You know you’ve created a cultural phenomenon when the nation’s largest college Christian group declares your creation “the evilest app ever.”
Colin Hodge is the founder of DOWN, a dating and hookup app formerly known as Bang With Friends. At one point, the app was #1 in Apple App Store’s dating category and had millions of users. But then came lawsuits, a rebrand, an acquisition, and a failed IPO before Colin became one of the few entrepreneurs to sell their company and later buy it back at a better price.
We’re delighted to help Colin share his story, and some of the lessons within, including:
- Disruptive tech should evoke strong reactions — If you’re testing potential startup ideas, favor those with noticeable and even polarizing responses.
- Be interesting, be provocative, be different — Too many entrepreneurs worry about getting the perfect story about their startup out there, rather than pragmatically leaning into one aspect of their story that makes them worth talking about.
- Startup life is just staying alive — make the difficult decisions: downsize, cut features or whole products, and be scrappy.
- Avoid selling when you’re feeling desperate — This can mean arranging a quick respite for yourself or calling in favors from others to help buy yourself some more time and perspective.
- Learn to wear many hats — When funds or staffing are low, take on new areas in your startup, learning from others’ first-hand accounts and your own trial and error to get those areas “good enough.”
👉 Read the brilliant, crazy story of Bang With Friends here: The Bang With Friends Story: Under The Covers
