ЁЯСЗ Thread. New deck getting published this week: "Consumer startups are awesome, and here's what I'm looking to invest in at Andreessen Horowitz." If you want to read it, subscribe to my newsletter here: https://t.co/262t8eh0wf

1/ A lot of new consumer technologies have been introduced to US households in the last 100 years. But it's taken many of them - like the telephone - more than 50 years to get to the majority of the US. Why is that?
2/ We had to literally teach people how to use phone. Which end goes to your mouth, which goes to your ear. Say "hello" when people call. The motivation of consumers to talk to their friends has always been there, but we had to teach the behavior
3/ If you compare phones to the latest technologies, there's been a huge shift. Things are being picked up much faster.
4/ Even while there's been all this innovation recently, physically speaking, we are still the same human beings from 100,000 years ago.
5/ We are the same humans who painted on cave walls because we love creativity. We are the same humans who built theaters because we love to be entertained. We took selfies as soon as the technology allowed. And we've always loved scooters.
6/ Technology changes, but people stay the same. And at the intersection of that, when startups find growth hacks that get them going with a killer product, something magical can happen.
7/ I have a bunch of case studies. First, the car industry in the 1900s, and the Michelin Guide. Second, the US postal service and the first chain letters. And third, the invention of toothpaste, CPGs, and how to solve the chicken and egg.
8/ (I'll unpack these in the actual essay. But here are some cool pictures)
9/ And for these historical case studies, I talk about their modern antecedents - what does modern content marketing look like, for Michelin? Chain letters are kind of like referral programs in their mechanics. And how do you think about bootstrapping marketplaces today?
10/ Ultimately, it's all about tying all of these ideas today. 1) A killer new product enabled by an emerging technology or platform. 2) Pre-existing consumer motivations. 3) An insight on growth to kick it off
11/ I run through a bunch of emerging platforms/tech that's interesting to me, and then deep dive on two areas where I'm in particular excited. (Again, actual details in the thing I'll publish)
12/ Two visuals I want to share from the section of the deep dive though - which fascinate me and where I'm digging in...
13/ First, check out this amazing graph on the number of live viewers of Riot's @LeagueOfLegends (100M+!) versus Wimbledon (9.4M). Wow.
14/ Second, check out this amazing photo of tens of thousands of people at a Pokemon Go event walking around, looking to catch them all.
15/ Hope you enjoy the deck - will be publishing it shortly! As I mentioned, please subscribe to my newsletter here to make sure you get it: https://t.co/tzmBSVaMDd
PS. Worth mentioning that this is kind of the qualitative mirror of the quantitative approach that I published here - "The red flags and magic numbers that investors look for in your startupтАЩs metrics": https://t.co/CGR2Mf3mX5
Ultimately you have to believe there's a breakthrough, an insight, a story about why a particular new startup is going to succeed. And so the deck I'm publishing this week is about some of those soft factors that come into play when looking at a new product
However, once you get interested, then you use metrics and frameworks to check that your intuition is in the right place. There are plenty of new products that have a great story, but have terrible metrics. You want to really make sure you understand what's up
That's why analyzing things like acquisition channels becomes so important: https://t.co/5f0m5qZI7B. If a product is supposedly so cool everyone's telling their friends, but 80% of new users are coming from ads, that's a problem
Ultimately you need both. A great story and vision for the business. And metrics that are real. I think you can probably invest in a company if you have one of those two things, but if you have both of those things, it's magical.
UPDATE: It's been published! Here it is: https://t.co/q4ONJn8c8g

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The Beatles wrote тАЬYesterdayтАЭ in less than a minute.

Led Zeppelin wrote тАЬRock And RollтАЭ in 30 minutes.

The White Stripes, тАЬSeven Nation ArmyтАЭ, 10 min during a soundcheck.

The Rolling Stones, тАЬI CanтАЩt Get No SatisfactionтАЭ, 40min.

Making a startup in 24 hours is perfectly fine.


I worked on my first startup for 2.5years. It was an events app. Sunk in cost and expectations were so high, that I had to close it, despite getting consistent revenue.

In comparison, I wrote @CryptoJobsList in 2 days. And it's way more meaningful than what I've been doing in my events startup for 2.5 years.

When I let go of my engineering ego and let go of expectations that I need to raise capital and hustle for 4+ years тАФ I started lauching fast and interating fast without any expectations тАФ then I started coming up with something truly meaningful and useful тЬи

12 startups in 12 months by @levelsio
24 hour startup by @thepatwalls
тАФ are great challenges that make you focus on the end product value, iterate fast and see what sticks and ruthlessly kill what does not work.

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1/тАЬWhat would need to be true for you toтАж.XтАЭ

Why is this the most powerful question you can ask when attempting to reach an agreement with another human being or organization?

A thread, co-written by @deanmbrody:


2/ First, тАЬXтАЭ could be lots of things. Examples: What would need to be true for you to

- тАЬFeel it's in our best interest for me to be CMO"
- тАЬFeel that weтАЩre in a good place as a companyтАЭ
- тАЬFeel that weтАЩre on the same pageтАЭ
- тАЬFeel that we both got what we wanted from this deal

3/ Normally, we arenтАЩt that direct. Example from startup/VC land:

Founders leave VC meetings thinking that every VC will invest, but they rarely do.

Worse over, the founders donтАЩt know what they need to do in order to be fundable.

4/ So why should you ask the magic Q?

To get clarity.

You want to know where you stand, and what it takes to get what you want in a way that also gets them what they want.

It also holds them (mentally) accountable once the thing they need becomes true.

