29/special-feature-so-you-wanna%e2%80%99-start-an-hpc-business/ HPC News Without the Noise for Supercomputing Professionals | insideHPC Sun, 19 May 2013 10:46:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: EllieAsksWhy http://insidehpc.com/2010/11/29/special-feature-so-you-wanna%e2%80%99-start-an-hpc-business/#comment-276761 EllieAsksWhy Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:03:12 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/?p=15702#comment-276761 I read this article and had to think for awhile about why it was valid and sensible, yet so different from the advice and discussion for start-up's/ entrepreneurs that I usually read. Maybe this is why: An HPC start-up is mostly about technological innovation with a small amount of marketing insight. It also requires lots of funding. Start-ups of the Web 2.0 sort, and dot net ventures e.g. in the fold at Y-Combinator, or covered by Tech Crunch, are the sort that stir up a lot of interest, and are most visible lately. They have very different profiles than an HPC start-up. Although some are well-funded enough to do basic research, rather than social network applications...! Your bullet points one and two make sense for any business where success is easily quantified by an objective measure of performance. One becomes very vulnerable to ranking. There is no wiggle room, in comparison to endeavors whose success is driven by subjective aspects too. Bullet point three resonated with my personal beliefs about "the cult of personality". The visionary leadership thing rankles for me. I grudgingly acknowledge that it has a place in certain contexts. Yet I dislike the rigidity and "tow the line" ethic it tends to foster. "Victory goes not to the proud".... Very nicely said. Flexibility and the willingness to acknowledge mistakes without a crippling crisis of confidence will most often win in the long-term. Or so I would like to believe. I read this article and had to think for awhile about why it was valid and sensible, yet so different from the advice and discussion for start-up’s/ entrepreneurs that I usually read. Maybe this is why: An HPC start-up is mostly about technological innovation with a small amount of marketing insight. It also requires lots of funding. Start-ups of the Web 2.0 sort, and dot net ventures e.g. in the fold at Y-Combinator, or covered by Tech Crunch, are the sort that stir up a lot of interest, and are most visible lately. They have very different profiles than an HPC start-up. Although some are well-funded enough to do basic research, rather than social network applications…!

Your bullet points one and two make sense for any business where success is easily quantified by an objective measure of performance. One becomes very vulnerable to ranking. There is no wiggle room, in comparison to endeavors whose success is driven by subjective aspects too.

Bullet point three resonated with my personal beliefs about “the cult of personality”. The visionary leadership thing rankles for me. I grudgingly acknowledge that it has a place in certain contexts. Yet I dislike the rigidity and “tow the line” ethic it tends to foster.

“Victory goes not to the proud”…. Very nicely said. Flexibility and the willingness to acknowledge mistakes without a crippling crisis of confidence will most often win in the long-term. Or so I would like to believe.

]]> By: Fernando http://insidehpc.com/2010/11/29/special-feature-so-you-wanna%e2%80%99-start-an-hpc-business/#comment-275644 Fernando Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:23:41 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/?p=15702#comment-275644 Yes nice post, thanks. Yes nice post, thanks.

]]> By: Mike R. http://insidehpc.com/2010/11/29/special-feature-so-you-wanna%e2%80%99-start-an-hpc-business/#comment-275602 Mike R. Wed, 01 Dec 2010 18:56:01 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/?p=15702#comment-275602 I don't think a lot of startups have the patience for a disruptive approach, especially since they tend to be so technology centric in HPC. You have a lot of really smart people who want to flex their tech muscle, not build a business from the low end. While I appreciate this article and think it's right on, I still think it's going to be a hard pill for HPC to swallow. I guess that will be the difference between startups that make it and those that don't. I don’t think a lot of startups have the patience for a disruptive approach, especially since they tend to be so technology centric in HPC. You have a lot of really smart people who want to flex their tech muscle, not build a business from the low end. While I appreciate this article and think it’s right on, I still think it’s going to be a hard pill for HPC to swallow. I guess that will be the difference between startups that make it and those that don’t.

]]> By: Kelley http://insidehpc.com/2010/11/29/special-feature-so-you-wanna%e2%80%99-start-an-hpc-business/#comment-275552 Kelley Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:07:43 +0000 http://insidehpc.com/?p=15702#comment-275552 This is very reconfirming of my experiences with startups. Thanks for the nice article. This is very reconfirming of my experiences with startups. Thanks for the nice article.

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