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Our ultra-fast Daily: Three takes on new products. Yesterday’s top ten launches. That’s it.
From startup to $9B
Today’s Daily Digest was crafted by Product Hunt and sponsored by our friends at Zendesk for Startups.
It wasn't that long ago that Zendesk was a startup. The company got its start in 2007 in a Copenhagen loft, armed with a mission to build software that would help other companies build a great customer experience through a simple set of support tools.
Now worth more than $9 billion the company's early years forged an identity that remains key to its culture today: Zendesk is still very much a startup at heart and wants to give back to this community. With customers ranging from Uber and Airbnb to Calm and Limebike, Zendesk has helped hyper-growth companies start-up and scale their customer support.
The challenge:
It can be challenging for startups to build a customer support function from the ground up, especially because time and resources are limited for young companies.
The solution:
6 free months of Zendesk products, plus:
• Exclusive access to a community of founders and partners
• Curated customer experience resources, office hours with Zendesk experts and events
• Try any number of Zendesk solutions to trial with 0 risk
Note: You must be a new customer, have fewer than 50 employees, and have raised venture funding up to Series A
Zendesk products include Support, Guide, Chat and Talk options. While customer preferences are constantly changing — and consumers expect to be able to interact with brands across many channels — this suite of products gives startups what they need to grow an omnichannel customer experience at-scale.
Today’s Daily Digest was crafted by Product Hunt and sponsored by our friends at Zendesk for Startups.
It wasn't that long ago that Zendesk was a startup. The company got its start in 2007 in a Copenhagen loft, armed with a mission to build software that would help other companies build a great customer experience through a simple set of support tools.
Now worth more than $9 billion the company's early years forged an identity that remains key to its culture today: Zendesk is still very much a startup at heart and wants to give back to this community. With customers ranging from Uber and Airbnb to Calm and Limebike, Zendesk has helped hyper-growth companies start-up and scale their customer support.
The challenge:
It can be challenging for startups to build a customer support function from the ground up, especially because time and resources are limited for young companies.
The solution:
6 free months of Zendesk products, plus:
• Exclusive access to a community of founders and partners
• Curated customer experience resources, office hours with Zendesk experts and events
• Try any number of Zendesk solutions to trial with 0 risk
Note: You must be a new customer, have fewer than 50 employees, and have raised venture funding up to Series A
Zendesk products include Support, Guide, Chat and Talk options. While customer preferences are constantly changing — and consumers expect to be able to interact with brands across many channels — this suite of products gives startups what they need to grow an omnichannel customer experience at-scale.
Amazon’s new no-code tool
AWS just entered the competitive world of no-code app builders with its launch of Amazon Honeycode.
Using tables to input data and a drag and drop style interface to set layout, AWS VP Larry Augustin claims that anyone can build apps in Honeycode for both web and mobile.
Currently in beta, Honeycode is free to use for teams of up to 20 users and 2,500 rows per work load.
The launch is a surprise to some given Amazons historical focus on more traditional developer tooling. Although perhaps it shouldn’t have as more big co’s are investing in no-code solutions.
Earlier this year we wrote about Google’s acquisition of the no-code builder, AppSheet, for an undisclosed sum marking Google’s continued investment into the no-code/low-code space. What on the surface looks like a competitive move by AWS against existing no-code platforms like Webflow, Bubble, Airtable, Intermal or Retool.
But ultimately Honeycode is competing with the spreadsheet, the leader of no-code tools.
Using tables to input data and a drag and drop style interface to set layout, AWS VP Larry Augustin claims that anyone can build apps in Honeycode for both web and mobile.
Currently in beta, Honeycode is free to use for teams of up to 20 users and 2,500 rows per work load.
The launch is a surprise to some given Amazons historical focus on more traditional developer tooling. Although perhaps it shouldn’t have as more big co’s are investing in no-code solutions.
Earlier this year we wrote about Google’s acquisition of the no-code builder, AppSheet, for an undisclosed sum marking Google’s continued investment into the no-code/low-code space. What on the surface looks like a competitive move by AWS against existing no-code platforms like Webflow, Bubble, Airtable, Intermal or Retool.
But ultimately Honeycode is competing with the spreadsheet, the leader of no-code tools.
Facebook’s new tool to predict the future
Who will win the next election? Will there be a second COVID-19 spike? Is there going to be another season of Tiger King?
