--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When there were not very many Internet…" description: "\"When there were not very many Internet companies, the supply of Internet companies to the market was small and the appetite for them was large. Therefo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg" --- # When there were not very many Internet companies, the… ![“When there were not very many Internet companies, the supply of Internet companies to the market was small and the appetite for them was large. Therefore, if you were in the business of creating Internet companies in 1996-98, you had a market that provided massive demand for that.” quote by Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg) > “When there were not very many Internet companies, the supply of Internet companies to the market was small and the appetite for them was large. Therefore, if you were in the business of creating Internet companies in 1996-98, you had a market that provided massive demand for that.” [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early internet markets had few providers but huge demand, creating a lucrative environment for startups. **In simple terms:** Few internet firms and high demand made the market profitable. Key Takeaway Identify underserved high‑demand markets. Themes business technology market dynamics Mood optimistic analytical Type business strategic When to use this quote - startup planning - investment strategy - market analysis Key Concepts entrepreneurship supply and demand Questions to Reflect On - Which modern sectors mirror this pattern? - How can founders spot similar gaps today? A Different Perspective Market saturation later reduced opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appetite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Companies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companies/) [Creating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creating/) [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Market](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/market/) ## Related quotes > [During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/during-my-service-in-the-united-states-congress-i-took-the-initiative-2/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [The Chinese government still would like to see U.S. Internet companies explore the Chinese market, providing they are willing to abide by Chinese law.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-li/the-chinese-government-still-would-like-to-see-u-s-internet-companies/) [Robin Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-li/) > [I would say the consumer Internet companies - in a lot of ways, if you go inside the consumer Internet companies and you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-would-say-the-consumer-internet-companies-in-a-lot-of-ways-if-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Compared to Apple, Internet companies like Google and Facebook don't have strong perspectives on the way they want the world to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/compared-to-apple-internet-companies-like-google-and-facebook-don-t/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [I'd rather people talked about the 1,000 most successful French Internet companies instead of the 5 or 10 faces we already know - including mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xavier-niel/i-d-rather-people-talked-about-the-1-000-most-successful-french/) [Xavier Niel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xavier-niel/) > [I have been quoted saying that, in the future, all companies will be Internet companies. I still believe that. More than ever, really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/i-have-been-quoted-saying-that-in-the-future-all-companies-will-be/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [ICG wasn't an index fund so much as a collection of venture-capital investments focused on so-called business-to-business Internet companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lashinsky/icg-wasn-t-an-index-fund-so-much-as-a-collection-of-venture-capital/) [Adam Lashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-lashinsky/) > [Our belief is that it is a basket of well-diversified companies that are playing the Internet, but are not direct Internet companies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zimmerman/our-belief-is-that-it-is-a-basket-of-well-diversified-companies-that/) [John Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zimmerman/) > [Yahoo to me, as the founder of a company, is one of the biggest opportunities you could have; it's one of those classic Internet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-d-aloisio/yahoo-to-me-as-the-founder-of-a-company-is-one-of-the-biggest/) [Nick D'Aloisio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-d-aloisio/) > [Big Internet companies on average are capable of generating revenue of $1 million per employee, and that compares to 10 to 20 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuri-milner/big-internet-companies-on-average-are-capable-of-generating-revenue/) [Yuri Milner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuri-milner/) > [“A.G. Riddle spent ten years starting and running internet companies before retiring to focus on his true”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/a-g-riddle-spent-ten-years-starting-and-running-internet-companies-2/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [If we didn't have Net neutrality, carriers could do things like penalize companies that use a lot of bandwidth or create high-speed lanes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/if-we-didn-t-have-net-neutrality-carriers-could-do-things-like/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-internet-didn-t-get-invented-on-its-own-government-research/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [On the Internet, companies are scale businesses, characterized by high fixed costs and relatively low variable costs. You can be two sizes: You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/on-the-internet-companies-are-scale-businesses-characterized-by-high/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [I think the governments need to encourage internet companies and convince them that they can be extremely profitable without necessarily spiraling out of control.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-srinivasan/i-think-the-governments-need-to-encourage-internet-companies-and/) [Ramesh Srinivasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-srinivasan/) ## More by Fred Wilson > [The more entrepreneurs in the world that are getting their ideas financed, the more great companies there are going to be that we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/the-more-entrepreneurs-in-the-world-that-are-getting-their-ideas/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [You simply can't be tentative in a startup. You have to go for it at every chance you get. And if the leader of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/you-simply-can-t-be-tentative-in-a-startup-you-have-to-go-for-it-at/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-also-like-to-use-a-sensational-headline-many-people-read-blogs-in/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [All markets have boom and bust cycles, and I think venture capital market has even more exaggerated boom and bust cycles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/all-markets-have-boom-and-bust-cycles-and-i-think-venture-capital/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [I get everything that satisfies my soul from bringing together objects that are in the world, manipulating them, working with spatial arrangements, and having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/i-get-everything-that-satisfies-my-soul-from-bringing-together/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [It's not easy for an entrepreneur to find the time to blog. But for those who do it, it is a great tool