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Nikita Bier is co-founder of TBH (sold to Meta for more than $30 million) and Gas (sold to Discord for millions more), and has helped more apps hit #1 in the app stores than any human alive. He currently spends his time advising founders on viral growth strategies, product UX, and product development. He's also invested in or advised some of the most successful consumer tech companies out there, including Flo Health Inc., Locket Labs, Citizen, BeReal., Wealthsimple, and more. In our conversation, Nikita shares: 🔸 Strategies for building viral consumer apps 🔸 Why big companies can’t launch hit social apps  🔸 Inside the human trafficking hoax at Gas 🔸 Why teens are such a great audience 🔸 His experience working as a PM at Facebook 🔸 The inside story of how TBH and Gas achieved explosive growth 🔸 Much more Listen now 👇 - YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gGMXBvz4 - Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gb2kCn7p - Apple: https://lnkd.in/g-dEvi9h Some key takeaways: 1. There are only a few core reasons why people download apps, and they each link back to basic human motivations: a. Finding a mate (e.g. Tinder) b. Making or saving money (e.g. Robinhood) c. Unplugging from reality (e.g. Netflix) 2. Optimize for the aha moment in seconds. With attention spans shrinking, it’s critical to demonstrate your core value to users within the first three seconds of using an app. This often requires ruthlessly cutting features and being creative with available APIs and mechanisms. 3. The number of invitations sent per user drops 20% for every additional year of age from 13 to 18. To maximize growth, focus on demographics with high urgency and frequent interactions. With their high social communication rate, teens are particularly valuable for network-effect products. In contrast, targeting adults often requires heavy investment in advertising to acquire users. 4. If you’re looking for a startup idea, look for latent demand: Look for existing user behaviors that are being done in a very inefficient way. If people are using a clunky method to achieve a goal, it signals an opportunity to create a more effective and user-friendly product. 5. It’s extremely difficult for large tech companies to launch hit social apps. The best apps are launched based on hunches about basic human motivations, not the kind of clear market signals and evidence that big companies require before taking new bets. Big companies also require too much process for them to keep up with the pace of iteration required to succeed. It takes them 12-24 months to respond to competitive threats. 6. Creating durable consumer social products is extremely difficult. Nikita views it as a “black swan event” that happens maybe once a decade. While you can become skilled at making apps go viral, creating lasting engagement is much more challenging and involves a lot of luck.

🚀𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 I spent some time going through the latest startup schemes that were announced, and honestly, this is one of the strongest pushes India has made for early-stage founders. If you’re building something in AI, education, hardware, deep-tech or even an early student startup, there’s real money on the table. And the best part is, a lot of this support comes without giving up equity. Sharing the ones that really stood out to me: 𝟭. 𝗡-𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗣 (₹𝟰 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘀+) This is probably the easiest starting point for: • First-time founders • Early ideas • Student or campus startups It’s simple support to help you start building. 𝟮. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 (₹𝟭 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲+) If you’re thinking global from day one, this is worth exploring. They help with: • Setting up in the US • GTM support • High-ticket funding Basically a shortcut to global exposure. 𝟯. 𝗘𝗗𝗨 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 (₹𝟰 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘀+) Anyone working on EdTech or skill development should look at this. There’s big support for: • EdTech products • Skilling platforms • Curriculum and learning innovation 𝟰. 𝗨𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗔𝗜 (₹𝟯𝟬 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘀+) This is huge for AI builders. Perfect for: • AI tools • SaaS + ML products • Automation + deep-tech ideas If you’re building anything around AI, this is free rocket fuel. 𝟱. 𝗡𝗜𝗗𝗛𝗜 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗔𝗦 (₹𝟭𝟬 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘀) This one is for hardware and IoT founders. You can actually get funding to build your prototype or MVP. A very practical scheme if your idea needs R&D. 𝟲. 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱 (₹𝟱𝟬 𝗟𝗮𝗸𝗵𝘀) Designed for early-stage teams working on: • Prototype development • Product building • Market entry One of the most reliable government-backed supports right now. I’m sharing this because a lot of founders will be aware. If you’re planning to start something in 2026, this is genuinely the best time to prepare. If you want to discuss which scheme fits your idea, feel free to message me. Always happy to connect with other builders. #Startups #IndiaStartups #FounderCommunity #AI #EdTech #DeepTech #Innovation #Entrepreneurs #Funding #NIDHIPrayas #UnnatiAI #SeedFund #StartupEcosystem

