The first article is categorized under strategy because I believe the way entrepreneurs build and nurture relationships is one of the most strategic assets of their companies. It could be tagged under psychology as well but I’m not covering this topic this week. At least not directly.
In addition to strategy, I’ve been reading more articles on HR, VC, community, marketing, media and policy.
Under marketing, I selected 3 articles.
First, I was surprised to see that Bob Lefsetz, a music industry veteran with a popular newsletter was still active and bashing the hype as usual. A very good read about paid newsletters as a bad strategy.
There’s also a very good read about the anticipated death of Clubhouse that we were mentioning in a recent reading list. In-depth, 100% relevant analysis about a product that is worth more than $4B already. Is it the next Meerkat?
And last but not least, former Reed Exhibitions exec and event technology guru Marco Giberti tells us why modern events will be measured like digital platforms and marketplaces. Nailed it.
Have a good one!
Strategy
Are you a taker, a giver, or a matcher?
HR
The Location Challenge – What is the role of locations in a post-COVID world?
Cheers to Localyze, one of Startup Sesame’s Season 5 alumni startups, for this interesting and clearly relevant interviews on the future of remote work.
Venture Capital
The outsized role of gender in European venture funding
“The real problem is not the women entrepreneurs themselves, or that women entrepreneurs should become more like the male entrepreneurs, but the current structure of the venture capital industry and perhaps even society as a whole. We should not try to fix the women who are active in the industry, but rather the structures within the industry itself.” — Catarina Cawén
- ngpcap.com/news/gender-and-fundraising-in-europe :: Catarina Cawén + Annika Sjöberg
- direct download: ngpcap.com/uploads/The-outsized-role-of-gender-in-EU-venture-funding-NGPCapital.pdf
How cloud has won: The state of the market in 2021
Enjoyed this VC perspective on SaaS from the one & only Evgenia who recently made an appearance on a panel called “Le SaaS, c’est chic” as part of our Sesamers on Tour launch event on April 13th.
- medium.com/dawn-capital/how-cloud-has-won-the-state-of-the-market-in-2021-499ac4a9fbc9 :: Evgenia Plotnikova
Community
What Are The Benefits Of Online Communities? Ask Reddit…
“The number-one reason people come to Reddit is to be informed by communities they trust. They’re coming to the platform with a purpose, and are actively seeking rather than aimlessly scrolling the way they might elsewhere online. What this means is that Reddit users have an active mindset and are open to recommendations.”
Six Tips for building a global Meetup Organizers Program
“Deeply understanding the goals of your meetup organizers helps you to build a sustainable program. Something I strongly believe in is that intrinsic motivators are much more powerful than financial ones. People who are dedicated to giving back to the community and sharing their knowledge to support others, will make the most successful organizers.”
Marketing
Clubhouse and Audio’s Feature Not A Product Problem (And How It Might Possibly Be Meerkat 2)
“The user experience mostly involves joining a group chat where a few people are talking and listen to them go on in an unstructured rant about something, kind of like a live podcast that sucks.”
Patreon/Substack
“How small do you want to be? No one, and I mean NO ONE, has ever grown a larger audience as a result of a crowdfunding campaign or presence on Patreon, it’s just a way to milk your already existing fans for more money. And it’s fine if you like the cash, but don’t delude yourself into thinking your impact is growing, in fact it’s declining.”
Events as Platforms
“Modern events will need to measure success as digital platforms and marketplaces do. Success should go beyond the event size, revenues, or profit and be measured by community engagement, loyalty, and the ecosystem created around that particular event and platform.”
Media
Deepfakes: Two sides of a Yin and Yang
“Regulation is another hot topic, but experts are torn on how to regulate such a space. The bottom line is that this is a complex issue. In a world where anything can be faked, everything can also be denied.”
Policy
How A Chinese Surveillance Broker Became Oracle’s “Partner Of The Year”
“Oracle’s work with brokers illustrates the role that Western companies play in driving surveillance in China.”