How Youtube, the World’s Most Famous Video Sharing Platform, Started off as a Failed Dating App

Morning Innovators 👋 This week (in less than 5 minutes!) we’ll explore…

📹 How Youtube, the world’s most famous video sharing platform, started off as a failed dating app
📰 All the biggest news stories in the start-up world
👀 Our 3 favourite start-ups to keep an eye on this week
📧 How one company is able to get tens of thousands of eyes on their product by posting funny customer conversations
🥳 All the best job opportunities and events in the start-up world
📱A tool that is universally loved, which enables you to organise and align every element and section of your business in one central space

👆 The most clicked link in the last week’s newsletter was this article about Octopus Money acquiring a majority stake in divorce services start-up Amicable.

🚨🚨 HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT & OPPORTUNITY 🚨🚨

Last week we opened applications for the very first annual ‘Innovators Uncensored Disruptors 100’, in which we award the 100 most disruptive Start-Ups for 2024 🚀 Applications close on January 15th 2024, open to all sectors and industries, apply here 🏆

Happy hustling,
Rich & Gary

How they started… Often, we forget that the greatest innovations stem from the most unexpected beginnings. Did you know that YouTube – a platform that now amasses billions of views, started as something completely different: a dating site 🤯

Back in 2005, Valentine's Day wasn't just about love and romance; it marked the birth of YouTube. Founded by Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, the site was initially envisioned as a platform for singles to upload video profiles discussing their ideal partner. This concept, however, struggled to gain traction.

Realising the limited appeal of their dating site, the founders decided to open YouTube for any type of video content. This pivot was not just a change in strategy but a leap of faith into an uncharted territory of video sharing.

Post-pivot, YouTube's growth was nothing short of explosive. The platform quickly became a hub for all sorts of video content. From the first-ever video uploaded by Karim titled “Me at the zoo,” depicting a simple visit to the San Diego Zoo, YouTube began to gather steam.

The shift to a generalised video-sharing platform was a masterstroke in understanding market needs. YouTube filled a void for an accessible and user-friendly platform where anyone could upload and share videos. This adaptability and responsiveness to user needs were key drivers of its success.

YouTube’s rise was fuelled by its community. Users started uploading a variety of content, from personal vlogs to educational videos. The platform became a canvas for creativity and a stage for sharing experiences, knowledge, and entertainment.

Recognising YouTube’s potential, Google acquired the platform in 2006 for $1.65 billion in stock. This acquisition, just a year and a half after YouTube's inception, marked a significant milestone in the tech world.

Actionable Insights for Entrepreneurs:

Embrace Flexibility and Adaptability: Regularly evaluate your business model and be ready to pivot if your original idea doesn’t resonate with your target audience. Conduct market research and customer surveys to understand their needs and preferences.

User-Driven Innovation: Develop a deep understanding of your users. Use feedback loops, beta testing, and community engagement to shape your product or service according to user preferences.

Rapid Experimentation and Iteration: Don’t hesitate to experiment with new ideas. Implement rapid testing cycles to iterate and improve your product quickly based on user feedback.

Recognising Market Opportunities: Stay informed about market trends and emerging technologies. Be open to expanding or shifting your business focus to tap into new market opportunities.

Leveraging Existing Networks: Build and leverage your professional network. Attend industry events, participate in start-up incubators, and engage with potential mentors and investors.

Perseverance in the Face of Challenges: Expect challenges and setbacks. Cultivate resilience and a problem-solving mindset to navigate through difficult periods.

Clear and Compelling Vision: Despite the pivot, the founders had a clear vision for YouTube as a platform that democratizes video sharing. Develop a clear and compelling vision for your company. This vision should guide your decisions and help you stay focused on your goals.

In today's dynamic business landscape, cost-effective staffing solutions are crucial for efficient scaling. Based in the UK, Scale Up Outsourcing provides comprehensive staffing solutions, enabling businesses to thrive and expand seamlessly. Whether you're a sole proprietor or a growing company, their global workforce offers sustainable and affordable solutions. One of the key advantages of partnering with Scale Up Outsourcing is the ability to access a skilled and vetted remote workforce without the constraints of traditional hiring processes. Their staff undergo a rigorous interview and screening process, ensuring that they are equipped to provide exceptional support tailored to your specific requirements.

They deliver all this at a reasonable cost by hiring globally, maintaining high standards through a rigorous vetting process. Their staffing solutions provide unparalleled flexibility, allowing you to adjust contract terms based on evolving needs, with potential annual cost savings of 30-70% compared to local hiring. Benefit from a cost-effective staffing model that reduces financial outlay and allocates resources to strategic growth initiatives.

SPECIAL OFFER: If you think Scale Up Outsourcing may be able to help you, they’ll provide 30-minute consulting free of charge and a 3-day trial with money back guarantee. *T&C apply. Limited to 15 businesses maximum!

📧 Email: [email protected]
📞 Call: 07868784432
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🚀 Scottish space firms secure £6.7m for green rocket fuel
UKTN
Two companies developing technology to launch satellites from Scotland have received more than £6.7m in funding as Britain ramps up its efforts to launch a rocket into orbit from home soil.

🖍️ Adobe boss accuses CMA of stifling innovation
UKTN
A senior Adobe executive has accused the UK’s competition regulator of stifling innovation by taking too long to scrutinise mergers and acquisitions.

🔨 Can Marc Andreessen’s e/acc techno-optimist vision work in fusty old Europe?
Sifted
If you’re as online as your average VC, you might have noticed the founder who once sported photos of bored apes on X now has a new profile badge of honour: “e/acc”.

