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20VC: The Dubsmash Memo: Scaling to 43M Users in 10 Days, Why TikTok Was a Competitor Like Never Seen Before, Good vs Great Consumer Products and What Every Consumer Product Needs & The Future of Consumer Social with Suchit Dash

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Sep 13, 2023

Suchit Dash, VP of Core Product Experience at Reddit and co-founder of Dubsmash, shares insights from his journey scaling Dubsmash to 43 million users in just 10 days. He discusses the importance of understanding user motivations and the pitfalls of retention challenges after rapid growth. Suchit also highlights the competitive edge TikTok had during Dubsmash's ascent, emphasizing the need for innovation in user engagement. With tips on product-market fit and building community, he offers valuable lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs in the consumer social landscape.

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ANECDOTE

Early Dubsmash Growth

Dubsmash scaled to 10 million users in 43 days.
Early success was driven by virality due to constraints like limited video hosting.

INSIGHT

Growth vs. Fit

Dubsmash's initial viral growth did not translate to product-market fit.
Early retention was poor due to limitations as a purely creation-focused app.

INSIGHT

Retention Challenges

Dubsmash's initial low retention was due to its focus on creation without robust social features.
Constraints prevented hosting videos or facilitating user connections.

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Suchit Dash is the VP of Core Product Experience at Reddit, responsible for the surfaces that millions of users interact with daily. Prior to Reddit, Suchit was a cofounder at Dubsmash, a short video platform that was used by millions globally and acquired by Reddit in December 2020. In just 10 days, Suchit scaled the product to an immense 43M users, and gained fans such as Neymar and Jimmy Fallon. Suchit previously held roles at Soundcloud and PayPal.

In Today's Episode with Suchit Dash We Discuss:

1. The Founding of Dubsmash & V1:

How did the founding of Dubsmash come to be?
Suchit scaled V1 of the product to 43M users in 10 days, what was the secret? What worked?
What were the first signs that all was not right?
How did the team respond to the realization that their retention numbers were terrible?
What are Suchit's biggest lessons and pieces of advice from this massive V1 and launch?

2. Data: Retention, Cohorts and The Smiley Face:

What specific data did Suchit and the team really use to understand their level of product market fit?
What level of retention were they looking for? What is average, good, and great in terms of retention in consumer social?
What is really important for founders to try and observe and analyze in net new user cohorts?
When and why did the team start to see the hailed smiley face of consumer returning to the app?

3. Battling TikTok:

Despite the resurgence, TikTok was roaring, what did TikTok do so well to take the market?
How did TikTok leverage both FB and Snap's ad platform to acquire so many users so fast?
What did TikTok not do well? What could they have done better?
How did TikTok pay and incentivize the creator community?
What are some of Suchit's biggest lessons and advice for founders battling a better-funded incumbent?

4. The Decision to Sell: Being Acquired by Reddit:

Ultimately, why did Suchit decide to sell the company to Reddit?
Why did the first two acquisition attempts fail?
What are 1-2 of the biggest pieces of advice Suchit has for founders debating whether it is right to sell their company?
What do all founders being acquired need to remember?
With the benefit of hindsight, if Suchit could do the acquisition process again, what would he do differently?