What started as a rumor was confirmed a few hours back:
ZipDial has been acquired by Twitter!
Image credit – Techcrunch
While the price is not announced and the rumors say it’s between $US ’30-40′ million, that is hardly the point of this note.
These are the 3 lessons I want to share that are clearly distilled by this acquisition:
1) Innovators and First Movers WIN
I was pitched this idea as part of the Bloomberg PITCH series 1 by Valerie Rozycki Wagoner – the elegant Co-founder & CEO of ZipDial and the entire jury (Gondal, me and others) LOVED THE PASSION, the innovation and the way a “consumer insight” (of giving missed calls) had been turned into a business.
A year back I worked with Valerie and her team to execute a missed call to tweet ‘follow’ service for my guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and I was so impressed by the ideation, logic and execution of the team. In fact, I had pointed to Sanjay, Valerie and to a Twitter senior dude that an acquisition made sense for all of them!
2) You don’t have to be A LOCAL
Valerie created and sold a Company in India being an American. Mobile2win China was created and sold by us to Disney – we, being Indian promoters, and the Company being started up in China.
You don’t HAVE TO BE local to win. If you are a real entrepreneur, with a real idea, then by grit, pain and luck, you can win in any country in the world.
3) COPYCATS COPY. INNOVATORS TAKE THE PRIZE.
After ZipDial, hundreds of Copycats came. They reduced prices, went after ZipDial’s clients and just ruined the market.
I was told by many, “It’s a loss making business. There is no big deal. Anyone can set up a missed call service. What’s the differentiator…” etc etc.
The Twitter acquisition confirms what I have always believed from Day 1 – It’s NEVER ABOUT COPYING something more successfully – It’s ALWAYS about CREATING ORIGINAL VALUE.
I can even tell you now that PESSIMISTS will say (even as comments to this post) – “Alok, what’s the value? 30-40 million? That’s it? Such and such e-com is 20000 Billion xyz….”
You know … I don’t give a shit.
I LOVE ENTREPRENEURS WHO CREATE VALUE FROM THIN AIR and this is just that perfect case.
BRAVO AND WELL DONE VALERIE AND SANJAY SWAMY. Love you guys!
Respect and Salute
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Valerie at g2w office with her copy of AOY in Oct 2013 🙂
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