Opportunities in Consumer Social

While some would say we have too many dating apps, I think we’ve only scratched the surface on what’s possible in the space.

More broadly, social networks have messed with our privacy settings in more ways than one. Everything is public now, partly due to outrage culture and “social highlight reels,” but as a result, there will be a big pendulum swing back to private networks. Facebook is a lot like Walmart in the sense that it's just utility oriented, and it doesn't rea... See more

So why the renewed interest in social?

Humans need a reputation and a portable identity; without these things, we're just beings with no value or purpose. Right now, the main things that determine our reputation, outside what we say and do, are credentials given to us by institutions (like universities). As it relates to social networks, I see opportunities in unbundling institutional c... See more

Sarah Tavel says she’s looking particularly closely at what she calls "Participatory Social" (e.g. Robolox, Fortnight, Discord) — platforms where communities and their members actually interact with one another, as opposed to Facebook where the model is based on content consumption.

First off, new social platforms emerge every decade. With teens driving culture and telling us adults what’s “cool,” it's only a matter of time before something new emerges that we never saw coming.