Ephemeral Apps
The hottest consumer social apps of the past few years have either shut down (Popparazzi) or slowed growth significantly (BeReal, Clubhouse, Dispo). There's a few reasons why:Massive UGC networks (YouTube, TikTok, IG) have the best content and recommendation algorithmsMessaging apps (iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord) are good enoughLong-term retention is really hard when you're competing against the entire internet for consumer attentionSome of the most successful consumer apps of the pa...
Ephemeral Apps
The hottest consumer social apps of the past few years have either shut down (Popparazzi) or slowed growth significantly (BeReal, Clubhouse, Dispo). There's a few reasons why:Massive UGC networks (YouTube, TikTok, IG) have the best content and recommendation algorithmsMessaging apps (iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord) are good enoughLong-term retention is really hard when you're competing against the entire internet for consumer attentionSome of the most successful consumer apps of the pa...
Distribution-first Products
Most people building consumer products think their main competitor is the incumbent in their market. For example, if someone's building a short-form text-based social product, they'd say their main competitor is Twitter. Sure, there's some truth to that. But the reality is that their main competitor is people not giving a shit. In the world of consumer products, it's important to think in terms of a consumer’s time. How much free time do they have? What do they do during t...
Distribution-first Products
Most people building consumer products think their main competitor is the incumbent in their market. For example, if someone's building a short-form text-based social product, they'd say their main competitor is Twitter. Sure, there's some truth to that. But the reality is that their main competitor is people not giving a shit. In the world of consumer products, it's important to think in terms of a consumer’s time. How much free time do they have? What do they do during t...
Choosing the right market
One of the topics that VCs love to debate on Twitter and podcasts every few months is which element is most critical to a startup's success: product, team, or market. Most early-stage investors lean towards the team, arguing that a strong team will eventually find a great market. Take Slack as an example. Its journey from a gaming company to a multi-billion dollar messaging platform is often cited as an example of a great team pivoting from a tough market to one they could capitalize on....
Choosing the right market
One of the topics that VCs love to debate on Twitter and podcasts every few months is which element is most critical to a startup's success: product, team, or market. Most early-stage investors lean towards the team, arguing that a strong team will eventually find a great market. Take Slack as an example. Its journey from a gaming company to a multi-billion dollar messaging platform is often cited as an example of a great team pivoting from a tough market to one they could capitalize on....
Entertainment is a Killer Feature
As a startup founder, one of the first questions people ask you is “What problem are you solving?” The “right” answer usually has something to do with saving people time or helping them make money. It’s easy for people to dismiss products that don’t solve a rational problem. That’s why many social apps and NFT projects are dismissed as mere toys. But the reality is that most people are very bored and very lonely. This is one of the most important problems of our generation. For many of the mo...
Entertainment is a Killer Feature
As a startup founder, one of the first questions people ask you is “What problem are you solving?” The “right” answer usually has something to do with saving people time or helping them make money. It’s easy for people to dismiss products that don’t solve a rational problem. That’s why many social apps and NFT projects are dismissed as mere toys. But the reality is that most people are very bored and very lonely. This is one of the most important problems of our generation. For many of the mo...
Web3 Gaming and Consumer Trends
It’s been 14 years since the Bitcoin whitepaper was released and most people still don’t understand the power of web3 tools like NFTs and smart contract platforms. To change the narrative, we need more killer apps. Many people, myself included, believe games are the most likely catalyst. But what exactly is a “game”? To many people, games are developed using an engine like Unity or Unreal and accessed via a console, PC, or mobile phone. However, the proliferation of mobile phones and new tech...
Web3 Gaming and Consumer Trends
It’s been 14 years since the Bitcoin whitepaper was released and most people still don’t understand the power of web3 tools like NFTs and smart contract platforms. To change the narrative, we need more killer apps. Many people, myself included, believe games are the most likely catalyst. But what exactly is a “game”? To many people, games are developed using an engine like Unity or Unreal and accessed via a console, PC, or mobile phone. However, the proliferation of mobile phones and new tech...
