Catching the Wave:
App Thinking &
App Distribution
John Fan, PicCollage
August 25, 2016
500 Kobe
500 Kobe
What's most important for a startup?
TEAM, PRODUCT or MARKET
Catch the MARKET wave!
Need to be in the right place at the right time!
Pioneers
Crazy people took a chance to look for gold.
The Gold Rush
Once gold was found, people came from all over the world.
A few smart people got rich selling shovels and denim.
Consolidation
After the easy gold was gone, big companies took over
using hydraulic mining to find gold.
3 Stages of a (Startup) Wave
1. The Pioneers
2. The Gold Rush
3. Consolidation
My Startup History
Wireless Hardware 2000-2007
Facebook Platform 2007-2011
Mobile Platform 2011-...
Developer => App => Platform => Users
Facebook Platform: Pioneer Stage
2007
Facebook Platform: Gold Rush
2008-2009
Facebook Platform: Consolidation
2010-2012
Mobile: Pioneers
2008 - 2010
Mobile: Gold Rush
2011 - 2014
Mobile: Consolidation
Strategy
Pioneer Stage: Quick experiments to explore the platform and users.
Gold Rush: Move fast and grow.
Consolidation: Improve product, focus on revenue and partnerships.
Watercooler => Kabam
The House Always Wins
PicCollage
Launched in 2011 during 500 Startups accelerator
First version of PicCollage
Initial Growth of PicCollage
Reached Top 10 in 150 countries!
iOS, Android & Windows
Based in Mountain View & Taipei
Raised $2.7M funding in Silicon Valley
Achieved profitability via IAP and ads
Talk to Your Users
App Analytics
Use analytics tools such as Facebook, Flurry, Firebase, Amplitude.
Choose events & params wisely!
Build prototypes, run experiments.
Put focus on the main user flows.
Interactive prototypes
Record User Events
Funnel Analysis
Funnel Analysis
A|B Testing
A|B Testing
Changing the design increased the watermark revenue by 3x
App Distribution
User Virality
App Store Optimization
Platform Relations
Paid Acquisition*
User Virality
App Store Optimization
-
Use tools to optimize keywords
-
Encourage user reviews
-
Update screenshots for holidays
Keyword Optimization 
Encourage users to write reviews
Platform Relations
Work with the app store teams at Facebook, Google, Microsoft...
Summary
Catch the wave (be ready!)
Join the gold rush (be smart!)
Take advantage of platforms.
Talk to users, run experiments,
study analytics, grow organically.
Next waves?
- VR (HTC Vive, Oculus, PS4)
- Business (Slack, Salesforce)
- Chat/Bots (FB, iMessage)
- ECommerce (Shopify)
- Wearables (Apple Watch...)
- AI? TV?
Thank you! :)
App Thinking - 500 Kobe
By piccollage
