Was Netflix v1.0 a Fundable Company? I doubt.
#Observation.
Netflix started off as a company that simply used to courier DVDs to home, so that people don't have to come out of their houses and pick up or drop off. Today, they are a company that produces shows, and perhaps the biggest distribution network in the world in terms of content - with a qualified viewership base.
It is easy to see where a company has progressed to, and hop back and say, "Oh yeah, that evolution is quite straight forward", but truth is, it isnt.
If 5 or 6 years ago, if one had asked any of the folks who were renting DVDs from Netflix, what their plan was, they probably thought renting out more DVDs and expanding across the country was this goal.
Today, with MVPs and all that, we are asked to look at a big problem, reduce it to the first step and then build a solution for it. What is expected is a brilliant roadmap - look into the future and peer backwards to today and start from there types. But the future is fuzzy at best, especially in the edges where technology seems to disrupt our visions everyday. In which case, can you really blame entrepreneurs - or worse can you depend on entrepreneurs who have sight for the next 5-10 years? Truly?
The only surviving trait then is, if the future is not foreseeable to build a roadmap and strategy on, is the ability to move fast and capitalize opportunities for today, and as we go along the agility to evolve, and to dream big. With every step forward, if the vision is to become bigger, then the math adds up, and the longer you are a player in a market, and successful, you also dare to dream big and build a company of true venture scale. Not for Investors, but truly to change the world.
Note : We are open for applications for the upcoming edition of In50hrs. Pick a problem that exists, validate it on ideaspace, and apply to participate in In50hrs where teams build the first version of the solution (prototype) and showcase it to a jury of some of the best funds in the country. #GettingStarted couldn't be simpler.
2x Startup Founder | CTO @ Merren | B2B SaaS | Spiritualist | Leadership by Integrity and Ethics | WhatsApp Business API Specialist | Expertise in Business Solutions Using WhatsApp
8 年IT was a nice piece...is there any source to know more about early days of successful companies?
Done with 9-5: Happy to collaborate and to contribute remotely by working with startups and SMEs that need guidance on specific marketing challenges. Mail me if you have an interesting marketing project!
8 年Yes but someone did invest 30 MILLION in them , didn't they? What if they HAD'NT? Easy to have a 20x20 hindsight, but like they say the X-factor plays a role in success, but even that being so, only those who are prepared can harness the X-factor.
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8 年Good!
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8 年Interesting viewpoint, all it calls is the agility and lean approach where constant learning and unlearning with relentless curiosity that drives the growth and sustenance of the individual and the venture.