Dec 8, 2018 · 22m · a16z
What's Next in Consumer Startups?
0:00 / 0:00
▶ Watch on YouTube →
gold bands on the timeline = statements, start to end. Hover to read, click to jump. CC turns on captions
In this Andreessen Horowitz presentation, General Partner Andrew Chen outlines his framework for consumer startup success, demonstrating how breakthrough growth occurs when major technology shifts intersect with timeless human motivations and clever distribution tactics.
How this conversation actually went
Every chapter scored 0–10 on four independent dynamics. Hover any point for the reasoning behind the score. How this is scored →
The host as informed peer 0.0 Guest teaching 0.0 Guest disagreement 0.0 The host pushing back 0.0
speaking balance: gold is the host, purple is the guest (3 minute bins)
Sharpest disagreement ▶ 0:33 Absence of Guest Combativeness
The recording consists entirely of an educational monologue by guest Andrew Chen, resulting in zero combativeness across the episode.
Hardest push from the host ▶ 0:33 Absence of Host PushbackThe host is absent from the spoken dialogue, meaning no pushback or challenge occurred.
Biggest teaching moment ▶ 3:39 Keynote Growth Educational ContentWhile Chen provides comprehensive educational concepts around consumer startups and growth insights, no host was present to be directly schooled in conversation.
The host holds their own ▶ 14:21 Absence of Host Hits BackBecause the host does not participate in the audio segment, there are no instances of host expertise demonstration or pushback.
the scores for every segment, with the reasoning behind each
| Chapter | Topic | The host as informed peer | Guest teaching | Guest disagreement | The host pushing back | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology Adoption Curves and Human Nature | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Andrew Chen presents a solo talk on technology adoption curves, contrasting the slow adoption of the landline telephone with the rapid adoption of mobile phones. Because this is a monologue presentation without host participation, all interactive scores are zero. | |
| The Intersection of Technology, Motivation, and Growth Tactics | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen explains how technological shifts intersect with constant human motivations, giving historical and modern examples of content marketing like the Michelin Guide and Google's Arts & Culture app. The segment is a pure keynote lecture without host involvement. | |
| Growth Case Study 2: Viral User Acquisition (Postal Service and Airbnb) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen illustrates viral user acquisition using early 19th-century US Postal Service chain letters and Airbnb's referral mechanics. Without a host speaking or interjecting, no pushback or schooling exchange takes place. | |
| Growth Case Study 3: Bootstrapping Marketplaces (Coupons and Instacart) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen details how marketplace companies solve the cold-start chicken-and-egg problem, comparing CPG toothpaste coupons to Instacart's demand aggregation tactic. The segment remains a solo presentation with zero interactive pushback. | |
| The Investing Framework and Scaling Platforms | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen outlines his investment framework combining new scaled platforms, consumer motivation, and growth insights, followed by an overview of hardware platforms. As a monologue, host-side dynamics are non-existent. | |
| High-Opportunity Category 1: Video Native Products and Esports | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen discusses video-native products and esports growth, citing Sandbox VR as a company leveraging viral video sharing for organic user acquisition. There is no host involvement in this segment. | |
| High-Opportunity Category 2: Offline to Online Products | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen highlights offline-to-online growth mechanics using Pokemon Go, Lyft, and Lime scooters as real-world viral triggers. The presentation contains no host dialogue or friction. | |
| Emerging Platforms, Summary, and Conclusion | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chen summarizes emerging platforms such as Alexa, Twitch, and Roblox before concluding his talk. The segment completes the monologue without any host interaction. |
Statements from this episode (12)
Instagram and YouTube Adoption Curves Are Nearly Vertical
“If we were to add Instagram, if we were to add YouTube onto here, you would just see straight lines straight up because of how fast these things get adopted.”
Technology Changes, But Human Motivations Stay the Same
“Technology changes, but people stay the same.”
Google Arts & Culture Surpassed Messenger and YouTube in Downloads
“And this was so successful that ultimately the app became the most downloaded free app on both the app store iOS and also Google play for Android. And it was actually bigger than both messenger and YouTube, right?”
Instacart Launched by Fulfilling Orders Without Formal Grocer Partnerships
“And the modern example of this, of course, is is one of our portfolio companies, Instacart, where You know, today the company has awesome deep relationships with the nation's top grocers. But when the company first started they built an app. They had an amazin…”
Andrew Chen's Three-Part Framework for Breakthrough Consumer Startups
“One of the easy ways to think about the intersection of all the things that I'm looking for are ultimately these three things, which is a new platform, a new technology that's hitting scale, right? Maybe it's providing a product experience that maybe has never…”
In-Car Experiences Will Shift From Driving to Entertainment
“And of course, we're going to have to completely redesign our in-car experience in the coming years to be less about driving and more about all the things that you'd want to do while you're going from point A to point B.”
Despacito Reached 3 Billion YouTube Views Five Times Faster Than Gangnam Style
“Gangnam Style took five years to hit three billion views and Despacito's done it in under a year.”
League of Legends Championship Viewership Dwarfed Wimbledon's Live Audience
“League of Legends, you know, had a championship in 2017, and you had over a hundred million concurrent viewers you know, watching it, right? And Dota you know, has had fifteen million. And when you compare that to something like Wimbledon, which is under ten m…”
Auto-Generated Shareable Videos Enable Organic Acquisition Without Paid Ads
“The nice thing is that what happens is every time you use the product, you're going with a group of friends. It's fun to take photos. You generate a video at the end of your experience that then you share to social media. And that means that this type of compa…”
Visible Offline Experiences Act as Triggers for App Acquisition
“Any kind of product that has this highly visible offline experience, and I'll give you a couple examples coming up, but these offline experiences, these physical real life experiences that then remind you like, hey, I should go, you know, open up the app that …”