Interview with John Xie from Minus.com

There are many startups similar to Minus.com. What makes you different from the competitors?

Minus focuses on simplicity and minimalism at the core of sharing. Minus also allows users to universally share and access their files from many devices including iPhone, Android devices, Windows, Mac and Ubuntu desktops.

What is your business model? Have you reached BEP?

Minus is free to use and our focus right now is to make our product better and even more user friendly. We believe the business model will follow itself once we grow a strong community and user base.

How many users do you have? How many of them are from Poland?

We have few hundred thousand users at this point and while I don’t have specific numbers I have noticed Minus gaining popularity amongst Polish users as a surprise, and we’re really happy to have users from Poland joining Minus! Many have given us great feedback and suggestions on how to improve Minus as well.

Three months ago you raised one million dollars from IDG Capital Partners. How will you use the funds?

We plan to use the capital to grow our team and focusing on building a better sharing experience for users around the world.

How did you convince the investor? Was it hard to make a deal?

It’s definitely not a simple proces but it was a great experience and I personally learned a great deal from it as well.

Is it difficult in the United States to raise money for startup?

Really depends on how much you are trying to raise and many other factors but the overall investment scene is very active.

What is your plan for the future of minus.com? Any surprises?

Our goal is to create the simplest sharing experience for users across different platforms and devices. We are doing our best to get there.

What would you advice to people who want to create their own startup?

Don’t give up just because others tell you it’s not a good idea. Keep trying and remember hard work pays off in the end.