Is consumer back?

Also my latest bloodwork results, AngelList’s state of venture, and another free startup idea.

If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Ryan Hoover, founder of Product Hunt and early-stage investor at Weekend Fund. I also helped write Hooked and occasionally publish essays. This newsletter highlights my latest experiments, essays, and curiosities. If someone forwarded this to you, subscribe along with 25k+ others here. :)

1. Is consumer back? James thinks so. I moved to San Francisco in 2010 as smartphones hit mainstream adoption with the rise of the App Store. The following ~4 years were exciting in consumer tech—we found uncharted land to explore as developers and creatives tinkered with new and evolving interface (dumb apps included). We’re entering a similar era, largely fueled by AI.

2. My new favorite purchase: This Fujifilm printer camera and a cork board to decorate my wall with photos of friends and experiences. It’s fun. :)

3. We recently announced the first cohort of Weekend Partners. They cover multiple geos—from San Francisco to London—and a range of expertise—from AI to fintech. More Weekend Fund announcements later this year. :)

4. Damn, Deel. Alex, Shuo, and team just announced they’re at an $800M run rate, growing 70% YoY, and profitable the last few years. When we invested in 2019, I had strong conviction in the rise of distributed work, having assembled a global team at Product Hunt. This wasn’t obvious to most at the time. The lesson from that investment: Lean into non-consensus bets informed by your experience.

5. Anu has a way with words. This paragraph resonates with me as someone who used to write every morning. Of course, this applies to many other habits and activities.

6. I went surfing for the first time in Costa Rica. It was so fun. I thought surfing would have a slow TTF (time to fun) but I had a blast and got vertical on the board quickly. I’m already thinking about the next surfing trip.

7. I just completed my third bloodwork cycle with Function Health. I was an early beta user in 2022 when they delivered results via a Notion doc. They now provide a detailed dashboard that breaks down all biomarkers and their changes over time. Use my referral code RHOOVER10 if you’re interested in trying it out.?

8. “What did you gain by not having what you needed?” This quote from Jillian Turecki stood out to me while listening to Chris Williamson’s podcast. It’s easy to fixate on life’s challenges and things that didn’t work out as planned. But oftentimes those difficulties shape us in positive ways.

9. I prefer walking phone calls. But most of the time I’m stuck showing my face on a Zoom call. Pickle, a new app that just launched on Product Hunt, replicates your face so you can do both. I’m not sure I’d use this as it feels socially deceptive, but I’m intrigued.

10. AngelList just released a report on early-stage venture and startups. The results echo what we’ve seen at Weekend Fund.

11. Request for startup: Reverse Rover. Many of us love dogs but aren’t in a position to commit to adopting a pup. Rover is awesome, but bookings are inconsistent and you’re limited in selection. I’d pay to dog sit, and I think a few others would too. Note: This isn’t actually a good startup idea but I wish it existed. :)

12. You probably need an EA. I’ve been a customer of Athena for over a year and continue to shill it because it’s that good. Give it a try with this discount code.

13. If you get a chance to see Caribou live, do it. And in lieu of IRL wiggles, enjoy this Boiler Room set instead. It’s A+++.