Elephants, not Unicorns
Metafy didn't just crawl out of a pandemic-induced chrysalis—it was shoved out, caught on the updraft of a world going to hell in a hand basket. Tom, Wesley, and I, had been thinking about Metafy long before people started hoarding toilet paper, but it took a global shit-show to set the stage for our grand entrance.
We aimed higher than just another coaching platform. We dreamt of an all-singing, all-dancing ecosystem. The beating heart of countless communities. Disney's synergy map is more than a decoration on my wall—it's a roadmap for this fucking pipe dream. We've always known where we were going, but the 'how' of getting there has been clear as mud. All we knew in the beginning was that it started with coaching, content, and a whole lot of chutzpah.
Having raised ~$30M in funding, we felt damn-near invincible going into 2022. And then it beat us like a rug. Quite simply, our assumptions got their asses handed to them. But hey, we made enough of the right decisions to still be here. There's a graveyard of startups from the last year that can't say the same.There are days when it seems like we're playing perpetual whack-a-mole with crises. But we have to remember, we're building something treasured by the folks we serve. There are no higher accolades than that, to be loved, genuinely loved for what we are. The mission remains the same. We're going to fucking change culture. We're going to create a million jobs in gaming. We're going to go all the way, and keep our soul while we do it.
Enter the Elephant
Just when you think you've got a handle on all the jargon - along come the elephants. In a beautifully written article, VC Erica Wengar paints a vidid picture of the evolving startup landscape. She's talking about startups that don't just have customers; they have members. They don't just build companies; they build communities. And you know what?
She's talking about us.
She's talking about Metafy.
Two seismic shifts are driving this evolution.
1.The democratization of company creation. Anyone can start a business. But the real challenge, the real art, is in attracting and retaining customers. To do that, you need to build a community that people don't just want to join, but want to stay in. That's what we're doing at Metafy. We're not just building a platform; we're building a community. A community that champions creators, values their work, and gives them the rewards they deserve.
2.We're in the throes of a loneliness epidemic. Folks are turning a cold shoulder to the once towering institutions and are seeking warmth in smaller, cozier communities. With remote work becoming the new normal, we're all hankering for that sprinkle of human touch, that rush of belonging. That's the vibe we're cultivating at Metafy. We're piecing together a space where creators and consumers can mingle, can belong.
Sure, the unicorns had their time in the spotlight, but dusk is settling in. The market's catching its breath, growth at any cost is yesterday's news, and fresh cash injections are becoming painful affairs. We're not hunting for product-market fit; we're forging a movement. Inciting a riot.
We're the elephant in the room—weighty, unmissable. We're not just another tech company; we're a team that gives a shit. We're anchored in purpose, we put community first, and we're strapped in for the journey. We're setting out to change culture.
Welcome to the year of the elephant.