Facebook (?!🤨!?) has the answers. Or more accurately, a select group of beta testers using their latest product, Forecast, will try to predict the answers. According to Maker, Taylor Hughes:
“Forecast is an attempt to create structured spaces around specific forward-looking questions, where everyday experts can shine and share what they know with the world.”
To become a predictor, sign up via the Facebook group to request access. They’re looking for health, academic and research professionals from the US and Canada to start. Interestingly for a Facebook product, they suggest following their Twitter profile will keep you updated.
If you’d rather make some money from your forecasts, 2019 Golden Kitty winner, Predicto will pay you for accurate predictions (powered by the blockchain, of course).
A number of other prediction tools launched on Product Hunt over the years include Predictive World, I Was Right FYI and Predibly. When looking back to see if past predictions came true, we discovered that these products are sadly no longer online. But as far as we can see, no one accurately predicted how 2020 would turn out. 🤪
Who knows how long Forecast will last; we’ve not been accepted into the group yet so don’t trust our uninitiated predictions. We’re cautiously hopeful for this one’s longevity though.
Can you predict the future?
Who will win the next election? Will there be a second COVID-19 spike? Is there going to be another season of Tiger King?
Facebook (?!🤨!?) has the answers. Or more accurately, a select group of beta testers using their latest product, Forecast, will try to predict the answers. According to Maker, Taylor Hughes:
“Forecast is an attempt to create structured spaces around specific forward-looking questions, where everyday experts can shine and share what they know with the world.”
To become a predictor, sign up via the Facebook group to request access. They’re looking for health, academic and research professionals from the US and Canada to start. Interestingly for a Facebook product, they suggest following their Twitter profile will keep you updated.
If you’d rather make some money from your forecasts, 2019 Golden Kitty winner, Predicto will pay you for accurate predictions (powered by the blockchain, of course).
A number of other prediction tools launched on Product Hunt over the years include Predictive World, I Was Right FYI and Predibly. When looking back to see if past predictions came true, we discovered that these products are sadly no longer online. But as far as we can see, no one accurately predicted how 2020 would turn out. 🤪
Who knows how long Forecast will last; we’ve not been accepted into the group yet so don’t trust our uninitiated predictions. We’re cautiously hopeful for this one’s longevity though.
Can you predict the future?
NEW From Apple 🍏
Apple announced a few big updates at yesterday’s opening WWDC keynote.
Here’s a quick recap of the highlights:
🖥 macOS Big Sur: Big name, big update. Big Sur marks Apple's biggest Safari update yet with notable enhancements to Messages, Maps and Privacy.
📱 iOS 14: It’s all about the widgets. Customize your homescreen with movable widgets, automatically organize your App Library, save App Clips, and multitask answering a FaceTime while using another app.
📲 iPadOS 14: This update focuses on the iPad’s large Multi-Touch display with a new side bar for better search, Siri integration and a powerful new handwriting feature called Scribble.
⌚️watchOS 7: Your Apple Watch will now include more opportunities to personize and share your face. Most timely in the age of COVID-19: The Watch will even track your hand washing. Your watch is watching you. 👀
Apple also announced a move way from intel with a move to Arm-based chips.
Betas will open over the next month with most updates fully launching in the fall. Will you be updating your devices?
Apple announced a few big updates at yesterday’s opening WWDC keynote.
Here’s a quick recap of the highlights:
🖥 macOS Big Sur: Big name, big update. Big Sur marks Apple's biggest Safari update yet with notable enhancements to Messages, Maps and Privacy.
📱 iOS 14: It’s all about the widgets. Customize your homescreen with movable widgets, automatically organize your App Library, save App Clips, and multitask answering a FaceTime while using another app.
📲 iPadOS 14: This update focuses on the iPad’s large Multi-Touch display with a new side bar for better search, Siri integration and a powerful new handwriting feature called Scribble.
⌚️watchOS 7: Your Apple Watch will now include more opportunities to personize and share your face. Most timely in the age of COVID-19: The Watch will even track your hand washing. Your watch is watching you. 👀
Apple also announced a move way from intel with a move to Arm-based chips.
Betas will open over the next month with most updates fully launching in the fall. Will you be updating your devices?
How to get $$$ for your data
Have you ever wondered how much money companies make off your data?
What we do online leads to a massive digital footprint. Every search, every click, every location, every purchase – the buying and selling of this data has grown into a $200 billion industry. Most consumers only get a small peek behind the curtain when a major data breach gets announced (side note: you might want to check have i been pwned?).
