Sam Blumenthal

What’s the biggest mistake that founders make in hiring their Head of Growth? In my opinion, it’s when the founders are trying to abdicate responsibility for their growth efforts, and hoping that a magical hire solves everything. The problem is, a startup’s growth is so fundamental that the founders have to take it on themselves. The buck stops at... See more

Earlier this year, Wei, known as Viya, used Taobao to sell a commercial rocket for 40 million yuan, or $5.6 million. The hashtag #WeiYaSellsARocket went viral on the Chinese social platform Weibo after the incredible feat.

It's a digital age QVC but with the added FOMO that the other thousand viewers could buy out the stock before you get there. Driven by a fear of counterfeit goods and a demand for experiential retail, viewers love the instant gratification of seeing the product in action then immediately buying it. The backdrop to the buying frenzy is a holistic... See more

Many DeFi advocates anticipate a future world of peer-to-peer uncollateralized lending on blockchains, allowing crypto holders to lend and cut out fees charged by banks for credit scoring, monitoring and payment. Good luck with that. Fintech lending holds some clues since the industry uses AI tools to make uncollateralized lending decisions, and... See more