Thirty Seconds to Magical Growth: Gamma's Viral Onboarding Bet

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "Shoe Dog" by Phil Knight - Recommended for pre-product market fit founders, emphasizing chasing passionate ideas and building a team with shared ambitions.
• "Seven Powers" by Hamilton Helmer - Suggested for post-product market fit founders, offering insights into building a durable business with tactical and strategic advice.
• "Nobody Wants to Read Your Sh*t" by Steven Pressfield - Referenced as a reminder that the bar for engaging content is very high, encouraging creators to make their content exceptionally good.

People Mentioned

• Paul Graham - Co-founder of Y Combinator, whose comment on a Gamma tweet significantly boosted its virality.
• Scott Belsky - Chief Product Officer at Adobe, known for his concept of the "first mile" or first 15 minutes of user experience.
• Brian Chesky - CEO and co-founder of Airbnb, whose philosophy on building a cohesive initial team ("first 10 employees") was referenced regarding hiring.
• Dylan Field - CEO and co-founder of Figma, mentioned as an example of a founder committed to their mission over the long term.
• Melanie Perkins - CEO and co-founder of Canva, cited as a founder with long-term commitment to their mission.
• Ivan Zhao - CEO and co-founder of Notion, highlighted as a founder dedicated to their mission for over a decade.

Organizations & Institutions

• Y Combinator (YC) - A startup accelerator mentioned in the context of First Collab, a platform that helps automate influencer outreach.
• Smith & Diction - An agency that partnered with Gamma's creative director for their rebrand, also known for their work with Perplexity.
• AKG Media - A small, young, and hungry agency based in the UK that helps Gamma connect with creators.
• Optimizely - A company where many of Gamma's team members previously worked, influencing their strong culture of experimentation.

Tools & Software

• Gamma App - An AI-powered presentation and website design tool, the main subject of the podcast episode.
• Google Slides - A presentation tool mentioned as a previous medium used by Grant Lee, inspiring the creation of Gamma.
• PowerPoint - A presentation tool mentioned as a traditional alternative to Gamma.
• Voice Panel - A Y Combinator company and platform used by Gamma for rapid user testing and feedback on prototypes.
• UserTesting - A platform used by Gamma to source and find prospective users for product testing and feedback.
• Intercom - A customer messaging platform that Gamma used to receive feedback from users wanting to purchase more credits.
• ChatGPT - An AI chatbot mentioned as a benchmark for pricing in the AI industry.
• Claude - An AI chatbot mentioned as a potential alternative to ChatGPT for creating presentations.
• Perplexity - An AI answer engine mentioned as being particularly useful for creating outlines and integrating web search results.
• Notion - A workspace tool mentioned in the context of other successful long-term founder-led companies.

Websites & Online Resources

• Product Hunt - A platform where Gamma launched its public beta, winning Product of the Day, Week, and Month.
• Twitter - A social media platform used by Gamma for founder-led marketing and viral content.
• LinkedIn - A social media platform where Grant Lee is active and finds high conversion rates for influencer marketing.
• Lenny's Newsletter (lennysnewsletter.com) - The host's newsletter, offering access to various products including Gamma with an annual subscription.
• Miro (miro.com/lenny) - An innovation workspace mentioned as a sponsor that helps teams with AI and human potential.

Other Resources

• "Dumbest idea I've heard" - A quote from an investor to Grant Lee, which served as a motivating factor for Gamma's growth strategy.
• Dunbar's Number - A cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.