₹77,080 Crores allocated by the Government of India for startups and manufacturing in 2025. Yet most founders are still chasing VC money. I work with startups daily, and it surprises me how many don't even know these schemes exist. Here's what's available right now The Big Picture: → Deep Tech & Startup Fund: ₹30,000 Cr → MSME Budget Outlay: ₹23,168 Cr → Startup India Fund of Funds: ₹10,000 Cr → PLI Electronics & IT: ₹9,000 Cr → PLI Auto Components: ₹2,819 Cr → PLI Textiles: ₹1,148 Cr → Startup India Seed Fund: ₹945 Cr This is just the major allocations - there's more buried in smaller schemes. Let me break down what you can actually access based on your stage [1] For Early Stage Startups: 👉🏼 Startup India Seed Fund: Up to ₹50L per startup 👉🏼 SAMRIDH Scheme: Up to ₹40L grants 👉🏼 Atal Innovation Mission: Up to ₹15L for prototypes Most founders think these are too small. But remember, this is non-dilutive capital that can get you to revenue stage. [2] For Revenue Stage Companies: 👉🏼 CGTMSE: Up to ₹2 Cr collateral-free loans 👉🏼 Stand-Up India: ₹10L to ₹1 Cr for SC/ST/Women entrepreneurs 👉🏼 Multiplier Grants: Up to ₹10 Cr for R&D projects This is where it gets interesting. Revenue-stage companies have the best shot at accessing larger amounts. [3] For Manufacturing: 👉🏼 PLI schemes across 14+ sectors 👉🏼 Significant incentives for domestic production 👉🏼 Focus on electronics, auto, textiles If you're in manufacturing, you're literally sitting on a goldmine of incentives. The challenge? Most founders don't know how to navigate the application process. Here's where to start: - Startup India Portal [https://lnkd.in/gBdAH52D] - myScheme Portal [myscheme.gov.in] - SIDBI Portal [sidbi.in] - AIM Portal [aim.gov.in] - MeitY Startup Hub [msh.meity.gov.in] What you actually need: ✓ DPIIT registration for startups ✓ Proper documentation ✓ Clear business plan ✓ Compliance records ✓ Incubator partnerships (for some schemes) I've seen founders spend months preparing pitch decks for VCs, but won't spend a week getting their documentation ready for government schemes. The reality is Government funding is often cheaper, comes with less dilution, and has better terms than VC money. But it requires patience and proper documentation. #startupfunding #manufacturing #debtfunding

The UK has no shortage of startup support programmes. But how well do they work? In our new paper, Full Speed Ahead: Accelerating Britain’s network of startup support programmes, we ask whether the startup support ecosystem is delivering on its promise to founders, funders and the wider economy. We spoke to programme operators, founders, and policy experts to understand the challenges and opportunities, and we propose four areas of reform to help startup support programmes deliver lasting, measurable outcomes. As our Patron, Steve Rigby, writes in the foreword: “We are world-class at launching startups – but not yet at helping them scale. If we want the UK to remain globally competitive, we need to raise the bar on the programmes we fund, back, and promote.” Our report unpacks why issues persist. The common problems we found include: – Misaligned expectations: Many accelerators focus heavily on mentoring and workshops, whereas founders need investor and customer connections. – Duration mismatches: Most programmes last under six months, but founders in deep tech, health and regulated sectors need much longer runway to become investment-ready. – Short-term funding cycles: Stop-start grants disrupt mentorship, break community continuity and undermine the long-term trust essential for founder development. – Flawed impact measurement: Startup survival and funding secured are important, but this doesn’t capture long-term founder development or second-time success. A "failed" startup can produce a much stronger entrepreneur. Our recommendations include: – Establish standards and shared definitions for different programme types to bring clarity, comparability, and baseline quality to the sector. – Reform impact measurement to track long-term founder development, not just short-term startup outcomes or programme activities. – Move to longer-term, outcome-linked support, replacing stop-start grants with adaptable contracts that support iteration, trust, and planning. – Pilot demand-led funding vouchers to let public funding follow founder needs and reward high-performing programmes. We believe these reforms matter because founders need clarity, funders need accountability, and programmes need time and tools to improve. Done right, these changes could help ensure that public investment flows to the programmes that deliver the most value for founders and the UK economy.

