Is Web 2.0’s Wunderkid Spreading Himself Too Thin?
Kevin Rose has his hands full with three startups under his belt. Most everyone knows about Digg, the popular social bookmarking news site, that he launched in 2004. Shortly after that, he launched Revision3, an IPtv/podcasting network that produces original shows, with my favorite being Diggnation of the lot. Now, he’s launched Pownce, which recently went live. The site appears to be some sort of web app that’s a little bit of Twitter, Meebo, and P2P combined. Since it’s currently in “invite only” mode and I don’t have an invite, I can’t tell you much about it other than what I’ve read. What I do wonder is this: is Rose spreading himself too thin?
He’s constantly coming up with features for Digg, some I like (Big Spy and the best way to digg stories) and some I dislike. Rose pumps out a weekly episode of Diggnation and perhaps, new show ideas for Revision3. Now he’s in charge of creating new features for Pownce. Being a highly creative person myself, you can only come up with so many features for different sites before you just run out of ideas and hit a wall. Take it from someone who’s been there and done that. With three different startups to develop features for, I wonder if Rose will not only burn himself out but also come into conflict with the VCs funding his startups (Revision3 and Digg). If I were a VC funding Digg or Revision3, I might have a problem with him developing possible competitive features for another startup. It would not surprise me if the VCs behind his two previous startups are privately concerned about Rose’s new venture. Would you want your star founder splitting his focus between three startups?