Why do ALL of the world's most valuable startups use dot COM domain names and not another TLD (top-level domain)?
The problem with not having the .com of your name is that it signals weakness. Unless you're so big that your reputation precedes you, a marginal domain suggests you're a marginal company. Whereas (as Stripe shows) having x.com signals strength even if it has no relation to what you do. Even good founders can be in denial about this ... 100% of the top 20 YC companies by valuation have the .com of their name. 94% of the top 50 do." - Paul Graham, VC and co-founder of the Y Combinator seed capital firm
Startup India: Ola Cabs, Uber Competitor, Bhavish AggarwalI, Co-Founder and CEO (video above) - India's New Age Entrepreneur - Ola Cabs is possibly India’s most successful startup story yet in the tech world. In this episode of e-Inc, Bloomberg TV India’s Abha Bakaya speaks to Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-Founder and CEO, Ola Cabs. Listen to Aggarwal's journey from the start-up of Ola to where it is today. (Published on July 30, 2015)
Uber to plough $1bn into India investment drive - FT.com (July 30, 2015): "Uber is set to plough $1bn [USD $1 billion] into a major expansion in India, placing its investment in the country on a par with China and signalling an escalation of its rivalry with domestic ride-sharing Ola ...Thursday’s announcement marks the latest salvo in Uber's battle to match fast-growing local competitors in both China and India, as it pours funds into its two most important growth markets..."
Uber’s investment into India comes as Ola is closing a new round of financing--it has already raised US$400 million at a valuation of close to $2.4 billion. Backers of Ola include Japan's SoftBank and US investor group Tiger Global. According to the Financial Times (FT.com supra), one ofOla’s financial backers commented about Uber's investment in India: “It’s obviously an attempt to intimidate potential investors in Ola’s next round. But it won’t work. Ola is going to have plenty of money to fight back.” Why Would Microsoft Invest in Uber? (July 31) -- Homebrew VC Partner Hunter Walk, Technalysis Founder Bob O’Donnell and IDC Chief Research Officer Crawford Del Prete examine Microsoft considering an investment in Uber. They speak with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang and Dina Bass on “Bloomberg West.” (Source: Bloomberg)
