Rachel

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ClassPass: doomed to be the next Blockbuster?
Rachel
Posted on April 30, 2018 at 11:32 am
When the disruptor becomes the disruptee: with the rapid rise of at-home streaming services like Peloton, will ClassPass be able to pivot and survive or will it go the route of Blockbuster post-Netflix?
Starbucks’ secret ingredient: data analytics
Rachel
Posted on April 9, 2018 at 3:22 pm
Starbucks is one of the largest and best-known companies in the world, with over 27,000 stores and $22 billion in revenue last year[i].  And the secret ingredient to much of Starbucks’ success is its innovative use of data analytics. Data [...]
Brainly – Leveraging the wisdom of the crowds to do your homework
Rachel
Last modified on November 22, 2019 at 2:27 pm
Imagine you’re struggling with your calculus homework. If you really needed help you might have called your friend from class. But students today have a new option. Today, more than 100 million students are logging into Brainly to use the [...]
Roku: The little player dominating Apple and Amazon
Rachel
Posted on March 5, 2018 at 3:35 pm
Can you think of a market in which Apple and Amazon compete but aren’t the market leaders? There’s actually one industry where that’s the case. It turns out that when it comes to TV streaming platforms, it’s Roku that’s the [...]
Making Lemonade out of Insurance Lemons
Rachel
Last modified on February 1, 2018 at 4:06 pm
Lemonade Insurance is a startup shaking up the insurance industry by offering consumers a better experience at a lower price point.

Activity Feed

On March 25, 2018, Rachel commented on Volition: Democratizing Beauty :

Interesting read. I agree that voter engagement is an issue, but I would also be concerned about the profitability of this company. I wonder how they can efficiently make products with such little lead time, while also giving away a piece of the revenues to the idea creator?

On March 25, 2018, Rachel commented on Glassdoor: Potentially littered with inaccurate and fabricated information? :

Interesting post! I agree that a key issue with the accuracy of the data is the fact that it is reported anonymously, but I wonder how Glassdoor could ever incentivize people to report on their employers if they need to give their own names?

On March 25, 2018, Rachel commented on Farmers Business Network | Disrupting One Farm At A Time :

Great post! I have never heard of this company but it’s a great reminder that there are a lot of sectors still poised to benefit greatly from tech disruption. Am wondering whether they will become an acquisition target by one of the large chemical manufacturers?

On March 5, 2018, Rachel commented on ClassPass: Navigating the Challenges of Building a Sustainable Marketplace Model :

Great post! As a ClassPass user for the last few years, it’s been interesting to see their transition in business models. I’ve experienced Unlimited, 3/5/10-packs, and now credits. ClassPass has also been creating digital content, likely to compete with new players like Peloton. I am amazed at ClassPass’ ability to pivot as they discover new things about their business, I think they are one of the best companies at adapting and it gives me greater hope in their ability to succeed long term.

On March 5, 2018, Rachel commented on The League: Challenges of Scaling an Exclusive App :

Interesting point to consider – how do you scale an “exclusive” product? Perhaps this is a case where you would rather have a smaller base of high paying customers, and therefore freemium doesn’t make sense as a model. I also agree with JZ that The League should consider diversifying its revenues through things like events if it has any hope of surviving or becoming profitable.

On March 2, 2018, Rachel commented on Spotify | Should Investors Join The Band? :

Great post! A very interesting point to think about how the fact that music labels invested in Spotify may create conflicts of interest or hamper Spotify’s growth. I also agree that the answer for Spotify may be to create their own content or act as their own label. We saw this with the TV streaming platforms, who needed to find new ways to differentiate themselves through original content. If this is the case, do you think we will start to see more multi-homing with music platforms like we do with TV platforms today? And will consumers pay for multiple TV and music streaming apps?

On February 1, 2018, Rachel commented on Amazon | To Go Or Not To Go :

Great post!! I loved hearing about your experience with Go, as it’s a new product to me. Also appreciated your thoughts on keeping tech in house vs. licensing it. Will be curious to see what happens to Amazon once investors start to demand higher profitability, since as you rightly point out, it is in a very unusual financial position.

On January 31, 2018, Rachel commented on Juicero: how much would you pay for your juice? :

Great post, and I do love the Juicero story. As you point out, it’s a reminder that sometimes things don’t need to be disrupted. It certainly reinforces the theory that the more successful founders are ones who first discover a problem, and then build a solution for it, rather than the other way around.

On January 31, 2018, Rachel commented on Who do you trust more with your money – a machine or a human? Roboadvisors disrupt the financial services industry :

Great post! I think an interesting question here is whether anyone, particular consumers, are really “losing?” The current financial advisory system doesn’t work well for many people. A financial advisor often requires a high net-worth minimum to advise a client and charges fees that may not be warranted. Given that most millennials wouldn’t have enough net worth to see a financial advisor anyway, I wonder if the robo-advisors are really taking away customers or just creating a new option for consumers who were originally shut out of this market?

On January 31, 2018, Rachel commented on BenevolentAI: Revolutionizing drug discovery using Artificial Intelligence :

Really interesting and great to hear about technology that has the potential to affect society in such a positive way. I’d be curious to know how all of these jumps in drug development affect regulators. Will the FDA be able to keep up as drugs are discovered and brought to market more quickly? Will the FDA itself be modified or will it become a bottleneck in innovation?