In our previous blog, we set out our vision and north star. For the next several episodes, we’ll take a look into some of the pain points that we’re trying to alleviate in online discussions.
The first one we’d like to talk about is the ubiquitous social media feed and why it’s destructive.
1. ‘Following people’ doesn’t work
It is comforting to be surrounded by like minded people. It feels warm and cosy. It is reassuring and sometimes creates a sense of belongingness. We get that.
But it also leads to echo chambers.
The main reason behind this is what sociologists call “homophily” which is…
The world is polarised. Everything breaks down to ‘us vs them’.
In such an environment, we ‘follow’ similar viewpoints, which is psychologically comfortable but creates echo chambers. And to make things worse, social media platforms feed into this narrative; their algorithms strengthening the walls of these echo chambers.
So why don’t social media platforms do anything about it?
Because their business models dictate their practices.
All of these platforms, from Facebook to Twitter to YouTube, are built with algorithms that learn about you and then show you more of what you like. …
Just as trends in business are constantly changing, so are successful business models. And since start-ups tend to lead in transforming and adapting their industry, it makes perfect sense to look into the entrepreneurs in each sector to get a read of where the industry might be heading towards. Ultimately, we believe a brighter future exists when these startups collaborate with their traditional counterparts in innovative ways.
In our previous blog posts about the restaurant sector, we first emphasised the four key trends of digitalisation that the foodservice industry should keep in mind. Then, we provided a couple of examples…
There is only one metric that really matters for a UGC platform: the growth of its casual creator base.
YouTube, Instagram and others have been proudly leveraging their home-grown top creators in their marketing efforts, but there is really only one metric that matters for the health and sustainability of a scalable user generated content (UGC) platform. And it is not the number of top creators they have.
It is the growth of their casual user base.
A Spot of History
YouTube invented the now-established creator ecosystem for video, and a short look at its competition over the years reveals how the market valued…
Digital transformation, more than ever, is redefining how business is conducted for the foodservice industry. Businesses that can keep up with shifts in the industry create wonders, while restaurants that fail to embrace the new trends struggle greatly.
In our previous blog post about the restaurant industry, we covered the four key trends of digital transformation and put forward that customers in the contemporary context are in search of differentiation, innovation, and customisation. We believe that these expectations are among the main drivers of success for the foodservice industry. …
Minimalist, focused email client lets you reclaim time & be productive
Imagine calming grey and white tones in full screen. On the left is an email that you received presented visually as if it was written on actual paper. And on the right is an empty compose area waiting for you to type away your reply. There is a scarcity of buttons, and the few that’s on screen fade away when you start typing. Everything is focused on that email in front of you and how you want to respond to it.
And it is pure delight.
3 lenses to add to your valuation model for assets with restructure potential
Venture capital thrives in overall positive economic conditions, but hedge funds tend to benefit from the exact opposite. The current market downturn represents a big opportunity for distressed asset managers to get their hands on potentially extremely undervalued businesses and turn them around for a profit. The approach employed tends to be either a high yield bond investment or a more involved turnaround strategy, based on the underlying conditions for the business and the assumptions made about the future of the company and the overall economy.
Your valuation model is only as good as your assumptions
Normally…
Merge these 3 reasons with the deep pockets at parent company ByteDance, and it’s obvious TikTok is here to stay and play. Let the games begin.
1- Product is well designed for consumption, which acts as a successful funnel for creation 📱
When comparing video platforms, I assess them on two scales: auto vs manual play and mobile vs desktop creation. The auto-play/mobile creation quadrant is a bit of the holy grail for user generated content since it removes the barriers to both consumption and user-to-creator conversion. TikTok fits squarely in this quadrant. Users never need to decide what to watch — they’re immediately served content upon app launch — and it’s as simple as a…
5 predictions for the future of work and how it will make things better for society, business and the planet.
Did you know that we owe the 9-to-5 work schedule to the bygone era of industrial revolution? While it was popularised by Henry Ford in 1926, the concept became the focus of labour unions of the 1800s who were facing up to 100-hr work weeks thanks to industrialists who wanted to maximise the use of costly machinery and the availability of electricity. …
Congratulations on your extended runway. Now, let’s imagine how best to use it to change the world.
The past few weeks have been all about the runway, and rightfully so. But managing your runway needs to be complemented with a plan to grow. Otherwise, all you’re doing is surviving for a few more months and delaying the inevitable. In the countless webinars I’ve attended so far, it’s all been about runway management, and there hasn’t been enough focus and encouragement to let founders do what they do best: Dream & imagine!
Now is the moment for companies to architect the…
Yalin Solmaz
Co-Founder of Navivest & Multytude, Digital Content Advisor, FRSA (ex-Google, ex-YouTube)
