How is this a pivot? This is closing of the old shop and opening a completely new one.
The Biggest Pivot in YC History
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Re: The Biggest Pivot in YC History
#72Aside from the nutritional benefits, I'm sure you guys have looked at the environmental benefits of soylent as well. I'd love to try the product (but I'm in Australia). I don't know about the biggest pivot, but I'd say it could be the biggest disruptive business, possibly ever. I've always envisioned a future where you'd eat a meal as a special social occasion, otherwise, get your nutrition from something like soylen…
That sounds like a dystopia to me. EDIT: I have to concede that while the Soylent team's lack of health/nutrition expertise is worrying, the promise of their business is so important on a global scale that they deserve to get funded and further research their ideas. Very rarely do you see a startup operate in this space, even more rare one that could end up fighting world hunger.
Though I agree it's a dystopia for some (I'm working on a cooking start-up, I love to cook), it also is a saviour to many, and possibly to the environment.
I was thinking earlier today that if they are just capable of getting people to use soylent twice a day for a hurried breakfast before work, and for many (like me) who work through their lunchtime, that would have not only a massive market.
The thing is, how much of this is just the right marketing. Meal replacement drinks have been around forever, and though the name says it all, we don't believe that the product is actually a replacement for our meals, rather it's an occasional helper to get us to the next meal.
Re: The Biggest Pivot in YC History
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
The founders of Uber were not experts in the public transportation space when they started their company. The founders of AirBnB were not experts in the hospitality industry wen they started their company. The founders of Hipmonk were not experts in travel planning when they started their company. The founders of Warby-Parker were not eyewear or vision experts when they started their company. The founder of Oculus Ri…
Where is the disruption? My supermarket has half an aisle full of meal replacement powders, drinks, and bars. HN (and soylent) seem to be unaware of such a thing. Does Soylent bring anything new to the table other than guerrilla marketing and willful ignorance of FDA regulations ("These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.")
The disruption I think is in the marketing and could be in the product itself. The other 'meal replacements' aren't pitched as actually replacing a meal, or at least I don't think we view them that way. They're viewed as 'good enough if you can't get a meal', or 'helps me get to the next meal'. A true meal replacement is a completely different marketing approach, and the product 'could' be significantly different. I don't know, but I'll do what I can to support them so WE can all find out.