Eddy Lu, Co-founder & CEO of GOAT, shares his journey from organizing group dinners to creating a successful sneaker marketplace. He discusses the challenges faced, the importance of authenticity in the sneaker industry, the world of sneaker enthusiasts, and the contrasts between startup environments in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The episode also touches on New Balance fashion, acquiring the domain goat.com, and unique stories about sneaker purchases on the platform.
Embracing scrappiness enabled founders to pivot successfully through multiple ventures.
Transition from social dining platform to sneaker marketplace led by user experience and authenticity focus.
Strategic partnerships, like securing domain goat.com, and customer relationships fueled GOAT's growth.
Deep dives
Origin Story and Cream Puff Venture
The founders, Eddie and Daishin, initially explored various ventures, including a cream puff business, before transitioning to tech entrepreneurship. They began creating iPhone apps early on and later opened four cream puff stores, facing challenges during the 2008 financial crisis. This experience laid the foundation for their innovative approach to business.
Pivoting to Grub With Us and Y Combinator
The founders pivoted to Grub With Us, a social dining platform, to address the challenge of meeting new people in a post-college environment. Their persistence in applying to Y Combinator eventually led to acceptance after strategically hosting pre-YC interview dinners. This pivot marked a shift towards building a community-driven startup.
Evolution into GOAT and Market Insights
The transition from Grub With Us to GOAT, a sneaker marketplace, was driven by Dyson's experience of unknowingly purchasing fake sneakers. GOAT's focus on authenticity and user experience, characterized by streamlined transactions and quality control, has attracted a niche of sneaker enthusiasts. Through partnerships with luxury brands like Versace, GOAT has established itself as a trusted platform for authentic and curated sneaker shopping.
Founding and Early Struggles of GOAT
GOAT, launched in July of 2015, initially faced challenges with product market fit, despite launching various sneaker styles. The true turning point for GOAT came on Black Friday 2015 when a promotional discount on popular styles attracted immense attention, leading to a surge of 100,000 users within a week. This influx revealed the value proposition of GOAT's authentication process and solidified its market presence, demonstrating the significance of adapting strategies to resonate with customers.
Domain Acquisition and Customer Engagement
Despite financial constraints, GOAT's acquisition of goat.com showcased their determination to enhance brand credibility. The strategic payment plan over six years for the domain reflects the startup's foresight in leveraging resources effectively. Additionally, engaging with influential figures like Adam Bain and Jack Dorsey from Twitter exemplifies GOAT's commitment to customer relationships, solidifying partnerships and garnering invaluable support within the industry.
In today's episode we catch up with Eddy Lu, co-founder and CEO of GOAT, the fashion marketplace. GOAT represents one of the most epic pivots in Y Combinator history: they started out organizing group dinners. Founders are often told they should be "scrappy". Eddy and his cofounder Daishin are scrappiness personified, and that's what enabled them to bounce from idea to idea and end up on top.
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