In response, we’ve seen a ton of privacy-focused startups and tools launch on Product Hunt over the last few years. It’s become so popular that we dedicated an entire category to the topic in last year’s Golden Kitty Awards.
Today, Andrew Yang is announcing a new initiative called the Data Dividend Project.
You might recognize him as the former Democratic Presidential candidate who championed the Freedom Dividend of $1,000 per month for every American. Now he wants us all to join together to create the largest data rights movement in history. He believes your data is your property, and if you choose to share it, you should also share in the value.
It’s a creative and timely idea. Check it out.
What we do online leads to a massive digital footprint. Every search, every click, every location, every purchase – the buying and selling of this data has grown into a $200 billion industry. Most consumers only get a small peek behind the curtain when a major data breach gets announced (side note: you might want to check have i been pwned?).
In response, we’ve seen a ton of privacy-focused startups and tools launch on Product Hunt over the last few years. It’s become so popular that we dedicated an entire category to the topic in last year’s Golden Kitty Awards.
Today, Andrew Yang is announcing a new initiative called the Data Dividend Project.
You might recognize him as the former Democratic Presidential candidate who championed the Freedom Dividend of $1,000 per month for every American. Now he wants us all to join together to create the largest data rights movement in history. He believes your data is your property, and if you choose to share it, you should also share in the value.
It’s a creative and timely idea. Check it out.
How to make your resume stand out
Writing the perfect resume is tough. Is everyone really proficient in Microsoft Powerpoint and Excel? Should the main takeaway be that you graduated in 2008? It’s 2020, so probably not.
VCV is trying to help people stand out by turning traditional resumes into a video. Taking inspiration from Instagram Stories, creating a resume is meant to be easy and familiar. Answer a few questions, upload your video and send a link to hiring managers in place of or alongside a cover letter.
This is what VCV Founder and CEO, Arik Akverdian had to say:
“Video will represent 80% of all internet traffic by 2021 according to Cisco, and according to eMarketer 94.1% of millennial internet users were streaming digital video in 2019. With growing demand for video social media such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram stories and others, we're bringing the short video format to the job market. We believe that video resumes will become an essential feature on the job market because a one-minute video application saves companies many hours of screening candidates, and it also spares candidates from unnecessary interviews.”
Intro30 offers a similar service prompting you to create a 30 second video as part of its resume builder. It's slightly more formal, but essentially built on the same premise that you can show more of your personality through video to stand out to hiring managers.
If you’re currently tightening up your own resume and looking for your next role, we have a couple of open positions at Product Hunt right now:
🐦 Social Media Manager
📝 Editorial Lead
🕵️♀️ Product Manager
We accept all types of resumes – video included.
Writing the perfect resume is tough. Is everyone really proficient in Microsoft Powerpoint and Excel? Should the main takeaway be that you graduated in 2008? It’s 2020, so probably not.
VCV is trying to help people stand out by turning traditional resumes into a video. Taking inspiration from Instagram Stories, creating a resume is meant to be easy and familiar. Answer a few questions, upload your video and send a link to hiring managers in place of or alongside a cover letter.
This is what VCV Founder and CEO, Arik Akverdian had to say:
“Video will represent 80% of all internet traffic by 2021 according to Cisco, and according to eMarketer 94.1% of millennial internet users were streaming digital video in 2019. With growing demand for video social media such as TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram stories and others, we're bringing the short video format to the job market. We believe that video resumes will become an essential feature on the job market because a one-minute video application saves companies many hours of screening candidates, and it also spares candidates from unnecessary interviews.”
Intro30 offers a similar service prompting you to create a 30 second video as part of its resume builder. It's slightly more formal, but essentially built on the same premise that you can show more of your personality through video to stand out to hiring managers.
If you’re currently tightening up your own resume and looking for your next role, we have a couple of open positions at Product Hunt right now:
🐦 Social Media Manager
📝 Editorial Lead
🕵️♀️ Product Manager
We accept all types of resumes – video included.
Twitter's surprise launch 🗣
Yesterday Twitter surprised everyone with its introduction of voice.
To date the platform has focused on visual mediums (text, images, GIFs, and video) that are easy to scan and consume in most settings. But perhaps now is the time for audio as more consumers adopt AirPods/bluetooth headsets and smart speakers in their home.
