Venture Out
by Hattie Willis
Geeking out on business model innovation and meeting the inspiring founders and entrepreneurs who are making it happen.
Podcast episodes
Season 1
Serially Successful or just BARKing Mad: Meet Matt Meeker, founder of Meetup and BARK
In this episode we meet the insanely talented, and somehow equally humble, Matt Meeker. Matt has founded not 1 but 2 incredibly successful startups, each worth hundreds of millions. Over the years, Matt made the move from a networking startup loved by knitters, witches and thousands of other underserved communities, to start a direct to consumer dog treat and toy subscription service. When you look at his startups from outside, it feels like there’s no obvious link, but when you hear his story, it becomes clear why he’s been so successful in two such different spaces. Matt’s companies come from incredible passion, an eye for the underserved and an ability to hold his own ideas lightly, testing his assumptions and constantly learning from customers (even when they’re pigs)
Making Insurance Cool: Meet Laka
Genuine business model innovation has created a cycling insurance company so loved by their customers, they're actually queueing up to buy kit with it's name on it. Laka looked at how insurance worked and thought it was broken. Insurers only make money when customers don't claim, but customers only need their insurers when they do. So they flipped the business model. Now, they only charge customers when they claim. We dig into the model to learn How Laka only make money when they pay out a customer claim How starting with a niche can give you the best base for expansion Why customer development never ends but just turns into new product lines How to jump on 'micro' marketing opportunities to gain traction What it's like joining a startup accelerator when you used to run it Why content marketing and product development need to overlap How to have fun with your in a conservative industry Why anyone would love their insurer so much they follow them on instagram Why an insurer would dream of making their own clothing line