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Comment by Animats | Hacker News Reader

"Hey Hacker News! Try out our pilot program." Just sign here.

It's another wannabe startup that asks people to sign up before disclosing terms, or, in this case, anything at all. And they want access to your server. Right.

No business address on the site. A low-rent "domain control only validated" SSL cert. Anonymous domain registration. They do show up as a Delaware corporation, all of two months old:

    CANARY COMPUTER CORPORATION
    File Number:  	5749511
    Filing State:  	Delaware (DE)
    Filing Status:      Unknown
    Filing Date:  	May 18, 2015

They're not known to Dun and Bradstreet, so you can't do a background check on them. Those are all scumbag flags.

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I think "scumbag flags" is an extremely inflammatory conclusion to jump to. How about these are all signs for "just getting started"?

Sure, if you don't want to do business with a brand new startup, just wait a bit for them to mature. But no need to sound the snake oil alarm.

That being said, putting ToS and privacy policy links on the signup and main page would be a good idea.

That's not enough. This unknown, anonymous outfit wants you to trust them to collect info about security vulnerabilities on your site. That's asking a lot.

Remember, in B2B you're selling to the main in the chair[1]:

    I don’t know who you are.
    I don’t know your company.
    I don’t know your company’s product.
    I don’t know what your company stands for.
    I don’t know your company’s customers.
    I don’t know your company’s record.
    I don’t know company’s reputation.
    Now—what was it you wanted to sell me?

Now see the modern version of this: [2]

[1] http://rhodescomm.com/_blog/Observations/post/Why_You_Should...

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXG7zYWKHGU

I also hate it when there's a total void of info.

But! We're not yet launched, and I'm pretty easy to google :).

Well, I for one can vouch for the technical co-founder as I know him personally and worked with him before. But I'm just another HN lurker with barely any karma.

Thanks, that's very kind!

Just one correction, we're both technical co-founders :)

In fact, I'm the one wearing the sales bizdev hat today.

- Max, one of the two technical co-founders of appCanary

In that case I can vouch for Max because of personal knowledge and for you to a lesser extent by association :-)

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