Here are some initial impressions from the community:
“#AudioTwitter isn't necessarily for regular users, it's about creating sonic real estate to sell to advertisers. Interactive/voice ads are coming — and Twitter needs more inventory!” – Chris Messina
“For me, Twitter has always been thoughts-first, a place to speak out my thoughts and what better way to do this than voice?” – Darshan Baid
“I do think they could have rolled this out as a DM feature first get people excited about using it frequently then open the experience to feed.” – Brayson
Of course Twitter isn’t the first to make audio social.
• Clubhouse is a more recent (and perhaps the most promising) audio-first social network we’ve seen
• Anchor (v1) started as an asynchronous audio social network that later pivoted to serving podcasters before its Spotify acquisition
• Bumpers launched around the same time as Anchor with a slick UX for recording and editing short audio bits
• Ense is an artsy audio network very few have heard. Use it to share your voice, a melody, or just a sound.
• Zcast was built to host a podcast with your Twitter followers
• Unmute made your “phone conversations” public, similar to Clubhouse
• Dialog decreased the friction to starting a podcast, similar to Talkshow an app built by the Clubhouse team earlier this year
There’s also Currently, Riffr, Lyrc, Koo, Tapebook Pundit, Vooiced, and many others.
Thoughts on Twitter’s expansion to voice? Add it to the thread (sorry, text only... for now). 😁
To date the platform has focused on visual mediums (text, images, GIFs, and video) that are easy to scan and consume in most settings. But perhaps now is the time for audio as more consumers adopt AirPods/bluetooth headsets and smart speakers in their home.
Here are some initial impressions from the community:
“#AudioTwitter isn't necessarily for regular users, it's about creating sonic real estate to sell to advertisers. Interactive/voice ads are coming — and Twitter needs more inventory!” – Chris Messina
“For me, Twitter has always been thoughts-first, a place to speak out my thoughts and what better way to do this than voice?” – Darshan Baid
“I do think they could have rolled this out as a DM feature first get people excited about using it frequently then open the experience to feed.” – Brayson
Of course Twitter isn’t the first to make audio social.
• Clubhouse is a more recent (and perhaps the most promising) audio-first social network we’ve seen
• Anchor (v1) started as an asynchronous audio social network that later pivoted to serving podcasters before its Spotify acquisition
• Bumpers launched around the same time as Anchor with a slick UX for recording and editing short audio bits
• Ense is an artsy audio network very few have heard. Use it to share your voice, a melody, or just a sound.
• Zcast was built to host a podcast with your Twitter followers
• Unmute made your “phone conversations” public, similar to Clubhouse
• Dialog decreased the friction to starting a podcast, similar to Talkshow an app built by the Clubhouse team earlier this year
There’s also Currently, Riffr, Lyrc, Koo, Tapebook Pundit, Vooiced, and many others.
Thoughts on Twitter’s expansion to voice? Add it to the thread (sorry, text only... for now). 😁
Projects supporting BLM 🖤
Makers have been busy creating incredible things to support the BLM movement. Here’s a recap on what we’ve seen so far on Product Hunt these past few weeks:
- Dose created a safe community to amplify Black voices and educate through storytelling
- EatOkra is an app to find and order from Black owned restaurants
- BLM Badge is a customizable badge you can add to your website to collect donations for BLM
- Hustle Crew Membership has workshops, resources and case studies on how to be an ally and support Black people
- The Black Owned Businesses is a curated list of Black owned businesses in multiple industries
- Crystal is like a RateMyProfessor for police officers and departments to increase transparency and community involvement
The most hyped launch of 2020 (so far)
Every few years a new email client captures everyone’s attention. Yesterday HEY launched with hype, and for good reason.
HEY was created by Basecamp, the 21-year-old company led by Jason Fried and DHH. It’s the freshest take we’ve seen on email since Superhuman, but HEY isn’t just an email client, it’s an email platform. This vertical integration gives them the ability to do things others can’t.
Here are a few features you might love:
P.S. If you’re curious how Basecamp built HEY (and its other products), read ShapeUp, a free book for startups and makers.
HEY was created by Basecamp, the 21-year-old company led by Jason Fried and DHH. It’s the freshest take we’ve seen on email since Superhuman, but HEY isn’t just an email client, it’s an email platform. This vertical integration gives them the ability to do things others can’t.
