The Geekette Speaketh

I came upon StartUpers in the usual way I come upon websites, which is out of sheer curiosity. I can't remember from where I heard of them, but they definitely got my attention with their quite unusual web design. Nevertheless, after suggesting on their blog about putting up a section for startups looking for funding, I got in touch with the equally interesting founder, Craig Tockman. It is here that we begin our rather fun interview.

Who are you?
My name is Craig Tockman and I am the founder of Startupers.com .
Startupers consists of Craig Tockman: Creator and Designer.
Devin B Holmes: Co-Founder and Cheif Negotiator.
Barrett Andersen: Code Monkey and Muscle.
Joe Mama: CTO and Mouse in Pocket

Where'd you come from?
I was born underneath a cactus in death valley and raised by coyotes.

What is StartUpers all about?
Startupers is a jobsite for innovative startup companies. We started out as a web 2.0 startup job posting board in Silicon Valley. We have since become an all around web gathering point for all things startupy with an emphasis on filling jobs, getting people funded and blogging about whats new and cool.

What made you think about it?
The idea came to me from the spirit world. I was riding my beach cruiser on Market Street downtown San Francisco when a yellow cab crashed into me. The impact launched me headfirst into a plate glass window of a Starbucks. I went inside with the help of a homeless man to wipe the blood from my forehead and enjoy a delicious caramel mocha frappachino. It was at that moment, that I sort of had an existential meltdown. I wasn't sure if I was holding the Frappacchino or if I was the Frappachinno. Once recovered, I decided that I needed to spend the rest of my existence helping people find purpose for their lives . What better way to do it than to help techies find work in innovative startups!

How did you meet the rest of the Startupers gang?
I met Devin at a STIRR event (http://www.stirr.net/). He had just got back from a pilgrimage to London to see the Queen. I met Barrett on the streets of Oakland California spray painting the side of a ice cream truck.

Cool site! Who thought of the design?
The design was my idea. The site was designed with a sharpie, a scanner and mozilla seamonky. I love handwriting and graffiti. When I'm not working on the site, I'm usually riding the buses of San Francisco with my grease pen scribbling on the windows "Balut is the Answer!". I wanted the site to have a minimalist, simple fill that was enjoyable to look at and overall keep people entertained and amused while they go through one of the most excruciatingly disturbingly phases of their lives....trying to find a job.

Let's play scenario. Some person sees your site and goes, "Way cool! I want to join Startupers instead of any of the companies that are posted on their site. What do I need to get in?"
We are not hiring at this time....there are too many kooks in the kitchen

What's the most difficult hurdle you had for starting up Startupers?
The most difficult hurdle so far is getting people to go the site. We want to explode like a nuclear firecracker but can't seem to get the fuse lit. Hopefully the word on the street will someday reach the masses.

Any other goals you have for the company besides world domination?
We don't want to dominate the world...just Sweden. We will follow the swedes to the gates of hell until they can meet their maker Beowolf.