Platformizing India’s Startup Future If India wants to become No.1, we don’t just need startups. We need a startup engine. And that engine must begin in colleges. Right now, what happens? Effort happens. Data disappears. Ecosystem never compounds. Every academic year resets. New students. New projects. Same mistakes. Same reinvention. We keep building… but we don’t stack. 👉 Without a platform approach, talent remains invisible. 👉 Without structured data, interventions remain emotional, not evidence-based. 👉 Without compounding, ecosystems stay fragile. ⸻ Platformization Changes the Game I recently came across InUnity - Innovation for Community – a digital competency and innovation platform designed exactly for this gap. What does it really do? • Captures student capability beyond academics • Records toolset, skillset, mindset • Tracks projects, internships, hackathons, certifications • Maps entrepreneurial traits (10-trait assessment) • Creates a live digital twin spider map across 8 core skills • Aggregates digital footprint across platforms Now this is powerful. Because when you capture the right parameters consistently, you don’t just store data — you create a digital twin of the student. And once you have digital twins + cohort data, magic begins. You start seeing: • Cause-effect of interventions • Which workshop improved what skill • Which hackathon led to startup formation • Which mentor interaction increased conversion to incubation That’s recursive learning. That’s compounding intelligence. ⸻ Real Ecosystem Impact This model is already implemented in Karnataka: • 30,000+ students • 100+ MSME challenges solved • 5 regional clusters In Maharashtra, under Nagpur Entrepreneurship Mission & Nagpur Next: The pilot is underway • 2,000 students • 20 live MSME challenges • TRL-based tracking lined up • Would ultimately create funnel of Startups flow into incubators ⸻ What Platformization Enables A. Skill gap analysis mapped to specific industry job roles B. Personalized recommendation of events & courses C. Smart matching of companies with closest-fit student inventory D. Guidance on which toolsets and skillsets to sharpen E. Continuous competency capture improving talent visibility This is not activity. This is structured talent manufacturing. This builds a talent intelligence layer connecting academia, industry, and entrepreneurship. ⸻ And here’s the key insight: When effort compounds, ecosystems rise. When effort resets, ecosystems stagnate. India doesn’t lack talent. India lacks structured compounding. Platformization is not a tech choice. It is a national competitiveness strategy. Time to move from scattered initiatives to a recursive, data-backed, compounding ecosystem. 🚀

Early-stage founders, here’s something I don’t see shared enough 🌱 Starting with an idea is tough, and most “free tools” lists just recycle the same famous names. Here’s a list of lesser-known, truly useful tools and services that can actually make your life easier without breaking the bank. For product development and prototyping: 💡 Penpot – Open-source design and prototyping platform, fully collaborative 💡 Excalidraw – Hand-drawn style diagrams and wireframes, perfect for brainstorming 💡 Draftbit Free Plan – Build and test mobile apps visually without coding For market research and validation: 💡 Similarweb Free – Basic traffic insights for websites and competitors 💡 QuestionDB – Find questions your target audience is asking online 💡 GWI – Access limited but valuable consumer and tech insights For project management and team collaboration: 💡 Nuclino – Lightweight team wiki, knowledge base, and collaboration tool 💡 ClickUp Free Plan – Flexible task management with docs, boards, and timelines 💡 Taskade Free – Simple collaborative to-do lists and mind maps For coding and MVP development: 💡 Appsmith – Open-source platform for building internal apps fast 💡 Nhost – Backend as a service with a free plan for small apps 💡 Budibase – Low-code platform for internal apps and dashboards For networking, mentorship, and learning: 💡 FounderNest Free – AI-powered startup insights, funding signals, and investor tracking 💡 Micromentor – Connects founders with experienced mentors globally 💡 Startup Resources by R Europe (formerly Seedrs)– Curated free courses and tools for early-stage founders For marketing and growth: 💡 Plausible Analytics Free Trial – Privacy-friendly website analytics alternative 💡 Otter.ai Free Plan – Automatically transcribe meetings, interviews, and user research 💡 SocialBee – Schedule and repurpose content efficiently The recipe for success with free tools: 1. Pick a tool only if it solves a real problem for you. 2. Focus on learning fast, iterating, and validating, not just building. 3. Keep track of what works, early traction and metrics matter more than fancy slides. 4. Share your learnings, helping other founders creates a stronger ecosystem. Scrappiness is a founder superpower ⚡ The right small, obscure tools can save you hours, headaches, and even thousands of dollars. Founders, which hidden gem tools have made your early-stage journey easier?

