The overly ornate website copy of investment trends startup Quid (tagline: “Mapping the world’s technologies”) has now become a subject on Quora, and is therefore famous enough to warrant objective analysis. So here goes …
First of all I literally spat out my morning coffee when I saw the header “Our Secondary Typeface.” Secondary typeface!? How about a primary business model?
Other highlights:
“Quid is from the Latin ‘quid,’ what.” What?
“In law, quiddity is used to refer to a fine point, the essential difference. Shakespeare includes it in a speech by Hamlet, referring to a lawyer, “Where be his quiddities now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures.” WTF?
“This contribution is particularly evident in the swash tail of our Quid ‘Q.’” Swash tail!
“We selected it for its clarity, its modernist tone, and its ability to both complement and contrast with Bulmer and Baskerville.”
“Our team brings backgrounds in engineering, finance, physics, computer science, biochemistry, and design to bear on this lacuna.” Lacuna!
Quid recently launched in private beta and is backed by Founder’s Fund for an undisclosed amount. Oh, and I almost forgot, good news for those who have recently finished their Rhodes Scholarships in Classics/Particle Physics and are looking for a gig in between singing in an Art Rock band, learning their 16th language and joining the French Foreign Legion! Quid is hiring.
Quid is an 18-month old, approximately 50-person company located in San Francisco, with investors from the U.S., Korea, Singapore, the U.K, and Switzerland. The company has built a software product that augments human intelligence, transforming complex global information into actionable insight that helps companies and governments make more informed decisions. Quid currently serves Microsoft and other leading international clients, applying Quid software and intelligence to help them understand innovation.
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