I (a German) programmed a Facebook-Like App in 1996 with PHP. It was a working mock up with Community Building Features, Geo Localization (in 1996!) and community-based filtering and micro budget banner advertising. And NO VC did understood it. Sucks

The genius behind Facebook was in the strategy to conquer one college campus at a time. A social network without users isn't worth anything, unfortunately.

Also, being too early to market is as bad as being too late. The startup graveyard is full of companies with products the world just wasn't ready for yet. Realistically peaking, your version of Facebook wouldn't have succeeded even if you had raised an A round.

Don't be sore about something that happened 20 years ago. There are opportunities everywhere ** right now **.

You should've patented it

That's six years prior to Friendster, which really put "social media" on the radar.

In 1996, tech was blooming. Venture Capitalists were shoveling truck loads of cash onto services much weaker than yours may have been.

Therefore, your story is bullshit.

Boo HOOO. o_O

I believe the word you're missing is traction.

Before Facebook, there was MySpace. Because of Myspace, there were 30+ companies trying to capitalize on the niche created by News Corp purchasing MySpace.

I personally know one of the early Facebook investors - the first outside round. He himself has no idea why Facebook succeeded over any of the other 30+ competitors - all he knew and cared about was that one of them would.

How did Facebook get traction when others didn't?

The hagiography says college campuses, but I doubt anyone really knows - any more than Youtube knew cat videos would lead them to being acquired by Google.

ohh man, don't remind me ... around 2008-09, i a bangali programmer, living in uae looked for capital to build something like android, got only 1 "VC" slightly interested, never got back to me :/