Building one successful company is impressive. Building the people who build the next hundred is much harder. Brent Hoberman is best known for co-founding lastminute.com, one of Britain's defining internet success stories during the dot-com era. Many entrepreneurs would have stopped there. He didn't. Over the following two decades, he shifted his attention from building businesses to building an ecosystem around entrepreneurship. Founders Forum created a space where founders could learn from one another instead of solving the same problems in isolation. firstminute capital backed early-stage companies long before they became household names. His impact is no longer measured by the companies he has personally founded. It is measured by the founders he has helped accelerate. That shift says something important. The strongest businesses rarely grow in isolation. They grow because they sit inside networks that share experience, open doors and shorten the learning curve. One successful company creates value. A strong ecosystem creates momentum that lasts for decades. Some of the most influential entrepreneurs eventually stop asking, What can I build next? They start asking, Who can I help build next? That is often where their greatest impact begins. #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

On May 22, 2025, Microsoft signed a deal to purchase over 600,000 tons of #lowcarbon cement from Sublime Systems ; cement produced without fossil fuels, using an innovative electrochemical process. Just a few days later, on May 28, Google expanded its partnership with Arable an agtech startup helping U.S. farmers save 2 billion liters of #water using smart irrigation technology. These aren’t CSR headlines. They’re clear signals that environmental goals and financial sustainability are not in conflict. This is happening in the US even with the strong stance on #sustainability. When driven strategically, sustainability is both a climate solution and a long-term value play. But what’s even more powerful is the catalytic effect of such moves: 1- Microsoft’s purchase enables Sublime Systems to scale its technology faster and cheaper. 2- Google’s validation helps Arable prove its model and unlock broader adoption. When industry giants act as early adopters, they don’t just decarbonize they create entire markets! This is exactly the kind of thinking that can supercharge the #startupecosystem in the #GCC. With ambitious sustainability agendas, national champions in the region can turn their assets into real world #testbeds, validating technologies, shortening the path to commercialization, and nurturing homegrown solutions. We often speak of ecosystems. But ecosystems thrive not in isolation, but through interdependence between the boldness of big players and the brilliance of small innovators. #Sustainability #Innovation #ClimateTech #CircularEconomy #GCC #Startups #GreenGrowth #WaterManagement #GreenConstruction #CenterForSustainableFuture Elias Aad Dragos Fundulea

Community beats capital every time. After working with hundreds of founders through Bombay Founders' Club , I've noticed something profound: entrepreneurs who invest in relationships first consistently outperform those who chase funding alone. Here's what makes the difference: • Knowledge sharing cuts learning curves in half • Mentorship prevents expensive mistakes • Peer connections create unexpected partnerships Last month, two members secured a major partnership over coffee at our workshop. Another founder completely refined their go-to-market strategy through community feedback before meeting investors. This isn't luck—it's the natural result of collaborative ecosystems. Capital without community is just money. But community without capital can still build sustainable businesses. When founders share knowledge and mentor each other, they create something more valuable than any single investment: infrastructure for lasting success. The most successful entrepreneurs don't just build better companies—they build better ecosystems that elevate everyone. How much time are you investing in your network compared to your pitch deck? #community #startups #entrepreneurship

If you're an impact startup looking to set up in the UAE, here’s something you should know. I work with many impact-driven entrepreneurs eager to launch or expand in the UAE. But one mistake I see far too often? They try to do it all on their own, overlooking the power of incubators. The UAE has government-backed incubators designed to accelerate startup growth—offering everything from market access and mentorship to investor connections. If you're building a purpose-driven venture, these can be game-changers. Here are four incubators worth exploring: Hub71 (Abu Dhabi) 🔹 Focus: Tech and innovation startups 🔹 Why it matters: A dynamic ecosystem, Hub71 connects startups with investors, corporates, and government entities, providing equity-free incentives, mentorship, and access to global networks. The Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an (Abu Dhabi) 🔹 Focus: Social impact ventures 🔹 Why it matters: Established by the Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an supports mission-driven startups tackling social, cultural, and environmental challenges, helping turn ideas into sustainable businesses. in5 Dubai (Dubai) 🔹 Focus: Tech, media, science and design startups 🔹 Why it matters: Backed by TECOM Group, in5 operates innovation hubs in Dubai Internet City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Science Park and Dubai Design District, offering startups access to creative spaces, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) (Sharjah) 🔹 Focus: Early-stage startups across industries 🔹 Why it matters: Supported by the Sharjah government, Sheraa helps startups access investors, mentorship, and workshops—nurturing a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Bottom Line: If you're serious about growing your impact startup in the UAE, don’t overlook these incubators. They can fast-track your success and open doors that would take years to unlock on your own. If you found this useful, share it with someone who needs to see it! #ImpactStartups #UAE #Sustainability #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #PurposeDriven #MENAStartups #BusinessForGood