Standalone Products vs. Features

Start-up lesson of the day -> Know when a product is better suited as a feature in someone else’s product than it is as a standalone.

When we built Inflection Point Global , we launched as a direct-to-consumer app for parents to monitor social networks. But when it became obvious that CAC was going to far outstrip CLV, we pivoted to become a backend provider and embedded feature in Identity Theft products. This was bold because it was when API-first strategy was still in its infancy.

We ended-up capturing 80% of the market and exited to the Fortune 100. Whereas our (better funded) competitor stayed their course and ultimately died-off.