Tom Ryan

What do you do when a radical new technology puts your main product right in the crosshairs of disruption? Listen to David Okuniev — co-founder of Typeform | Ask awesomely — discuss the challenges of innovation within existing structures. David shared a game-changing insight: Radical innovation is really, really difficult to do inside your own product. He emphasized the need to break free from the constraints of familiarity and embrace change from outside the box. Henrik Werdelin and I have both seen our fair share of this in our respective careers. What struck us most was how David leveraged structure to overcome the innovator’s dilemma. By creating a culture of experimentation and providing space for bold ideas, he propelled Typeform beyond incremental improvements. What other hacks have you seen or employed to help your organization overcome the innovator’s dilemma? Share your stories below! 👇 And if you want to dive deeper into our conversation, click the link in the comments to catch the full podcast episode!

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What does it take for a startup to succeed in music-tech? More than Product-Market fit -- you also need Industry Market fit and Investor Market fit. I wrote about these patterns https://lnkd.in/gF4wBSfX

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Looking forward to discussing how changing demographics and culture norms are affecting investment opportunities in longevity, health and well-being at The Care Summit today Alongside Cake Ventures' Monique Woodard, Ziegler's Dan Hermann, Oak HC/FT's Billy Deitch and JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Jennifer Edwards, we’ll dive into the trends shaping how we are investing in the space: - Last year marked one of the most significant social and economic moments in modern times: The number of older adults—those aged 50 and over- surpassed the number of children under the age of 15 for the first time. - In 2020 the 50 plus population contributed $45 trillion to global GDP, or 34% of the total. That equates to about 3x the revenue of the world’s 100 highest- earning companies in 2020. - The U.S. population grew by 24.5 million from 2010 to 2022, and Hispanics accounted for 53% of this increase – a greater share than any other racial or ethnic group. - Women around the world and across all ages drive 64% of consumer spending

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Squarespace announced today that they are going private, in an all-cash $6.9B transaction with the private equity firm Permira. For those in the Shopify ecosystem, this will be interesting to watch. Squarespace was one of the many “second place” e-commerce platforms working to make selling online easier than ever. Their core strength is easy website building; by adding e-commerce capabilities to their feature set they opened up their potential market include some of the same customers as Shopify. The Squarespace stock price YTD prior to this announcement had grown at about twice the rate of the S&P500, although it is now up about 30% this morning on the news to reflect the offer premium. Even before 2024, the stock price was holding well when compared against major indexes. It will be interesting to watch how Permira manages Squarespace. Will they follow the standard private equity playbook and work to extract all the value possible to recover their $6.9B? Given the recent financials for Squarespace this seems challenging without changes to their operating approach - does it mean price increases for Squarespace products are coming or that product improvements will slow or stop? Permira does not hold a large number of DTC brands that could take advantage of an in-house platform. They hold a number of e-commerce and e-commerce adjacent portfolio companies such as Klarna, Allegro, GoCardless and Magneto, - but it does not appear that there are many synergies available. While this will be interesting to watch, it does not appear to have any large, immediate impact worth considering for Shopify, or their merchants and developers.

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The cloud-based SportsGrid Out-of-Home Content Solution will enhance the fan experience by delivering a 24/7 real-time on-screen L-Bar overlay featuring breaking news, scores, injury reports, odds and more to fans watching the game in public spaces. We're pleased to be launching the SportsGrid OOH Content Solution in partnership with Barvanna Network, a sports & entertainment TV network specifically designed to entertain out-of-home viewers. The Barvanna Network is available to more than 3.5 million screens in the US and 36,000 internationally. Located in sports bars, restaurants, health clubs, offices and hotels including major brands like Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters of America, Dave & Buster's Inc., Twin Peaks Restaurants, Yard House Restaurants, Mellow Mushroom, TGI Fridays, Islands Fine Burgers & Drinks, Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, Pizza Hut, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Olive Garden, Denny's, Buca di Beppo and Hyatt Place. The SportsGrid content solution presents OOH publishers with an untapped programming resource to connect sponsors with their engaged sports audiences. The new syndication platform serves as the sports betting content source to integrate publishers and the massive sports gaming audience unlocking an entirely incremental revenue stream. Put simply its a big win for SportsGrid and our partners! Read more here: https://lnkd.in/e435fXp3 Charles Theiss Jeremy Stein Louis M. Maione Jason Sukhraj Gregg Sussman Michael Cardano Carl Cutforth Alex Levine Rebecca Harrelson #sportsbetting #sportsmedia #OOH #Streaming

