How do you start a marketplace when you have no customers? Or a dating app with no users?

This is the classic chicken-and-egg problem every platform faces: you need both sides to attract either side.

In this episode, I break down six proven methods successful platforms used to solve this problem, including:

• How Amazon converted from a pipeline business to a platform
• Airbnb's controversial (but effective) Craigslist strategy
• Why dating apps create fake profiles in the early days
• How Facebook started with just 500 Harvard students
• The $100M offer Joe Rogan received to switch platforms

You'll learn exactly how to get your first users when you're starting from zero.

This episode is part of a series on platform businesses. Listen to the full series:

• Episode 90: What makes platform businesses so successful
• Episode 92: How to get people to be nice to each other on your platform
• Episode 93: Lessons from the Netflix C Suite
• Episode 94: Learning effects: why getting more users isn't the only key to success

Resources mentioned:

• Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy - And How to Make Them Work for You (Book)

• Full transcript: https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/292-how-to-launch-a-platform-when-you-ve-got-no-users-rerun

A beautiful logo won't save your startup.

If you treat go-to-market as a slick website and a rebrand, you're already behind.

Here's the thing. In tech, marketing isn't a department. It's product strategy. From day one.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva breaks down the seven pillars of go-to-market strategy that every non-technical founder needs to understand before writing a single line of code.

No jargon. No "spray and pray" ads. No fantasy launch parties.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why your "pretty logo" won't save a bad go-to-market — and what actually drives early traction
• How to define your exact target customer so you stop building for everyone and start selling to someone
• The hidden cost of customer acquisition — and how to avoid burning 40% of your budget on ads
• Why your first 10 customers matter more than your first 1,000 — and how to land them without a flashy launch event

Resources from this Episode

Free AI Mini-Workshop for Non-Technical Founders

Learn how to go from idea to a tested product using AI — in under 30 minutes.

Get free access here: techfornontechies.co/aiclass

Follow and Review:

We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

For the full transcript, go to https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/291-go-to-market-strategy-what-to-do-before-you-launch

AI isn't just coming from Silicon Valley anymore.

A growing number of startups — and companies like Airbnb — are turning to Chinese open-source AI models instead of US-based APIs. Not because it's trendy. Because it's cheaper, more flexible, and often good enough.

In this episode, Sophia Matveeva speaks with Alex Hern, AI correspondent at The Economist, about what's driving this shift.

They break down how DeepSeek disrupted the market, why constraints fueled smarter engineering, and what founders can realistically try today if they want more AI options without more spend.

Alex Hern is The Economist's AI Writer, focusing on the science and technology of artificial intelligence. Before joining the paper, he covered technology for 11 years at The Guardian, where he was the UK technology editor.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why relying on US AI APIs may be quietly limiting your product and your margins
• How Chinese open-source models let founders experiment, customize, and ship faster without runaway costs
• The real reason DeepSeek shocked Silicon Valley — and what it reveals about building under constraints
• What you can realistically try today if you want AI leverage without an AI-sized budget

Free AI Mini-Workshop for Non-Technical Founders

Learn how to go from idea to a tested product using AI — in under 30 minutes.

Get free access here: techfornontechies.co/aiclass

Follow and Review:

We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

For the full transcript, go to https://www.techfornontechies.co/blog/290-why-airbnb-switched-from-openai-to-chinese-ai-and-what-it-means-for-your-budget