Michael Bramlage

How did $10,000, a homeless person, and counting to 100,000 change the trajectory of my startup? It was May 2017 and my VP of Marketing at Quidd showed me a video of @MrBeast. Back then, Jimmy was making videos in his bedroom and we were experimenting with influencer sponsorships, when virtually no one was doing it. We watched him count to 100,000 in a single, 24-hour long video. We loved it, and so did the YouTube algorithm. So we took a bet. Offered him $10,000 for a simple shoutout. Rather than take the money, Jimmy had the brilliant idea to give it away. That giveaway format helped propel MrBeast in the early days. For us? It blew the doors off of every other marketing channel we'd tried, helped us get to the #1 rank in the US App Store, and was instrumental in our next funding round. The lesson? Small tests in unproven channels can become your biggest growth lever, which can lead to significant business outcomes. This is why we created Factory. To help cutting-edge companies bet on frontier marketing channels, and find hidden pockets of demand before their competitors do.

Most productivity tools do not turn into more rest. They turn into higher quota.

Literally 20x'ing the results of the incumbent in our market. Feels closer to inevitable now.

Overheard: I'll only respond to your agent if I can build an agent first to respond to your agent.

Entering a market without a prior passion is an underrated founder advantage. When you have no personal opinion on the answer, every market interaction becomes active listening. You're solving a puzzle, not defending a worldview. Passion biases signal detection. Especially in the early days when you need to learn fast.

Hiring sprees can be signals of a few things happening internally, each positive, neutral, and negative. But licensing AI tech from another company seems neutral to negative, like buying a bridge until you can catchup or starting to execute plan b (buy vs. build). It’s probably just the existence of the cash pile that matters most, but a stunning admission that the “build” path was floundering (which it shouldn’t given supposed past milestones announced and the data advantage). (I mean, when does credibility start to diminish?). AI startups that specialize might have exit moments going forward if the “build paths” of foundational AI companies start to flounder.

In the episodic story arc that he’s crafting, the summit is like calling in a guest star that will temporarily boost ratings and silence the critics that are growing louder and more critical about the worsening quality of the writing.

First party shopping data is gold for advertisers. Let's mine it and use it to solve your most complex marketing problems, together.

What’s the world going to be like when this happens: - now: 5 video ads/10,000 people/day - future: 5 video ads/person/sec This is the near-term reality of the “press a button, get an outcome” vision that Zuck wants. In talking to over 200 performance marketers the last six months, many said that if the dial down Meta spend, they see immediate drops to sales. Immediate. Due to the underlying incentives, this *can’t not* be the future.

Why do collectors put up with this?

In terms of business models, is there one more polarizing than free to play? It preys on whales (free-to-prey), but it also democratized games, that in combination with a new platform (iPhone) increased the number of global video game players TENFOLD. It simultaneously made gaming worse while expanding its access.

This video, sponsored by @quidd for $10k, should be in the internet hall of fame.

Go @quidd go!

Yes!! 🔥

Somebody should bring back @hqtrivia but with a new format: - an in-studio contestant - slice of life vignettes on this person - real-time audience plays along and/or bets on the outcome

Limited-edition, officially-licensed @NUFC digital trading cards you can buy, sell, cash out, or mint to @ethereum First of their kind trading cards with superpowers. And *2 FREE PACKS* while supplies last. bit.ly/NUFCANIMOCA20 🔥

Digital sports trading cards coming to @quidd in partnership with the amazing @Leaf_Cards and a mystery sports team. From pricing to permanence to the pack rip, this is the first of many digital drops where #thehobby will see the power of this new medium. Stay tuned.

Glad to see. @quidd has been defining off-chain and on-chain metaphors and language for years now.

As a Pro Set collector from the early 90’s, I’m amped. There’s no reason you can’t build a big tent around digital collectibles, one that includes sports fans, cardboard collectors from #thehobby, and crypto enthusiasts. It’s the start of new era for sports collectibles, one where format matters less and experience matters more. 🏀⚾️⚽️🏈🎾⛳️🏒