The Difference Engine | B2B Category Design | Private Equity | Venture Capital

Jason Lemkin is not afraid to admit to his errors. In fact, a few weeks ago he eagerly shared them with a room full of people in East London. The founder of SaaStr revealed his top 10 go-to-market mistakes at this year’s SaaStr conference. So, who should you avoid hiring? Which cuts should you steer clear of? And what single word on someone's LinkedIn profile should raise a red flag?In addition, we'll delve into the recent acquittal of long-suffering tech tycoon Mike Lynch and analyze the repercussions of eBay's acquisition of Skype.What to look forward to:00:35 A conclusion to the Mike Lynch saga06:45 Top ten go-to-market mistakes according to SaaStr22:37 When Categories Collide - eBay and Skype There is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

All eyes will be on Paris next month as they welcome athletes and fans from all over the world for the 2024 Olympic Games. However, the international sports day isn’t the only event drawing significant foreign investment into France. The 7th Choose France showcase announced €15 billion of industry investments, promising an estimated 10,000 jobs.Could this influx of capital be the driving force behind France’s sprint to category gold?Also in today’s episode, We’ll analyse the failed Apple advert. Are they losing touch with their audience? We’ll show you how a decent Category strategy can improve your chances of securing funding and we’ll go back in time to see what we can learn when categories collide.What to look forward to:00:33    Is France heading for tech Category leadership?10:02    Apple apologises for ad that ‘missed the mark’16:55    How does a decent Category strategy improve your chances of securing funding?28:11    When categories collide: Avago & BroadcomThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

We are living in the age of regulation. Going forward, category creators will have to dance to the tune of the CRA, NIRS2, GDPR and numerous other weighty rulebooks. But, can we learn to love the music? Embrace the constraints? Turn the rules to our advantage and waltz our way to success.Also in today’s episode, We’ll analyse the emergence of `Storytelling` as, apparently, a new tech marketing discipline and look into our crystal ball to see how the line between VCs and PEs will become increasingly blurred.What to look forward to:00:30    Governments demand WhatsApp enforce age restrictions. 08:57    The emergence of `Storytelling` 12:41    What rules should you follow?20:48    The age of casino PEThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

Electric vehicles are expected to make up 25% of all new passenger car registrations this year, with projections indicating that by 2030, EVs will capture two thirds of the market share. As consumer choices change, so does the whole transport ecosystem. This technological shift demands new fueling stations, tyres, job roles and even road design. So, are electric vehicles just an automotive upgrade or a whole new category?Also in today’s episode, We’ll analyse the aftermath of when categories collide, peer down our microscope to discover the unintended consequences of thinking small and learn how AI changing the design of every category blueprint?What to look forward to:00:30    How is AI changing the design of every category blueprint?12:03    What does the rollout of EVs tell us about building Categories?21:21    The unintended consequences of thinking small27:04    When categories collide - Microsoft & NokiaThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

“I wish upon you ample doses of pain and suffering”These are the encouraging words of Nvidia founder Jensen Huang. For Jensen, suffering is the whetstone on which one sharpens their character. It is the shaper of greatness. But, what about the lucky ones? The painless people whose lives have avoided such sore turns. Can they achieve such heights? One of the UK’s greatest entrepreneurs, James Dyson, shows us how we can invite agony into our lives.Also in today’s episode, we’ll have an intimate look at Tory flasher William Wragg and the political Luddites, before turning away from tech and looking to art for a lesson in category design.What to look forward to:00:42    Pain and Suffering Part 1 - Huang-ing in there07:49    Pain and Suffering Part 2 - Rolling the Dyson15:38    William Wragg and the political Luddites19:31    The rise of impressionism is a masterclass in categoryThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

