Imitation — Sincerest Form of Flattery

I do believe that Groupon has created the largest set of dead-on, copycat competitors of any company in the last ten years. Groupon and its business model are that successful.

Groupon will have to use its scale and first-mover advantage to its competitive differentiation, provide higher levels of quality services, and continue to innovate.

As a category creator and leader, the bigger the market becomes, the more the lead will widen. That is my belief. I have seen that movie before. A rising tide can and does raise all boats, and the big get bigger while the small get marginalized.

Check out what is happening in China. Click here to read this article in TechCrunch.

Tony — You Forgot to Mention…

Peter Barris of NEA and Harry Weller of NEA. They rock. They build great value.

You forgot to mention Steve Case and his team at Revolution. Who is hotter right now? Revolution Money, Exclusive Resorts, Living Social, Clearspring, Zipcar…and on and on.

You forgot to mention Phil Bronner at Novak Biddle. He supports the region so well. He picks early and often and well.

You didn’t mention me — Revolution Money, Groupon, Clearspring, SnagFilms, Mahalo, SBNation… and on and on.

Or Miles Gilburne, or Nigel Morris — best local angel investors out there with a great portfolio.

This is a good list but an incomplete list. There are a lot of great investors out there.