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Our startup is preparing to pitch at StartupCampMontreal3 this Thursday and I am looking to the HN community for some feedback and advice. We are a bit of an odd duck since we are not a web app but I have taken some marketing ideas from the web2.0 world to use to our advantage.

Our company mission is to bring the benefits of LED lighting to mainstream consumers. We have a 5 minute pitch this Thursday in front of an audience of several hundred investors, entrepreneurs, etc.

Our closest competitor is a lamp made by Philips called Living Colors http://tinyurl.com/2g8ruv

Any feedback and advice would be greatly appreciated.



I couldn't comment on anything specific to lights, but I can comment as a web user. Sometimes it's the little things... I was a bit jarred by your website being so dark. The menu buttons were hard to find (hard being a relative term here, of course) because there was a lack of contrast. And then the news page shocks the system again by being bright white. On the blog page, the menu buttons go away (but they do not on any other page).

Usability things aside, am I guessing correctly that you are intentionally making the site very dark in order to say something about the light industry? I don't quite get it... on a gut level I would have expected something crisp and beautiful maybe, in order to match the product (something maybe like http://www.betterplace.com )


How are you going to go head to head with Phillips and win? They can push stuff out to stores, grocery markets, and all kinds of channels. What's your strategy?

Your web page is kind of empty looking to me... there's no 'there', there. The news bit is kind of weird; it doesn't feel well integrated. I also agree that the hosting affiliation link is kind of distracting. I would go for something apple-ish... showcase your product, show people how beautiful it is.


Maybe they have a patent they can license to Phillips and other large manufacturers.




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