Throughout this series, we have been surveying the battlefield of the AI war. From an elevated outpost, we have analysed and reported on the tactical moves of both Microsoft and Google. Data centres, acquisitions, and an arms race of innovation have all weaponised in their attempts to wrestle control of tech’s future. But who just won the latest battle? As Winston Churchill said "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." Stick with the Difference Engine to find out exactly how the AI war is unfolding, as it happens.Also in today’s episode, we look at the attention economy and the rise of the SuperApp. And, EU lawyers fire their first shots in the AI war.What to look forward to:00:49    Who won the second battle of the AI war?08:05    The attention economy and the rise of the Super-app.16:15    EU lawyers enter the AI battlefield. There is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

In this episode of The Difference Engine we talk to a captain at the helm of the category ship. Vincent Peters brings a wealth of experience to the table, having held prominent leadership positions at renowned companies such as TIBCO, Qlik, Siebel Systems, and Oracle. Not only has he navigated the global landscape of tech leadership, but he's also delved into entrepreneurship, co-founding Curo Technologies, which was later acquired by Adobe.At Productsup, Vincent spearheads a category-leading Product to Consumer (P2C) commerce platform that revolutionizes product content management and fosters crucial connections between brands, retailers, marketplaces, and consumers. In our conversation today, we'll delve into Vincent's motivations for category design, his experiences leading a category-defining company, and the invaluable lessons he's learned along the way. There is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

Throughout history, certain inventions have reorganised the world. From the printing press to the steam engine, these technologies have triggered paradigm shifts that alter the fundamental structure of societies. Anuj Nayar believes that we are right at the beginning of another global transformation. One that will recategorise every industry in the world.Anuj Nayar has over twenty-five years of global expertise in media, payments, and consumer technology. He has cultivated a distinguished career at industry-leading companies such as Apple, PayPal, and LendingClub—innovators that reshaped entire industries. In this episode we discuss the shifting sands of digital transformation and how AI will impact democracy. We’ll ask if San Francisco still has what it takes to be the globe’s innovation powerhouse and find out why Anuj has a burner phone.What to look forward to:00:28 Introduction to Anuj Nayar01:40 Digital transformation. A golden opportunity for category creation?09:31 Has Silicon Valley still got it?13:02 Grind my gears! The rise of spam texts16:30 Crystal ball. AI’s next step and political predictionsThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

Let’s play a game of spot the Difference. In episode 10 we sang the category praises of Microsoft after learning about their £2.5 billion data centre building project in West London. Now, we’re turning our attention to Google. They have announced a similarly large data centre project on a 33 acre site just north of London. However, our praise for Google is much less forthcoming. Instead, the move has left us asking: Does Google actually get category?So, what’s the difference? Why is Microsoft’s UK data centre a great category play? While Google’s represents a big missed opportunity.In today's episode, we review Google’s latest category misstep and teach you how to land the perfect first lightning strike. We’ll also shine a light on LinkedIn’s descent into drivel and take a trip to an orchard to learn about the difference between branding and category design.What to look forward to:00:55    Google misses another opportunity to make a category play06:57    LinkedIn’s descent into drivel12:08    The 7 components of a successful first strike22:58    Never confuse category with bloody brandingThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.

‘The UK’s biggest miscarridge of justice’. This is what the The Criminal Cases Review Commission called the Post Office Horizon scandal. But who is to blame? Is it Fujitsu’s fault? Or do the rotten roots of run deeper? In this episode we look into the distribution of UK tech contracts and the consequences sector stragulation. We also look into our crystal ball to predict Google’s massive category pivot. Are they moving away from the voice assistant market and instead incorporating it into Bard. We’ll also be teaching you how to successfully steer your own pivot by implementing a FroTo. What to look forward to:00:53: The lessons from Fujistu and the Post Office06:46: Are Google undertaking a massive category pivot?11:04: What is a FroTo?17:12: The UK tech exodus21:17: Keeping your team with you on a category journeyThere is more information on how to design your category on our blogFollow us on LinkedIn:Paul Maher Jonathan Simnett Want to create a podcast for your business or brand? Contact Flamingo Media to make it happen.