he name may seem a bit like a genre of music or a new place to hang out during lockdown, but Clubhouse is causing a bit of a stir. I joined the waiting list last week and to my surprise was let in early thanks to a contact who was already on the platform. You know how the saying goes: ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know’!!
Now what is all the hype about? It’s been written about in many publications and there are users itching to get onto the platform, but they are still on the waiting list.
Firstly, as a co-founder myself, looking at their journey from a startup perspective, the story has been nothing short of fantastic and inspiring! They raised money back in May 2020, launched in December 2020 just in the Apple Store and via a waiting list with 0 users. It’s been 2 months since they launched and it’s rumoured, they have 2 million users already with people on Twitter saying this is THE next social media platform. Now that’s something that founders dream of when they launch an app! Granted, it started in Silicon Valley with a well-known VC backer which I’ve no doubt has been a huge advantage but still, the numbers are impressive, and I can see why.
Normally when you hear statements like that it’s for good publicity, but I’m here to tell you otherwise.
Imagine at the click of a button being able to listen to a stage full of experienced founders talking about how to raise money for your startup or a stage full of experienced musicians talking about how to start your music career, not to mention the celebrities who are regularly found in some of the rooms. Now you’re probably thinking “so what? I get that listening to my favourite podcasts.” There is one huge difference though. You can put your hand up virtually (and physically if you like) and once the moderators let you on the stage you can ask questions and get involved in the conversation. Some of the rooms I have frequented have featured more than 900 people, with some well-known founder heavyweights on the stage giving away knowledge that you would seldom receive without paying a large chunk of money to attend a startup conference.
In addition, if you have something worthy of discussing you can also instantly set up your own room and start a conversation.
With all of the other social media platforms out there it’s hard to imagine we would have any time to entertain another, but in this case, it really does make sense. It can be a great source of knowledge and a huge opportunity to connect with others and explore new opportunities. I often plug in my headphones and jump into a room to listen to a conversation and I’ve found those conversations fun, insightful and valuable.
The way they are rolling out Clubhouse is smart too. I have been given a limited number of invites to encourage my contacts to join the platform. They are clearly getting some traction because more and more of my contacts are appearing on Clubhouse which I think is great.
Hopefully Nargis and I will be setting up a room in the future so with a bit of luck we may see a few of you there. In the meantime, if you are on the waiting list looking to see what all the fanfare is about let me know and if I still have some invites left, I will happily send you one.
Demos is no stranger to startups - he's a seasoned entrepreneur with experience running businesses in various sectors. He loves chatting with fellow passionate founders and his honest advice is received with open arms! With his meticulous approach, graphic design artistry and technical know-how, Demos leads by example, showing the team how to hone their skills to provide the best service.
