The Candid Startup started as a joke. I was always amused by the people that leave Autodesk for a “Stealth Startup”. There’s something a little arrogant in thinking that your idea is so ground breaking, so revolutionary, so original that you have to keep it secret. It doesn’t say much for your abilities that you worry that anyone else that hears your idea will be able to implement it better than you can.
I decided that if I left Autodesk I would create an Open Startup. I would share my crazy ideas with anyone that would listen. If someone else wants to take one of my ideas and run with it then great. If they do it better than I can maybe I’ll join them. Alternatively, it would be even better if they point out all the flaws so I can make the idea better.
It turns out that “Open Startups” are already a thing. However, the thing that they’re focused on being open about is their MAUs and revenue rather than their ideas.
OK, how about “Open Source Startup” instead? Well, that’s already a thing too. Closer, but a little too focused on business models for my taste. After all, I’m retired. I’m doing this for fun. Besides, if I’m going to do this I want it to be something new, and more importantly something that I can get the domain for.
Time to hit the theasaurus. Frank? Direct? Tranparent? Honest? Candid? Candid. That kind of works. In fact, I like it better than open.
- Fair, just, impartial
- Very honest or frank in what one says or writes
- Unposed and informal
A quick search shows that Candid Startups are NOT a thing. So, here we are. The Candid Startup is a home for my startup ideas, my writing about those ideas, and open source prototypes and implementations of those ideas.