GZV #16: David Dobrik's New App, Tik Tok stars, and The Social Dilemma
Startups. Trends. Markets. All from a Gen Z view.
Hopefully you noticed that I did not issue a newsletter last week. This decision was based on lack of content. I respect your time and will not fill a newsletter with fluff, only valuable insights.
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Enjoy!
Themes of the week
David Dobrik’s Disposable📸
Students Linkedin📝
Tik Tok’ers Learning Finance📈
The Social Dilemma📱
Startups 👀 👀 👀
Scale: Gen Z won’t/may/will like <Company Name>.
📸Gen Z may like Dispo.
Who are they?
Co-founder by internet superstar, David Dobrik, Dispo compels its fans to wait until the next morning for their photos to develop, digitally re-creating the delightful nostalgia and delayed gratification of waiting for film's development. This feature creates unique, raw, and authentic photos, preserving community and connection. Dispo seeks to create the next great social media network, built on authenticity.
Why the rating (Pros)?
David Dobrik being behind this app gives it awesome credentials from the start, he has over 70 millions fans across several platforms that he is able to push this app toward.
In college there are plenty of kids who love disposable cameras, so building this product into a mobile application has the potential to grow very quickly and virally.
Social media is in need of a reform, a platform that builds some authenticity into it’s product could really help.
Potential Cons?
Right now the UI isn’t insanely attractive and a little confusing, I know this is kind of the point, but a little cleaning would be nice.
It is going to be hard to pull existing users away from social platforms. People need some real incentive to move them toward a platform, that is why Dispo dropped from the charts after having over 1 million downloads in the first day.
🚨Recommendation for founders:
💡 Investment Idea 💡: For a few years now, social media has been in need of a reform. Existing platforms have lost track of what they originally set out to do and have become crowded with bias algorithms and toxicity. There is a new wave of innovation coming where multiple companies will try to fix this, be on the lookout.
Gen Z may like ladder.
Who are they?
*Formally called Remote Students
“Professional communities that grow your career. Exclusive access to jobs, fellowships, competitions, mentors, and connections to get you to the next level in your career.”
Why the rating (Pros)?
Linkedin isn’t really amazing for students. Ladder brings students together to discuss job opportunities, professional interests, and advice. Imagine combining discord, Wall Street oasis, and Linkedin.
The current system of Linkedin is inefficient and doesn’t have features like communities which can be extremely helpful.
Any platform that helps students find internships and/or jobs will always have a shot.
Potential Cons?
Linkedin has been the only product in this space for years, so there is potential for a resilience to change on the consumer side.
The UI/UX design could use slight improvement, it’s about 80% there.
💡 Investment Idea 💡: I feel like I hear it more and more every week; Linkedin sucks. It’s inefficient and spammy at times. People are noticing and are starting to build niche products off of Linkedin. These products have the chance to be worth a few hundred million each.
Gen Z Trend of the Week - Capital University
What is Capital University?
Capital University is a new podcast run by Tik Tok start Bryce Hall and Investor Anthony “Pomp” Pompliano. This podcast is where wealth meets influencers. Pomp is setting out to teach Bryce about all the ways to build generation wealth by teaching him the ins and outs of the financial markets and talking about the different business ventures Bryce has.
Is this information needed?
Short answer, Yes. Kids these days have gotten more into the world of finance (ex. Day traders on Robinhood), yet they don’t have much educational guidance. This podcast really helps steer kids in the right direction of building generational wealth.
Why is this a trend?
Well recently, I have seen some migration toward business partnerships with these Tik Tok kids. First Pomp and Bryce, and now Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool, just released a podcast with Josh Richards (22.4 million Tik Tok followers). These partnerships bring a whole new audience of young teenagers to Barstool and Pomp which will help the longevity of both their platforms.
Why should I care?
It’s funny to say this, but it almost feels like brand deals are going out the window. Now, it seems like the better play for these influencers to push their own products. From a brand perspective that can mean collaboration. Let’s say you’re launching a new pair of shoes, look toward influencers and see if they want to collaborate with your company on the project, this way they can also believe in the product they are pushing. (Look at the Pink Whitney collaboration between Barstool and New Amsterdam Vodka).
Notes: The Social Dilemma
In place of the essay this week I thought I would provide some notes on the documentary The Social Dilemma. If you haven’t watched it, I HIGHLY recommend you do.
I mean, put simply it’s all true. My generation is addicted to social media and that is an overwhelming fact. Some people have started to notice and have taken steps to migrate away from the toxicity, but a majority still don't see the problem.
The saddest part in my opinion is the what I call the “white noise” part. When kids are doing nothing for 5 minutes, are on a car ride, or maybe even during commercial break, do you think we talk to people? No. We pick up our phones and go aimlessly scroll on instagram. It’s absolutely crazy.
Algorithms are the best and worst thing to happen to social media. Unintentionally, they created extreme confirmation bias in our society. Let’s say you support the movement that the world is flat. If you keep engaging with that content, the algorithms will just keep feeding you it. Imagine how dangerous this is for teens who are still forming their own opinions.
One of the scariest thing is how an app has built psychological reactions in our brain. When we get a notifications, our dopamine levels spike. This means an app is controlling our happiness to a degree. Every college kid I know has the same reaction when they get a notification, they look almost instantly.
We have to move away from these platforms, or just learn how to use them better. The way I see it today, is that some kids have two lives, the amazing social media one, and the normal one that they hide due to fears of being judged.
⭐️ Partnered Companies ⭐️
🗣
Vintro- Imagine getting paid to be a shark on shark tank, or better yet, being able to pitch renowned business leaders, CEO’s, political figures, and founders.Well this is how I see Vintro. They allow everyday founders to pitch to people like Gary Cohn, Barbara Corcoran, or Jim Mckelvey.
They also allow for you to be a “Gary Cohn”, just join as a leader and get paid to be pitch to.
Click here to learn more.
📈
Public.com- I’ve been investing for over 5 years and now more than ever, investing is a social creature.This is why I work with Public. They have created a social investing app where you can make groups with your friends, buy stocks, and talk about why you believe they are a good buy. The best part, you can debate with people why you think you’re right, which I love to do.
Download the app here.
Special thanks to my editor, Cristina Lombardozzi
Feel free to email or text with any questions or comments about the newsletter, Gen Z, or startups.
thomas@genzvoice.com
203-628-6006