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Some news:I've led a16z's new investment in Clubhouse and have joined the board. Essay below that covers:
- how I know founders @pdavison @rohanseth
- why we're excited to invest
- how we think Clubhouse is unique - particularly for creators! https://a16z.com/2021/01/24/investing-in-clubhouse/
1/ This has been a really fun one. I first met @pdavison years ago, when he was working on Highlight, a social app focused on location. Shoutout to @bubba who first introduced us! Paul impressed me from the start, with his energy, nuance, and deep product thinking.
2/ Over the years, we stayed in touch. Eventually, I heard about his latest project -- started with friend and cofounder @rohanseth -- which was focused on audio. It was called Talkshow, and it made producing podcasts much, much easier. It was super cool.
3/ But Paul, ever the deep product thinker, didn't think it was easy enough. So he and Rohan distilled the magic -- particularly the part where a guest could pop into a podcast -- and made it even simpler. This became Clubhouse
4/ I joined as one of the first hundred or so users. It was on Testflight, and a friend invited me. It was just a single room where you could talk to Paul whenever you wanted -- and I did! All the time
5/ You could pop in/out of a room at any time. Just click the "kthxbye" button. Content creation was easy - just talk, like a phone call. Or just listen to what others have to say, while you cook or do laundry. It was effortless, the way that a next gen audio product should be.
6/ Eventually more and more people showed up, and then the app let you form new rooms. And then entire new communities joined. It was so cool to see it grow from a tight-knit community of hundreds into a network of thousands. And then tens of thousands, and today, appx 2 million.
7/ New creators join every day and bring fresh topics, conversations, and audience. They are at the heart of the community. Shoutout to @ChrisLyons and CLF for seeing the potential early, and bringing folks onto Clubhouse.
8/ I remember checking my app usage on my phone, at one point, and seeing I had been on the app in the evenings almost every day, adding up to more than a dozen hours a week -- more than I was watching Netflix, using Instagram, or anything else. It was magic from day one.
9/ Fast forward nearly a year later, and Clubhouse has been able to keep the magic going. It's been amazing to see everyone's creativity and the diversity of topics, conversation, and communities.
10/ Clubhouse is one of my favorite apps -- it's been on my homescreen for a year -- and I'm lucky to be working with Paul, Rohan, and the rest of the team. I know I'm not the only one at a16z that feels this way!
11/ So, to the @joinClubhouse team -- on behalf of a16z, welcome to our community, portfolio, and network -- there's so much to do, and am excited for the next chapters.
PS. worth reading the @joinClubhouse official announcement as well! https://www.joinclubhouse.com/welcoming-more-voices