to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/it-s-not-easy-for-an-entrepreneur-to-find-the-time-to-blog-but-for/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Not acknowledging that beauty is complex-that's the problem. I enjoy making it complex for people, because that's my world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/not-acknowledging-that-beauty-is-complex-that-s-the-problem-i-enjoy/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [If you want to unleash more creativity in your company, you need to allow for a little contamination. It is the sand in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/if-you-want-to-unleash-more-creativity-in-your-company-you-need-to/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [There are so many startups out there raising money. I don't think this is a bad thing. It's a good thing. Entrepreneurship is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/there-are-so-many-startups-out-there-raising-money-i-don-t-think-this/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Not only do you have to put yourself in harms way in service of your country, you have to leave your families at home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/not-only-do-you-have-to-put-yourself-in-harms-way-in-service-of-your/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [The entire world is now a rival to Silicon Valley. No country, state, region, nor city has a lock on innovation in technology anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/the-entire-world-is-now-a-rival-to-silicon-valley-no-country-state/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [The Web is going to capture an increasing share of people's attention, and billions of dollars are going to flow in. What Web 2.0…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/the-web-is-going-to-capture-an-increasing-share-of-people-s-attention/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [A CEO does only three things. Sets the overall vision and strategy of the company and communicates it to all stakeholders. Recruits, hires, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/a-ceo-does-only-three-things-sets-the-overall-vision-and-strategy-of/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Twitter wasn't planned. It just happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/twitter-wasn-t-planned-it-just-happened/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) > [Games are the most social of all things on the web.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/games-are-the-most-social-of-all-things-on-the-web/) [Fred Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) [Explore all 79 Fred Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/) ## More Appetite quotes > [I could not limit my values and pursuits to what makes others comfortable. Being possessed by a promise I live without options. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/i-could-not-limit-my-values-and-pursuits-to-what-makes-others/) [Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/) > [the appetite for thinking must be regulated, as all sensible people know, for it may stifle one's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-appetite-for-thinking-must-be-regulated-as-all-sensible-people/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [“if you cannot control your hunger and appetite, good luck managing your blood chemistry, metabolism, waistline, and, in the bigger picture, the prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-perlmutter/if-you-cannot-control-your-hunger-and-appetite-good-luck-managing/) [David Perlmutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-perlmutter/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have been whole-heartedly with you from the start to finish in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/if-i-had-been-an-italian-i-am-sure-that-i-should-have-been-whole/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [It could be my British need for discipline that makes me admire the American appetite for freedom and passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-winwood/it-could-be-my-british-need-for-discipline-that-makes-me-admire-the/) [Steve Winwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-winwood/) > [My curiosity and my appetite for evolving as an actor is one of the main components of me still working today in the business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/my-curiosity-and-my-appetite-for-evolving-as-an-actor-is-one-of-the/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [I have a strong appetite and its not for food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-a-strong-appetite-and-its-not-for-food/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The plain fact is that education is itself a form of propaganda - a deliberate scheme to outfit the pupil, not with the capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-plain-fact-is-that-education-is-itself-a-form-of-propaganda-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You should also eat eggs. Not “one egg per week” or some such non-physiologic restriction. Eat what your body tells you to eat, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-davis/you-should-also-eat-eggs-not-one-egg-per-week-or-some-such-non/) [William Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-davis/) > [If your desires are not great, a little will seem much to you; for small appetite makes poverty equivalent to wealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/if-your-desires-are-not-great-a-little-will-seem-much-to-you-for/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [When passions and appetites are stronger than the intellect, men are savages; when the intellect governs the passions, when the passions are servants, men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-green-ingersoll/when-passions-and-appetites-are-stronger-than-the-intellect-men-are/) [Robert Green Ingersoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-green-ingersoll/) > [A pivotal spiritual attribute is that of self-mastery-th e strength to place reason over appetite. Self-mastery builds a strong conscience. And your conscience determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-m-nelson/a-pivotal-spiritual-attribute-is-that-of-self-mastery-th-e-strength/) [Russell M. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-m-nelson/) > [The commonest and cheapest sounds, as the barking of a dog, produce the same effect on fresh and healthy ears that the rarest music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-commonest-and-cheapest-sounds-as-the-barking-of-a-dog-produce-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Browse all 994 Appetite quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appetite/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When there were not very many Internet companies, the supply of Internet companies to the market was small and the appetite for them was large. Therefore, if you were in the business of creating Internet companies in 1996-98, you had a market that provided massive demand for that.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fred Wilson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-companies-the-supply-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appetite" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-companies-the-supply-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e9c/fred-wilson-8631_appetite_when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-c_1489641.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When there were not very many Internet companies, the supply of Internet companies to the market was small…” — Fred Wilson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Fred Wilson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-wilson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When there were not very many...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-companies-the-supply-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-wilson/when-there-were-not-very-many-internet-companies-the-supply-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```