If you happen to pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal today, you might notice on the front page, below the fold…
“… The rate of odd-looking start-ups, too, is on the rise. One called Startup Schwag exists solely to deliver a monthly package of T-shirts and other goodies bearing logos of other tech start-ups…”
At BarCampBlock in Palo Alto over the summer I was fortunate enough to be involved in a discussion of the froth and bubble indicators Bay-area locals were quick to recall having survived the dot-com bust (Web two point uh-oh). There’s obvious concern (some people are still hurting from the last one) and the growth in the industry has been remarkable since the darkest days of 2003, but this article gets it right.
I can’t help but appreciate the rise of the entrepreneurial spirit this boom has enabled – whether business models are created to facilitate the development of groups with strategic value and later monetization or models have a clear path to compensating themselves, it’s innovation, a great learning experience and a great story. I remember Kozmo.com – I think I may have seriously helped keep them in business while a student in Boston – their offering was impractically glorious (everything to your door in under an hour).
Of course, the only evidence I have of Kozmo.com now is the tshirt.
![StartUpSchwag #16 [Yoono Bag]](http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4033/4591614474_f453cd0989_s.jpg)
