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Comedy video 'How Insensitive! - The Startup' takes a dig at pouring huge funds in yet-to-be profitable start-ups
Hey guys, a billion dollars isn't cool. Know, what is cool? A billion dollars that you don't deserve!
Editor's Note: This article is a part of a new section on the business of Digital Video that will soon appear on afaqs!
If you have ever worked as an entrepreneur, or know how the money is raised and invested in a start-up eco-system, you will surely understand the subtle points that the creators of this video seek to portray, albeit in a lighter vein. Even if you don't, you will still enjoy watching this video titled 'How Insensitive! - The Startup'. In just five days, this video (by Kanan Gill) has received nearly three lakh views on YouTube since it was uploaded on April 14.
It is a hilarious video of two friends -- let's call them the practical man and the idea man -- who have nothing to do and just out of boredom embark on the greatest financial adventure of our times. They launch a start-up! Not just that, they also successfully raise huge amounts of money. They even raise the second round of funding and go on a spending spree, while, according to the idea man, doing just nothing, making just nothing.
The real problem starts when the idea man insists that his partner should at least listen to his idea which actually triggered the start-up. The arguments turn ugly and the idea man ends up with exiting the company. But, that doesn't deter the practical man from keep going and eventually sell the start-up to another company.
In case you care to know, the real hero of the video is not any of the co-founders, or for that matter, even the investor! The real hero is the lawyer (played by Tanmay Bhat) who very professionally informs the idea man that the latter is in for a shock. "I am afraid your friend is suing you for a billion dollars," he says. Shocked, the idea man asks, "For what?" The lawyer, with almost a Zen-like calmness, replies, "One billion dollars," to which the still-puzzled idea man says, "I know the figure, but what is The Reason?" And, the lawyer curtly snaps, "It's a song by Hoobstank."