When most companies start, they are single-threaded companies. More specifically, companies start with one product or revenue stream and evolve. Amazon is a great example of a company that has built an ecosystem. The company started as an e-commerce site for selling books, and now has a number of inter-related businesses that make up the entire Amazon ecosystem.
Netflix is an example of a company that started as a single-threaded company and has, for the most part, remained that way since its inception.
As we build Levels, we often think about the way that our company will evolve – will it be an ecosystem for health, or will we remain focused on monitoring glucose? In this episode, David Rosenthal, (VC and Host of Acquired Podcast), dives deep into what it takes to build an ecosystem around a company.
LINKS
Listen to the Acquired Podcast
Join the Acquired Slack Community
David Rosenthal on Twitter
Ben Gilbert on Twitter
(07:31) - Why you can't model the stock market
(12:35) - Why you don't want to be 23andMe
(13:29) - The importance of optionality in marketplaces
(15:34) - The evolution of eBay as an ecosystem
(25:47) - The dangers of platform risk
(36:39) - Can you start out building a platform
(46:54) - To go enterprise or focus on community
(01:05:08) - Letting emergent behavior drive platform direction
Transcripts & Show Notes
Become a Levels Member – levelshealth.com
Learn about Metabolic Health – levelshealth.com/blog
Follow Levels on Social – @Levels on Instagram and Twitter