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I seem to (tend to) share more interesting MediaTech industry news as it pertains to entertainment (music, film, and video games) but keep in mind as you consider and refer people to our world that media is also #advertising, news, publishing, and social media. In the news today: Media Tech (unaffiliated with MediaTech Ventures) Veterans Adam H. and Jesse Redniss Launch Precise.ai If I am correct in summarizing what ADWEEK says they do... Digital advertising, AI-powered platform that drives performance through higher-quality data and privacy-centric audience targeting. Precise provides consent management, secure data collaboration, and privacy preservation, to improve ROAS while maintaining regulatory compliance and fair value exchange for data partners. Primary, is a federated (decentralized) data network, which allows brands to leverage permissioned first-party data and enrich custom audiences with contextual insights in a privacy-safe manner. Okay, so it's decentralized, opted in user data, so brands can enhance their look-a-like ad targeting, without actually, necessarily, having direct user consent nor access to that additional profile data.  I think. (I want to add on a personal note, this is a good example of why our incubators focus so heavily on good, clear communication, "AI-powered data optimization and activation infrastructure combines Qonsent’s customer engagement platform with Valence’s identity and rights management back-end" So.... what the hell does it do?? -- meant as friendly criticism! This is cool news AND why it's so important to simplify your startup's talking points - I fully expect the advertising industry gets this but do most?) Check it out (and congrats to them): https://lnkd.in/gnm5ygVg

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Thrilled to share our first acquisition! Blockworks has acquired The Breakdown Network. Michael and I first met Nathaniel in 2018. We had just launched Blockworks, and he had just launched one of the early crypto newsletters. In 2020, when we started building our editorial department, we had countless calls discussing how to build a proper crypto native media brand. Over the years, we've seen Nathaniel elevate The Breakdown into the most trusted daily podcast in the industry. What sets The Breakdown apart is not just its frequency (6x/week) but its depth. It delves into macro, geopolitics, and major power shifts, always framing these discussions within their implications for the crypto world. This acquisition marks a big expansion of our podcast network, enhances our advertising capabilities, and broadens our distribution channels. It also strengthens our ability to cross-promote our events and research, furthering our commitment to delivering top-tier information to crypto professionals and investors. Looking ahead, our plan is to establish The Breakdown as the flagship daily podcast of Blockworks. NLW will continue to lead The Breakdown podcast as its host, and we'll add others from our editorial team over the next couple of months. We'll also do something with the Bitcoin Builders podcast – more on that soon. Feels like a dream come true to be able to work so closely with NLW. This is a big step forward for Blockworks, I'm excited about all the opportunities that will come from this. Onwards! https://lnkd.in/gKq9uszp

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Starting a new fun project with Victor Lee - an AMA series with early stage founders. There are many podcast shows featuring successful, famous entrepreneurs. But what about those who are still relatively early in their journey, perhaps just one step ahead? The zero-to-one founders who have recently cracked the product-market fit and raised Seed or Series A capital. They may not have figured out everything yet, but they have fresh, relatable tips and advice to share. We’ll invite early-stage founders for a one-hour AMA session. Afterwards, we’ll create a public webpage featuring each Q&A session with media clips and transcriptions. This will be 100% free and open to the public. Our first AMA (June 11 1pm PST) will feature Will Drewery, whose company (Diagon) recently raised $5.1 million in Seed funding. We’ll get to know Will better and cover topics such as tips on raising funding in this tough environment. It will be a fun AMA, and you can register for free using the link below. RSVP now!