📱 Epic Games won its antitrust battle with Google. But what comes next?
TechCrunch
Google’s defeat in its antitrust battle with Epic Games was a sweeping victory for the Fortnite maker and a significant upset to the business model underpinning the mobile app ecosystem, where platforms host app stores and then take a cut of developer revenues.

🖼️ Instagram introduces gen-AI powered background editing tool
TechCrunch
Instagram introduced its generative AI-powered background editing tool to U.S.-based users Wednesday.

Each week we’ll be spotlighting some of the most exciting start-ups you haven't heard of yet. This week we decided to look at some exciting start-up’s who’ve just finished raising on Seedrs.

Sonichem, formerly Bio-Sep, pioneers in sustainable chemical production using ultrasonic biorefinery technology. Transforming low-value woody biomass into high-value green chemicals, their process is energy-efficient and zero-waste, producing pure chemicals including top-quality lignin. Utilising non-food biomass, Sonichem's approach significantly cuts reliance on fossil fuels, aiding in tackling the climate crisis.

Transparent aims to be the first circular tech brand, creating sustainable, upgradable electronics. Their products, blending durable materials like aluminum and glass, are designed for longevity and minimal electronic waste. The founders, Per Brickstad, Magnus Wiberg, and Martin Willers, focus on honest, sustainable business practices, merging technology with interior design, and have been recognized with awards like the Wallpaper* Design Awards.

Viritech leads in hydrogen powertrain development for various sectors, focusing on licensing their innovative solutions. They've reimagined fuel cell powertrains, integrating hydrogen storage, high-performance batteries, and power electronics to match zero-emission vehicles with traditional vehicle weights. Their comprehensive ecosystem simplifies integration for manufacturers, offering both complete powertrain systems and individual components like their Tri-Volt™ and Graph-Pro™ technologies, which revolutionize FCEV architecture and hydrogen storage.

Have you ever heard the saying that all publicity is good publicity? Well, Hector Hughes of Unplugged has taken that belief to a whole new level. Hector very cleverly creates these angry customer emails, that show just how disappointed they are after they’ve used his product. However, here’s the trick, they’re always disappointed because the product has worked SO well. Despite being written in an angry tone, these complaints always detail how Unplugged has made them feel so refreshed and rejuvenated, which has inconvenienced the writer of the complaint in one way or another.

This trick works INCREDIBLY well, because people are naturally nosey and want to see what bad things people have to say, so they’re immediately hooked in. Once they start reading though, they begin to see just how good the Unplugged product actually is, and subsequently get interested in using the product themselves.

Hector has been able to amass thousands and thousands of views on LinkedIn doing this, and the best part? It’s completely free!

Can you spin bad reactions into positive press? Can you use complaints to shock and win over new customers?

As start-up founders ourselves, one of the areas we’re really passionate about is raising awareness of opportunities. If you’re not mixing in the right circles, it can be really easy to miss a pitch event, or job opportunity that could be game-changing for you. We’ve included a few upcoming events and opportunities below, but this is where we really want to leverage our community of innovators. Please reply to this email with any tips and opportunities you think we should be featuring.

💼 Job opportunities

🔌 Software Engineer, Zest
📲 UX Designer, Firstup
💻 Fullstack Engineer, GitLab

🎤 Events/Opportunities

⚡ Last week we opened applications for the very first annual ‘Innovators Uncensored Disruptors 100’, in which we award the 100 most disruptive Start-Ups for 2024 🚀 Applications close on January 15th 2024. Apply here 🏆

🏦 The NatWest Entrepreneur Accelerator are currently recruiting for their next cohort. The programme supports and empowers UK entrepreneurs to scale their businesses to the next level. The free accelerator programme includes; one-to-one coaching with experienced acceleration managers, a programme of thought leadership and events, access to a network of like-minded peers, supported by their ecosystem managers, focused support with access to experts from across your specialism and, use of their modern co-working spaces in one of their nationwide hubs.

👷‍♂️ Applications are currently open for Entrepreneur First’s programmes. These programmes are designed to help you take the first step towards building a globally important technology start-up. You can find out more and apply here.

There’s also a few SeedLegals events worth checking out:

🗣️ Elevate your pitch: craft an unforgettable voice for your company
🖍️ More than a pitch deck - what you'll need to raise equity investment
🤑 How to value your start-up

Finally, we came across a super cool opportunity. Verticode are giving one lucky person the chance to win a custom Minimum Viable Product!

❓What does this include?
- A call with a member of the Verticode tech team to scope out your MVP
- An MVP sprint allocation with the development team to build your MVP
- MVP hosting & maintenance for 6 months on Verticode servers

🚀Enter here.

Each week we’ll be highlighting our favourite tools - either something we’ve been using in our businesses, or tools that our innovator community have recommended.

This week we’re highlighting Notion. Notion reimagines the workspace by consolidating modern work tools into one intuitive platform. While the majority of business owners use modern tools like Google Docs and Dropbox, they quickly end up with 15 different tabs open and everything stored across multiple platforms. Notion aims to change this by integrating various work functions into a unified, customizable workspace, inspired by the pioneering ideas of early computer visionaries. It offers a flexible platform where tasks, roadmaps, and repositories coexist, encouraging users to reshape their workspaces creatively. Notion invites early adopters to join its mission to reinvent the workspace, embracing imagination and innovation.

Next week we’ll be looking at how one of the world’s greatest marketplaces took to the real world to get their first users, how the world’s most famous vacation rental platform used cereal boxes to attract users, along with highlighting more great tools and start-up news.

P.S. Connect with us on LinkedIn…