CMatthews

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Jet.Com – Running out of Gas?
CMatthews
Posted on December 9, 2015 at 7:08 pm
With nearly $750 million in venture funding this year, Jet is trying to disrupt Amazon, but appears to be running into an unstoppable force.

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On December 14, 2015, CMatthews commented on Blue Apron and the Race to Innovate Dinner :

Very similar to my Field II client, ChefTime in Brazil.

It’s clear they are starting to solve the scaling question — I wonder whether they will be able / required to penetrate the broader food delivery market (as opposed to being just a “dinner subscription replacement”. Blue Apron’s famous “blue cards” that share easy-to-use recipes are highly replaceable (i.e. once I’ve cooked it once with my Blue Apron order, I might just go to the grocery store and buy the same ingredients).

They appear to already be starting to expand into cutlery / pots / pans and alcohol. No question it’s a great idea, but whether they can remain “sticky” (pun intended) will be the true test.

On December 14, 2015, CMatthews commented on Blizzard Entertainment: Winner :

What is the next frontier for Blizzard (and EA — @KQ)? It seems like the gaming industry is approaching a tipping point as the quantity of players explodes (I believe League of Legends tipped over 1 million players simultaneously online recently). What does the future hold? Is it proliferation of games? Or the launch of more adjacent opportunities — such as virtual reality / leagues?

If virtual reality, I think their operating model will continue to flourish.

With the hiring of Steve Bornstein, it looks like Blizzard is headed for the latter — in that case, I expect a radically new (or altogether separate) set of business/operating models.

On December 12, 2015, CMatthews commented on The NFL Gravy Train: Too popular to derail? The Rewards and Risks of Power Centralization :

Fascinating! It strikes me that the parity, limited number of games, and deep college infrastructure give the NFL a substantial advantage over other leagues. Would the MLB be more popular if college baseball had better viewership? To what extent do our professional leagues have an interest / responsibility to build out future talent?

How might this be applied to “new” leagues — whether growing sports (squash/lacrosse) or e-sports (video games)?