Netflix lost nearly a million subscribers in the quarter and the streaming giant expects to lose hundreds of thousands more this year.
Does this mean consumers are experiencing “subscription fatigue?”
Or are there just more options to choose from as studios launch new platforms (and withdraw their content from the big red N)?
Full ukbusinessupdates.com+ articles are available to members only.
Use discount code TCPLUSROUNDUP to save 20% on a one or two year subscription.
“Subscriptions don’t die; they just evolve,” said Chargebee CMO Sanjay Manchanda, noting that more than half of all SaaS companies plan to roll out usage-based billing next year.
To help founders capitalize on this trend, he identified some of the ways companies are evolving as they strive to copy the success of companies like Twilio, Snowflake, and Frog.
“Subscriptions aren’t going anywhere,” Manchanda says. “They’ve been around since the 17th century for a good reason — people like them.”
Thank you very much for reading,
Walter Thompson
Editorial Manager, ukbusinessupdates.com+
@yourprotagonist
How to get the BS out of your TAM
On Wednesday, October 19, I’ll be moderating “How to Get the BS Out of Your TAM,” a panel at ukbusinessupdates.com Disrupt in San Francisco.
Calculating a company’s potential market share is notoriously difficult for inexperienced entrepreneurs, and making a mistake is a red flag for investors. To help founders overcome this hurdle, I’ll be talking to three VCs, so learn more about how to measure TAM in an era where tailwinds turn into headwinds:
- Kara Northman, managing partner, Upfront Ventures
- Aydin Senkut, Founder and Managing Partner, Felicis Ventures
- Deena Shakir, partner Lux Capital
Honest advice for open source startups looking for a product-market fit
Image Credits: Sutad Watthanakul/EyeEm (Opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Open source startups, like other companies, need to look for a product-market fit, but their path to market is slightly different: they need to attract a critical mass of users, but they also need to nurture a community of developers who support their product.
“In this regard, the go-to-market journey for an open source company is often less about acquiring new customers and more about conversion sales – upselling paid add-on features to existing free users,” says Arnav Sahu, an investor at Y Combinatie continuity.
“The playbook to build in the beginning is identifying who is a good customer and who is not.”
How should web3 companies approach fundraising during a recession?
Image Credits: Stephen Swintek (Opens in a new window) / Getty Images
Most web3 startups are in the same leaky boat: they haven’t reached the product market yet, hiring tech talent is difficult at best, and many of the investors who were eager to take their calls a year ago are now doing so.
Thirsty travelers who know where to look can still find water, according to Jenny Q. Ta, CEO of GalaxE.io.
In a ukbusinessupdates.com+ guest post, she offers suggestions on how to approach angels, accelerators, and traditional VCs, along with some thoughts that can help web3 entrepreneurs gauge their level.
“Don’t let fear rule you. This too shall pass, but don’t waste the moment.”
VCs set their sights on African countries outside the ‘Big Four’
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin
Together, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt and Nigeria absorb over 70% of all African venture capital. These countries, known as the “Big Four,” collectively raised about $5 billion last year.
However, in recent months, Nairobi-based ukbusinessupdates.com reporter Annie Njanja found that investors are increasingly looking for deals elsewhere.
“Outside the Big Four, investment rose to $1.4 billion, up 382% year-over-year.”
Serena Williams’ next act in venture capital is essential right now
Image Credits: ADAM DAVY / Contributor / Getty Images
Since Serena Ventures was founded in 2014, tennis champion Serena Williams has invested in companies such as Impossible Foods, Daily Harvest, Billie and MasterClass.
All told, she has invested in nearly 80 companies, including 16 unicorns, Dominic-Madori Davis reports. And in a few weeks she will stop playing tennis.
“She knows her balancing act and masters the art of what it takes to win and lose – essential skills for running an early stage venture capital fund.”
