Joobili got some press yesterday on Travolution. I first told editor Kevin May about Joobili back in November when we were still in private beta. He was a cool guy and offered some good ideas regarding “perpetual beta”. I sent him some emails after that about Joobili’s progress but it was very silent on the other end. When we crossed paths again at the Travel Technology show in London I was able to disclose that Esther Dyson was one of our early seed investors. Suddenly he was all ears.
It got me thinking about how important a “high profile” investor is to a start-up. Do journalists/bloggers judge websites on their merits or on the endorsements of others…or both? What do you think?
From an editors perspective I can understand the importance of outside validation. They are flooded with start-ups like Joobili begging for a little press and they can’t write about everyone. Clearly a filter is needed. But what’s the best filter? Investors, user growth, innovative idea…
I’m happy Kevin decided to write a short post about us. We really appreciate it. I’m curious though if we would’ve recieved any coverage without Esther as an investor. And if not, what can all the other start-ups with great ideas and no high-profile investors do to get the word out.
