MobCon

I once wrote a blog on Technology and the Future of Money. Now I have a podcast where I talk to old friends and new about Networks of Money, Talent and Ideas

[MobCon @excapite]

A collection of visual wonders - both old and new

(Yes. We updated the website)

Come and take a look...

https://t.co/tLT9Rwyri1

[Nikunj Kothari @nikunj]

@scottastevenson There's a lot of other creative ways this is being reported.. I have stopped looking at headline number for this reason https://t.co/D892Xh1jvW

[MickyJ @AI_MickyJ]

https://t.co/0yhQjxMroG

[MobCon @excapite]

@sandykory Alas the framing of “sophisticated numbers-driven investor” Is not something one normally associates with operators of the world best lifestyle business (think Venture Capital). Indeed the odds of them beating the index are higher than the odds of them investing in a startup

[MobCon @excapite]

@deedydas @hnshah VC has rarely beaten passive in the 21st Century so your observations are better understood as a retrospective rather than a forecast

The problem with SaaS has always been CAC & the noise around distribution these days speaks more to the speed of VC learnings than market changes

[MobCon @excapite]

@HarryStebbings This all very exciting but surely the first question you should ask any top tier VC is: when was the last time they beat investing in the market index over a 10-15 yr period? Which funds beat passive & why? What are the lessons they learnt? & what are they now doing differently?

[MobCon @excapite]

@ianmiles The line ‘turns people who are good at something into people who are very good’ is probably the best explanation yet of why AI will have very little impact on VC portfolio returns

[MobCon @excapite]

@dunkhippo33 The problem with SaaS was self evident when Salesforce IPO’d

The model basically subsidises users at the expense of future earnings.

https://t.co/Qh5loCjcM3

[MobCon @excapite]

@MartinGTobias Customers

[MobCon @excapite]

@herrmanndigital The big fix Meta needs to fix is the arb on cheap reach has disappeared and isn’t coming back

The other is people are increasingly spending more time with AI powered competitors that with aging social media platforms and (in or likely hood they won’t be coming back)

[MobCon @excapite]

@herrmanndigital The answer to your question is is more likely yes yes.

Yes there is in all probability a problem with bot traffic on meta platforms (but until the platform is regulated, audited and demonopolised…)
Yes the is in all probability a problem with Shopify’s data handling practices

[MobCon @excapite]

@_agarner What was the close rate?
Without the close rate the numbers are interesting but really don’t tell you much about the quality of the targeting
E.g. if the close rate was 1 in 10 qualified lead then these numbers are no better than cold calling

[MobCon @excapite]

@tomfgoodwin It’s designed to obfuscate. It’s designed to make the ad buyer think they are winning even when they are losing. It is basically a derivative of the casino slots. A perfect piece of ugly design addiction offering just enough hints of winning to make you roll that dice again

[MobCon @excapite]

@dunkhippo33 Idk it took OpenAI (what?) 7 years before they launched version 3.5 with the ‘kids are cheating at their homework’ PR campaign. Before that hardly anybody had heard of them. Never mind used their product. Now this tech tortoise is marketed are fastest growing tech in history.

[MobCon @excapite]

@codyplof It was a great strategy in 2022 when OpenAI (after shooting blanks for more than half a decade) ran ‘the kids are cheating at their homework’ PR campaign. They are now worth what? $500 Billion? PR is THE Silicon Valley Growth Playbook 101

[MobCon @excapite]

@codyplof The correct answer is of course Facebook didn’t spend a dime on advertising and nor should you

Your first hire is a PR manager and two assistants

https://t.co/HMwt5HvX6s

[MobCon @excapite]

@MartinGTobias Then I assume you only invest in who you know - or at least those known to your network

Or, are you that rare thing? The exception to the rule. The black sheep of the VC herd who enthusiastically throws money at cold outreach… the blank canvas

[MobCon @excapite]

@codyplof What’s the ‘kiss the pixel’ rate across your paid media channels?

as every industry insider knows, the gap between CTR & eCTR is where the platforms eat your margins

The reason being Meta & Google haven’t offered cheap reach in years

Paying a premium for garbage is expensive