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From 50k Users in 6 Weeks to Shutting Down, with Ryan Hickman

The Failory Podcast

From 50k Users in 6 Weeks to Shutting Down, with Ryan Hickman

Ryan Hickman (@RyanHickmam) is Co-Founder at Epic AI, a company that helps startup founders with a multitude of AI-based tools, ranging from investor intelligence to decking. Before it, Ryan co-founded MeVee, a video streaming platform that grew to 50k users in 6 weeks and eventually shut down after being unable to compete with Facebook Live. In this…

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Notes

  1. Who's Ryan Hickman at 2:22

    Ryan Hickman introduces himself. He's the founder of Epic AI, a studio developing products that help startups succeed. Full answer

  2. What Pulled Ryan Hickman Out of Banking and Into Startups? at 3:47

    Ryan Hickman was at a bank, watching it flail at fragmented digital media and spend more time preparing campaigns than measuring them. Full answer

  3. What's Your Failed Startup Story at 8:24

    Ryan co-founded MeVee, a video streaming application for influencers and well-known people. They launched in 7 days and grew to 50k users in just a few weeks. Full answer

  4. What Was Ryan Hickman's Live-streaming Startup MeVee? at 9:14

    Ryan Hickman describes MeVee as live video in the vein of Periscope and Instagram Live, built so creators could earn the way they do on YouTube from the first… Full answer

  5. How Did a VH1 Watch Party Blow Up Ryan Hickman's MeVee? at 19:04

    After a Ty Lawson stream spread further than Ryan Hickman expected, MeVee took a new name, replacing a tongue-twisting brand, and added a peace-sign logo. Full answer

  6. What Does Ryan Hickman Think the Live-streaming Race Gets Wrong? at 29:42

    After shutting down MeVee, Ryan Hickman says cable taught audiences to prefer on demand. Full answer

  7. How Did Ryan Hickman Turn the End of MeVee Into Epic AI's Crane? at 38:53

    Winding down MeVee, Ryan Hickman felt he owed angel investors who were not venture funds trained to lose money. Full answer

  8. How Does Ryan Hickman Find Customers for Epic AI? at 43:55

    Ryan Hickman says Epic AI's strongest source of customers is account-based marketing, not a pile of inbound email. Full answer

  9. How Does Ryan Hickman Decide What Epic AI Should Build Next? at 48:05

    Ryan Hickman would rather put 100 people on a phone call than into self-serve software nobody has used. Full answer

  10. What MeVee Habit Did Ryan Hickman Refuse to Repeat at Epic AI? at 52:01

    Ryan Hickman says the MeVee lesson he uses at Epic AI is lean startup taken literally. Full answer

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