The Cold Start Problem: How Great Products Build Network Effects from Zero

Why Network Effects Don’t Just Happen—and How Tinder, Uber, and Airbnb Engineered Growth From Zero

1. Introduction

Every founder dreams of building a product that grows itself. A product where each new user makes the experience better for everyone else. A product that becomes more valuable the more it's used. In tech, we call that the holy grail: network effects.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most startups that rely on network effects fail. Not b…