As a smallish angel investor, serial entrepreneur and startup event organizer, I see no problems neither in asking those questions nor answering them, often in quite much detail. Agree with r0h1n it is more about the execution.
True, there are some things none of us will disclose. Don't think someone realistically would expect you to disclose your upcoming deals. Like said, many are also fun probing questions and you should take them as such and turn them to your advantage.
We did have mixed feelings at my current startup, Weekdone team management and collaboration tool when we decided to publish our roadmap: https://blog.weekdone.com/weekdone-product-development-ppp-a...
It might give great ideas to competitors or other upstarts. But the value of customers, both potential and existing, knowing this outweighs the secrecy. YMMV.
It's also a cultural thing. The blog is French. Europeans are much more secretive.
On one point in the article: I remember Jeff Clavier (also French, now in the Valley) telling at an event that when mentoring French and EU startups coming to the US, the slide he tells them to always out is the exit strategy slide :) Not for secrecy, but because it's silly to include in your startup's vision. Built a great business and product instead.
Comments
As a smallish angel investor, serial entrepreneur and startup event organizer, I see no problems neither in asking those questions nor answering them, often in quite much detail. Agree with r0h1n it is more about the execution.
True, there are some things none of us will disclose. Don't think someone realistically would expect you to disclose your upcoming deals. Like said, many are also fun probing questions and you should take them as such and turn them to your advantage.
We did have mixed feelings at my current startup, Weekdone team management and collaboration tool when we decided to publish our roadmap: https://blog.weekdone.com/weekdone-product-development-ppp-a... It might give great ideas to competitors or other upstarts. But the value of customers, both potential and existing, knowing this outweighs the secrecy. YMMV.
It's also a cultural thing. The blog is French. Europeans are much more secretive.
On one point in the article: I remember Jeff Clavier (also French, now in the Valley) telling at an event that when mentoring French and EU startups coming to the US, the slide he tells them to always out is the exit strategy slide :) Not for secrecy, but because it's silly to include in your startup's vision. Built a great business and product instead.