Building and Understanding Data Businesses | Auren Hoffman | Media Empires
Jan 9, 2024
57:56
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Auren Hoffman, Founder and CEO of SafeGraph, discusses all things data business including windfalls and net worth, reputational databases, and the failures and successes of LinkedIn. They explore the challenges of making informed purchasing decisions and the frustrations users face with slow performance on LinkedIn. They also discuss the complexities of matching individuals based on skills and compatibility, second-party data sharing, and the concept of incubators in building data businesses.
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Quick takeaways
Understanding different types of data businesses and their nuances is crucial for success.
Highly social recommendations based on trusted connections can provide valuable insights and solve the problem of unreliable review platforms.
Improving the research capabilities of LinkedIn or creating alternative platforms can meet the need for reliable and detailed profiles and references for higher value meetings and connections.
Deep dives
Challenges of Building a Data Business
The podcast discusses the challenges of building a data business, particularly in terms of acquiring and verifying data. The host and guest emphasize the difficulty of obtaining accurate data and the importance of having a strong understanding of the different types of data businesses and their nuances. They also highlight the need for focus and specialization in data businesses, as trying to do too many things at once can hinder success.
Opportunities for Social Recommendations
The conversation explores the potential for social recommendations in various areas, such as finding the best service providers or making product choices. They discuss the value of trustworthy recommendations from people you know and touch upon the challenges of getting accurate data for reputation-based recommendations. The guest suggests that focusing on high-volume services like doctors or lawyers could be a good starting point for developing a recommendation platform.
Improving User Experience on Platforms like LinkedIn
The podcast touches upon user experience issues on popular platforms like LinkedIn, pointing out the frustrating aspects such as slow load times. They emphasize the importance of respecting users' time and providing a smooth and efficient experience. While acknowledging the potential reasons for this, they suggest that user dissatisfaction due to poor platform performance can make users consider alternative options.
The Potential of Highly Social Recommendations
Highly social recommendations that are contextualized with people you trust can provide valuable insights. Current review platforms often lack credibility and trustworthiness, making it difficult to make informed decisions. Creating a website that offers recommendations based on trusted connections could help solve this problem by leveraging social networks for more reliable and personalized suggestions.
The Challenges and Opportunities for LinkedIn Disruption
LinkedIn has proven to be difficult to disrupt, but there are opportunities to improve certain aspects of the platform. While reaching out to people and job announcements on LinkedIn may not yield the best results, the research aspect of LinkedIn, where users can learn about others' professional backgrounds, remains valuable. Exploring ways to enhance the research capabilities of LinkedIn or create alternative platforms could meet the need for reliable and detailed profiles and references for higher value meetings and connections.
This episode is a rebroadcast of Auren's appearance on Media Empires with Erik Torenberg. Go check out Media Empires for more from the best YouTube creators, podcasters, newsletter writers, and media entrepreneurs.
In this episode, Erik and Auren discuss all things data business, including data on windfalls and net worth, reputational databases, and the failures and successes of LinkedIn.