I am often asked by entrepreneurs to sign NDAs before they will share their business idea with me. Putting aside the issue of why VCs can’t sign NDAs for the moment (no, we can’t, sorry), the request reveals something more significant. Entrepreneurs usually believe that their business idea is unique, and that it is the entrepreneur’s competitive advantage. Some go to almost ridiculous lengths to be oblique, or to otherwise keep from revealing their “secret sauce.”
What is interesting to me is how often an entrepreneur’s unique idea is similar to an idea I heard the week before from another entrepreneur or team. Sometimes I’ll hear