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🌟 The Future of Audio Entertainment is Here! 🌟 In the ever-evolving world of audio entertainment, launching your own music streaming platform is a step toward the future. We're excited to help you connect with a global audience. What is a Music Streaming Platform? A music streaming service lets users listen to music online without downloading it, providing instant access to extensive collections of songs in real-time. How Does Music Streaming Work? Content: Offer a vast library including music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Licensing: Pay license fees to record companies or produce in-house content. Revenue: Primarily from advertising and subscription fees. Offer tiered subscriptions for an ad-free experience. Access: Streamed music is available within the app, requiring users to maintain an active account. Why is Audio Streaming Gaining Popularity? Convenience: Instant access to a vast catalog without downloading. Cross-Device Compatibility: Seamless transition between devices. Personalization: Advanced algorithms for personalized content suggestions. Affordability: Cost-effective access through advertising and subscription models. Variety of Content: Diversify offerings to include podcasts, audiobooks, and radio shows. Market Analysis Big names like Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music dominate by understanding their audience and delivering exceptional services. Learning from their strategies can help you develop your own successful platform. Essential Features of an Audio Streaming Service To create a standout music streaming platform, integrate these key features: Registration and Sign-In: Easy account creation and secure sign-in. User Profile: Manage preferences, playlists, and saved content. Search: Robust search function with autocomplete and filters. Content and Quality: Vast library and streaming in different bitrates. Playlists: Create, edit, and share playlists with curated options. Push Notifications: Keep users engaged with updates and recommendations. Download for Offline Listening: Provide flexibility with offline access. Lyric Display: Enhance listening with synchronized lyrics. Video Streaming: Offer music videos, live performances, and more. By incorporating these features, your music streaming platform can stand out in the competitive market, providing an exceptional user experience and attracting a loyal audience. We are excited to help you bring your vision to life. Let’s create something extraordinary together! 🚀🎧 To launch your own Audio Streaming platforms, click here to leave your details & we will reach out to you - https://lnkd.in/g5hH4gGJ #audiostreams #audiostreaming #audiostream #mogi #audiostreamingplatform #audiostreamingapp #audiostreamingapps #musicstreaming #musicstreamingapp #musicstreamingservice #musicstreamingplatform #musicstreamingservices #musicstreamingapps #musicstreaminglive #musicstreamingnow #mogiio 

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Yesterday's launch of Best Buy's Envision app marks a significant advancement for online shopping. The app utilizes augmented reality to let users preview 3D models of products like TVs, appliances, and furniture with the Apple Vision Pro, allowing them to see how these items will fit and look in their space before buying. 🛒Recently, when shopping for a new fridge, this app would have been invaluable. It would have streamlined the selection process, eliminated the need for measuring, and removed the guesswork about whether it would fit or look good in our kitchen. This technology would have significantly simplified our buying experience. A few benefits of this innovative app: ✨Enhanced Visualization: Users can see how new technology fits and looks in their living spaces, providing a clearer vision of potential purchases. ✨Increased Confidence: Augmented reality allows customers to view products on a real scale, ensuring the items will fit and function well within their home environments. ✨Convenience: The app minimizes the need to visit physical stores, offering a detailed virtual shopping experience from the comfort of one's home. ✨Efficient Decision-Making: The app streamlines the purchasing process by reducing the time and effort spent selecting and measuring products. ✨Customization: Users can plan their ultimate home technology setup by experimenting with different products and arrangements directly through the app. The augmented reality capabilities of the Apple Vision Pro are significantly benefiting customer decision-making. Seeing the item you want to buy in your own home in real scale reassures you that you are making the right purchase and that everything will fit and function well in your space. Hopefully, Best Buy will extend the Best Buy Envision solution to Quest as well, offering a mobile device AR experience for customers who don't have access to a headset device. These features represent a significant shift towards more interactive and user-friendly shopping experiences in the tech industry. 😍Thinking about adopting this strategy for your brand? Drop me a DM and let's get started! #bestbuy #applevisionpro #augmentedreality #innovationinretail #retailinnovation #xr #avp #ar #customerengagement #customerexperience

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At Costanoa Ventures, we pride ourselves on identifying and supporting exceptional founders poised to create impactful, lasting change. Hona is a shining example, driven by a trio of extremely talented founders: Manny Griffiths, Joshua Christensen, and Matt McClellan. They each bring unique, differentiated expertise to the table, and Amy Cheetham and I are extremely excited to partner with them. There are approximately 450,000 law firms in the United States, with half of those firms being B2C - think personal injury, mass tort, or immigration law as opposed to BigLaw. One of the reasons we love how Hona is tackling this market is their focus on B2C law firms and product excellence - B2B firms are historically difficult to sell brand new software products into, but B2C firms are completely different buyers. Oftentimes there's just a handful of lawyers and paralegals in a partnership, and any piece of technology they can use to give them an edge would be valuable. 44% of negative Google reviews on law firms directly reference poor communication as the reason for a negative experience, and the number 1 reason for Attorney Bar complaints in the U.S. is "lack of communication". On the lawyer's side, attorneys, paralegals and legal assistants spend an average of 7.4 hours per week on unnecessary updates, redundant communication, and activities that aren't directly contributing towards getting a client's case solved. Manny and the team at Hona are working to change all of that. Hona delivers a tightly-integrated communications platform to help facilitate better communication between law firms and their clients. During legal proceedings, client communications tend to be a large resource-stressor for law firms. Clients will frequently call firms for case updates, legal explanations, or general administrative questions that tend to eat away at firm resources without providing any additional progress toward case resolution. Hona exists to ease that burden - it’s a platform that allows law firms to efficiently communicate with their clients over text, easily build customizable web pages and embed videos, and share information on case status and basic legal process education. This crucial communication processes allow attorneys to focus on their job – moving cases forward, while keeping their clients informed and educated. If you're a lawyer dealing with these problems - don't hesitate to reach out to us or the Hona team! It's a privilege to work with Hona on this journey. The company has been growing at a rapid pace, and they're delivering meaningful technology to help people get through legal proceedings in a much more fluid, transparent, and easy process. Manny, Joshua, and Matt are exceptional founders whose combined skills and dedication to continuous learning position them perfectly to lead Hona to success. They're just getting started, and we can't wait to see what they'll achieve.

