> but we have a decent idea of what it would probably cost, and most VC firms could fund it.
I'd wonder if a "CaaS" startup (Cracking as a service) would be feasible. Using amazon spot instances, it would require only as much funding as to serve the first ten users - and requiring each user to send the money to an escrow, e.g. a notary (in Germany, it's possible to deposit an amount at a notary, which gives the customer the assurance that without the private key, the company gets their money and the company has the assurance that the customer doesn't walk away with the keys and leaves the company with a 5-figure AWS bill).
I'd wonder if a "CaaS" startup (Cracking as a service) would be feasible. Using amazon spot instances, it would require only as much funding as to serve the first ten users - and requiring each user to send the money to an escrow, e.g. a notary (in Germany, it's possible to deposit an amount at a notary, which gives the customer the assurance that without the private key, the company gets their money and the company has the assurance that the customer doesn't walk away with the keys and leaves the company with a 5-figure AWS bill).