Here are a few features you might love:
- “Imbox” screening – Only people you’ve approved get into your imbox (aka, inbox)
- File browser – Every attachment is indexed and easily searchable across email threads
- Reply later workflow – Rather than chicken peck your way to inbox zero, HEY offers a slick UX for batching replies
- Built-in spy blocker – By default, spy trackers are blocked so senders don’t know when (or where) you opened their email
- Silent by default – Push notifications are off by default to avoid repeated distractions throughout the day
- Tempo takes a very minimal, zen-like approach to email
- Twobird bundles email with to do’s, reminders, and collaborative notes
P.S. If you’re curious how Basecamp built HEY (and its other products), read ShapeUp, a free book for startups and makers.
How to invest in people
It might sound strange, but Human IPO has branded itself as the marketplace for publicly traded people. This means you can invest in an individual much like you would invest in a company or product. By giving money to an individual now, you might get a return from their life’s work later. What would an hour of Bill Gates time be worth today? What would an hour of Bill Gates time have been worth 40 years ago? You get the idea.
If you think it sounds wild, here’s a snippet from Mike Merrill’s profile, the “World’s first publicly traded person:”
⭐️ "My life rights were optioned by Sony Television for a series on Amazon."
⭐️ "I've been featured in Wired, The Atlantic, BBC, and The Today Show."
⭐️ "I'm currently unemployed."
⭐️ "My shareholders have allowed me to take psychedelics."
But it’s not all headlines and shrooms. With an initial public offering price at $13/hr selling out last month, an hour of Mikes time now is going for $88.20. Not a bad short term return.
While it may seem fairly abstract, the idea isn’t entirely new.
Avenify first launched on Product Hunt a year ago as a way to invest in students under a similar premise. They later relaunched with a broader focus to invest in human potential using income share agreements to help students get funding. With Avenify, you might help someone attend nursing school under an ISA, whereas with Human IPO you’re investing in the entrepreneurs – the Bill Gates if you’re lucky – of tomorrow.
Individuals have also put themselves up for public investment independently. Long time Product Hunt community member, James Gallagher, has sold personal tokens in himself. Stakeholders have helped him make decisions about his future, like whether or not to attend university, with a vested interest in his success. Somewhat ironically they recently voted to end their personal stake in his decision making.
If you’d rather invest in startups but don’t have the capital to qualify as an accredited investor you can use Republic to become an angel investor with just $10. Or if you’d rather show appreciation to makers of the products you love without any expectation of a return, Buy Me A Coffee is nice way to say thanks for building cool products.
It might sound strange, but Human IPO has branded itself as the marketplace for publicly traded people. This means you can invest in an individual much like you would invest in a company or product. By giving money to an individual now, you might get a return from their life’s work later. What would an hour of Bill Gates time be worth today? What would an hour of Bill Gates time have been worth 40 years ago? You get the idea.
If you think it sounds wild, here’s a snippet from Mike Merrill’s profile, the “World’s first publicly traded person:”
⭐️ "My life rights were optioned by Sony Television for a series on Amazon."
⭐️ "I've been featured in Wired, The Atlantic, BBC, and The Today Show."
⭐️ "I'm currently unemployed."
⭐️ "My shareholders have allowed me to take psychedelics."
But it’s not all headlines and shrooms. With an initial public offering price at $13/hr selling out last month, an hour of Mikes time now is going for $88.20. Not a bad short term return.
While it may seem fairly abstract, the idea isn’t entirely new.
Avenify first launched on Product Hunt a year ago as a way to invest in students under a similar premise. They later relaunched with a broader focus to invest in human potential using income share agreements to help students get funding. With Avenify, you might help someone attend nursing school under an ISA, whereas with Human IPO you’re investing in the entrepreneurs – the Bill Gates if you’re lucky – of tomorrow.
Individuals have also put themselves up for public investment independently. Long time Product Hunt community member, James Gallagher, has sold personal tokens in himself. Stakeholders have helped him make decisions about his future, like whether or not to attend university, with a vested interest in his success. Somewhat ironically they recently voted to end their personal stake in his decision making.
If you’d rather invest in startups but don’t have the capital to qualify as an accredited investor you can use Republic to become an angel investor with just $10. Or if you’d rather show appreciation to makers of the products you love without any expectation of a return, Buy Me A Coffee is nice way to say thanks for building cool products.











