SIME 2006 – Tariq Krim: It all started in a WiFi cafe…

Tariq Krim gave an inspired speech about starting up Netvibes, a service that now has 15 million users, and 8 million use it as their start page. It all started from his own need to have a startpage where he can reach all the blogs and services that he uses and get instant updates.
”We don’t have garages in France, so I started my company in a WiFi cafe”, he said.
The software Krim wrote for his needs leaked out on the internet, and he instantly had 15 000 users. Now that’s a web 2.0 success story. Though he has not yet captialized on his success – his business model is dependent on first getting a huge user base.

This is quite the opposite to Marc Samwer’s way of starting companies. Marc is one of the famous Samwer brothers who founded Alando which eBay bought after 3 months, founded Jamba and are investing in different new startups.
He said you have to have a clear idea of how to make money right from the start.
”If you want to start a company, think strongly about if someone is going to want to pay for it. Ask around – your family and friends and so on…”