http://techsylvania.co

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WWW.TWILIO.COM 635 HARRISON ST., SAN FRANCISCO CA
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2. EPIC PRODUCT
FLOPS

4. FORD EDSEL
What went wrong?!
• Product design - Reviewers called it an Oldsmobile sucking a
lemon
• Product name - Edsel was linked with “weasel” and “pretzel”
• Pricing - More expensive than comparable cars
• Timing - US was going into recession - need changed

7. THE NEWTON
What went wrong?!
• Product design - Device was the size of a VCR tape
• Product performance - Handwriting recognition was flaky
• Gary Trudeau dedicated a week of Doonesbury mocking it
• Pricing - Cost between $699 - $1,000; far more than
perceived value

9. MICROSOFT BOB
What went wrong?!
• Product design - Most computers couldn’t run Bob
• User experience - People claimed Bob was annoying
• Bob’s “conversational style” became a source of parody
• Pricing - Bob cost $100 and had NO perceived value

10. MICROSOFT BOB
What went wrong?!
• Product design - Most computers couldn’t run Bob
• User experience - People claimed Bob was annoying
• Bob’s “conversational style” became a source of parody
• Pricing - Bob cost $100 and had NO perceived value

12. EARRING MAGIC KEN
What went wrong?!
• Product design - They got “cool” wrong
• Brand consistency - Ken was a disconnect with the traditional
family values associated with the Mattel brand
• Timing - Wrong era to show cultural illiteracy

14. COLGATE KITCHEN ENTREES
What went wrong?!
• Product design - Simply no market for the product
• Brand consistency - Colgate brand is about personal hygiene

16. 3D TV & GLASSES
What went wrong?!
• Product design - People complained the glasses were uncomfortable
• Product packaging - TV manuals warned glasses could make you sick
• User experience - Users said glasses made them sick
• User experience - Lack of 3D programming
• User experience - 3D glasses weren’t easy to use
• Price - Glasses cost $50 - $150

17. WHY DO THEY FAIL?
• Nice to have but not compelling
• Didn’t meet the needs of the audience
• Before it’s time
• No market for the product market not big enough
• An element of the marketing was off
• Product doesn’t work

18. ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT (c) TWILIO INC. 2013
LUCK !
IS WHEN
OPPORTUNITY !
MEETS !
PREPARATION.!
!
-SENECHA

19. WHAT’S AN OPPORTUNITY?
• Product or service you build a company around
• Vision and passion driven
• Results in a pile of money when you’re done
• For you
• For your investors

20. WHERE ARE THE
OPPORTUNITIES?
• Technology Shifts
• Market Changes
• Societal Changes
• Dinosaur Factor

21. TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES
Source: MS&E 273 TechnologyVenture Formation
Better
Faster
Cheaper
Niche New

22. TYPES OF OPPORTUNITIES
Source: MS&E 273 TechnologyVenture Formation
Colgate
Bob,!
Newton
3D TV & Glasses
Technology
driven
Customer
driven
Opportunity
driven

23. DEVELOP THE MARKET
• Don’t wait for product availability
• Build credibility
• Identify minimum compelling features
• Make sure your initial customers are strong references/buzz
ready
Source: Donna Novitsky

24. HOW DO I FIGURE THIS OUT?
Source: Donna Novitsky
Meet with lots of perspective customers,
while engineering is developing the product.
Listen Learn Refine

25. Source: Donna Novitsky
THE TANGO
GLOBAL ROLLOUT
PRODUCT GOES LIVE
PRODUCTION READY
DEBUGGING / BETA
WHITEBOARD TO ALPHA
PRODUCTDEVELOPMENTCYCLE
A MARKET IS BORN!
REFERENCES
PAYING CUSTOMERS
PRODUCT FEEDBACK
EXPLORATORY MEETINGS
MARKETDEVELOPMENT
CYCLE

26. ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT (c) TWILIO INC. 2014
SUPPORTING THE DOERS
• Exposure through Twilio blog & social channels
• PR opportunities with media
• Speaking opportunities
• Twilio credits
• Networking
• Hosted visits to San Francisco HQ

27. PROMO CREDIT
ClujAccelerate2014!
!
Valid until 06/12/14 for new accounts
good for circa 6,600 outbound calls
or 3,300 text messages

28. ALL CONTENT COPYRIGHT (c) TWILIO INC. 2014
THANK YOU
!
LLANG@TWILIO.COM
@LILAINEUROPE