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In our latest episode on the Practical Nerds podcast, Patric and I talk about our earned learnings on how founders (and other VCs) should choose the right (Co)Investors for their startup (Construction-tech or otherwise). Which of these do you agree with ? What did we miss ?

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If you are a woman founder and have feedback on the early-stage and angel fundraising process - read below and provide your insights and feedback as we build FBomb Angels.

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#ObsessivelyEnthusiasticInvestor #UnreasonablyEnthusiasticInvestor #IrrationallyEnthusiasticInvestor at REFASHIOND Ventures: The Industrial Transformation Fund. We look for the people we believe are doing the best work in Industrial Transformation & Supply Chain Technology; Attempting the impossible. Then we go all-in on them. With obsessive and unreasonable enthusiasm. Join us. #IndustrialTransformation #SupplyChain #Innovation #Technology #Startups #VentureCapital #DemandTheImpossible #UnreasonableEnthusiasm #ObsessiveEnthusiasm #IrrationalEnthusiasm 

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Today, Two Chairs announces $72M of new funding to continue building a world where everyone has access to exceptional mental health care. Since late 2017, when Maveron led the Two Chairs Series A, the need for mental health services has grown considerably as our society has become lonelier and more isolated than ever. At the same time, our culture’s willingness to openly acknowledge these challenges is greater than ever. Sadly, the rapid growth of Two Chairs affirms the fact that our society is in desperate need of better mental health support. Two Chairs has built a business that believes clinical quality is the defining characteristic of success. Alex Katz has always emphasized the paramountcy of measurement-based clinical outcomes, which the team works tirelessly to achieve. In the process, Two Chairs has illustrated that embracing the ‘move fast and break things’ mentality doesn’t always work. Instead, Two Chairs opted for a different approach: they went slow to go fast. They built a proprietary algorithm that matches patients with the perfect therapist at the onset and hired a team of W2 clinicians oriented toward providing the highest quality care available. Even as the Two Chairs team has grown, their culture has remained small. This has enabled more intimate relationships within the team and between clients and clinicians. Reflecting on this milestone brings me back to the founding of Maveron and the values we hold dear. In 1998, my friend Howard Schultz and I founded Maveron to help entrepreneurs build companies that improve the lives of everyday people—their employees and their customers. There is perhaps no better example of this than Two Chairs. *** Thank you to TechCrunch's Marina Temkin, CFA for the great write-up. https://tcrn.ch/4aMt7yG

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"Let's get out of this town, drive out of the city, away from the crowds..."   🎤 "Wildest Dreams" by ofc, Taylor Swift! In today's overwhelming data deluge, finding that voice means differentiating the signal🚦from the noise 🎵. Denise Stokowski, SVP, Product Management at Gainsight, shares how AI is not just assisting — but revolutionizing — our interactions with software today that saves time: 🔄 AI filters through digital chaos, prioritizing what truly matters. 🔮 More than automation, but anticipating needs before we even articulate them. 💡 Enhancing intuition, informing decisions, and amplifying creativity. How much of your day is lost in translation? What will you do with that extra mental space and time? I know for me, I'll be spending my spare time memorizing Taylor Swift lyrics. 🙂

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a16z-backed Character.AI now allows users to talk to AI characters over calls, supporting multiple languages like English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese. After testing the feature with over 3 million users and 20 million calls, Character.AI found it useful for language practice, mock interviews, and role-playing games. Users can easily initiate calls and switch between calling and texting. The "Tap to interrupt" option ensures smooth conversations. This new feature builds on the March launch of Character Voices, which has grown to over 1 million voices. Character.AI's innovation comes as Google prepares to enter the customized chatbot market, aiming to compete with Meta and Character.AI. Read more from Techcrunch here => https://neoswap.cc/fjs #AI #CharacterAI #Innovation #LanguageLearning #RolePlayingGames #TechNews

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