5/ Staying in the context of soliciting investors, the question is тАЬwhat would need to be true for you to want to invest (or partner with us on this journey, etc)?тАЭ

Multiple responses to this question are likely to deliver a positive result.
рд╢рдорд╢рд╛рди рдореЗрдВ рдЬрдм рдорд╣рд░реНрд╖рд┐ рджрдзреАрдЪрд┐ рдХреЗ рдорд╛рдВрд╕рдкрд┐рдВрдб рдХрд╛ рджрд╛рд╣ рд╕рдВрд╕реНрдХрд╛рд░ рд╣реЛ рд░рд╣рд╛ рдерд╛ рддреЛ рдЙрдирдХреА рдкрддреНрдиреА рдЕрдкрдиреЗ рдкрддрд┐ рдХрд╛ рд╡рд┐рдпреЛрдЧ рд╕рд╣рди рдирд╣реАрдВ рдХрд░ рдкрд╛рдпреА рдФрд░ рдкрд╛рд╕ рдореЗрдВ рд╣реА рд╕реНрдерд┐рдд рд╡рд┐рд╢рд╛рд▓ рдкреАрдкрд▓ рд╡реГрдХреНрд╖ рдХреЗ рдХреЛрдЯрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдЕрдкрдиреЗ рддреАрди рд╡рд░реНрд╖ рдХреЗ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ рдХреЛ рд░рдЦ рдХреЗ рд╕реНрд╡рдпрдВ рдЪрд┐рддрд╛ рдкреЗ рдмреИрда рдХрд░ рд╕рддреА рд╣реЛ рдЧрдпреА редрдЗрд╕ рдкреНрд░рдХрд╛рд░ рдЛрд╖реА рджрдзреАрдЪрд┐ рдФрд░ рдЙрдирдХреА рдкрддреНрдиреА рдХреА рдореБрдХреНрддрд┐ рд╣реЛ рдЧрдпреАред


рдкрд░рдиреНрддреБ рдкреАрдкрд▓ рдХреЗ рдХреЛрдЯрд░ рдореЗрдВ рд░рдЦрд╛ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ рднреВрдЦ рдкреНрдпрд╛рд╕ рд╕реЗ рддрдбрд╝рдкрдиреЗ рд▓рдЧрд╛ред рдЬрдм рдХреБрдЫ рдирд╣реАрдВ рдорд┐рд▓рд╛ рддреЛ рд╡реЛ рдХреЛрдЯрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдкрдбрд╝реЗ рдкреАрдкрд▓ рдХреЗ рдЧреЛрджреЛрдВ (рдлрд▓) рдХреЛ рдЦрд╛рдХрд░ рдмрдбрд╝рд╛ рд╣реЛрдиреЗ рд▓рдЧрд╛ред рдХрд╛рд▓рд╛рдиреНрддрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдкреАрдкрд▓ рдХреЗ рдлрд▓реЛрдВ рдФрд░ рдкрддреНрддреЛрдВ рдХреЛ рдЦрд╛рдХрд░ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ рдХрд╛ рдЬреАрд╡рди рдХрд┐рд╕реА рдкреНрд░рдХрд╛рд░ рд╕реБрд░рдХреНрд╖рд┐рдд рд░рд╣рд╛ред

рдПрдХ рджрд┐рди рджреЗрд╡рд░реНрд╖рд┐ рдирд╛рд░рдж рд╡рд╣рд╛рдВ рд╕реЗ рдЧреБрдЬрд░ рд░рд╣реЗ рдереЗ редрдирд╛рд░рдж рдиреЗ рдкреАрдкрд▓ рдХреЗ рдХреЛрдЯрд░ рдореЗрдВ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ рдХреЛ рджреЗрдЦ рдХрд░ рдЙрд╕рдХрд╛ рдкрд░рд┐рдЪрдп рдорд╛рдВрдЧрд╛ -
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рдирд╛рд░рдж - рддреБрдореНрд╣рд╛рд░реЗ рдЬрдирдХ рдХреМрди рд╣реИрдВ?
рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ - рдпрд╣реА рддреЛ рдореИрдВ рднреА рдЬрд╛рдирдирд╛ рдЪрд╛рд╣рддрд╛ рд╣реВрдБ ред

рддрдм рдирд╛рд░рдж рдиреЗ рдЖрдБрдЦреЗрдВ рдмрдиреНрдж рдХрд░ рдзреНрдпрд╛рди рд▓рдЧрд╛рдпрд╛ ред


рддрддреНрдкрд╢реНрдЪрд╛рдд рдЖрд╢реНрдЪрд░реНрдпрдЪрдХрд┐рдд рд╣реЛ рдХрд░ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ рдХреЛ рдмрддрд╛рдпрд╛ рдХрд┐ 'рд╣реЗ рдмрд╛рд▓рдХ! рддреБрдо рдорд╣рд╛рди рджрд╛рдиреА рдорд╣рд░реНрд╖рд┐ рджрдзреАрдЪрд┐ рдХреЗ рдкреБрддреНрд░ рд╣реЛ ред рддреБрдореНрд╣рд╛рд░реЗ рдкрд┐рддрд╛ рдХреА рдЕрд╕реНрдерд┐рдпреЛрдВ рдХрд╛ рд╡рдЬреНрд░рд╛рд╕реНрддреНрд░ рдмрдирд╛рдХрд░ рд╣реА рджреЗрд╡рддрд╛рдУрдВ рдиреЗ рдЕрд╕реБрд░реЛрдВ рдкрд░ рд╡рд┐рдЬрдп рдкрд╛рдпреА рдереАредрддреБрдореНрд╣рд╛рд░реЗ рдкрд┐рддрд╛ рдХреА рдореГрддреНрдпреБ рдорд╛рддреНрд░ 31 рд╡рд░реНрд╖ рдХреА рд╡рдп рдореЗрдВ рд╣реА рд╣реЛ рдЧрдпреА рдереА'ред

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