Video · 4 min

Why the Next Big Thing Will Look Like a Toy

Chris Dixon · Andreessen Horowitz Free Intermediate

The same argument as the essay, but spoken, if you would rather watch than read. Dixon walks through real markets that looked tiny and then compounded into the main event. Good to send a co-founder or investor who doubts your small starting point.

  • Disruption starts in a market too small for incumbents to care.
  • Growth rate is the signal, current size is the distraction.
  • Toys become platforms when the underlying trend keeps compounding.

It answers 2 questions

  1. Everyone says the next big thing looks like a toy. What does that actually mean?
  2. My market is small right now but growing fast. Is that a problem?

Read with it

  1. The definitive essay on where good ideas come from: notice problems you personally have, don't force it. Use it as the lens for... paulgraham.com Essay · ~20 min read How to Get Startup Ideas Paul Graham
  2. The definitive short read on why disruptive ideas get dismissed as toys, and why that dismissal is your opening. It reframes... cdixon.org Article · ~5 min read The Next Big Thing Will Start Out Looking Like a Toy Chris Dixon
  3. Video · ~25 min How to Get and Evaluate Startup Ideas Jared Friedman
  4. The essay that put 'product-market fit' into the startup vocabulary. Read it for the gut-level description of what PMF feels... pmarchive.com Essay · ~15 min read The Only Thing That Matters Marc Andreessen
  5. 200+ candid conversations with Indian founders and investors on how they actually found their idea, spotted a trend, and... Apple Podcasts Podcast · podcast series (45-90 min episodes) The Neon Show (formerly 100x Entrepreneur) Siddhartha Ahluwalia
  6. India's best long-form podcast with B2B SaaS founders who cracked global GTM from India, hosted by a 2x founder and Neon Fund... The Neon Show (formerly 100x Entrepreneur) Podcast · podcast series (200+ episodes) The Neon Show (Indian SaaS founders on GTM & sales) Siddhartha Ahluwalia
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