The Leaderboard
Our ultra-fast Daily: Three takes on new products. Yesterday’s top ten launches. That’s it.
Black hole or rocket ship?
Last week, a new launch was the talk of tech-Twitter: Bitclout.
Bitclout is a decentralized social network built on a blockchain. The concept seems noble: an open-sourced platform that rewards creators, not a company, for contributions through creator coins. Initial excitement was matched with early skepticism:
“I was waiting for something like this! This is amazing 🤩” - Asad Ali
“Is this a black hole for bitcoin?” - Derrick Guanzon
Many online were put off by Bitclout scraping Twitter profiles of prominent members, baiting them with pre-created accounts (@elonmusk’s coin is over $86K but he has yet to officially join). Others are frustrated that the project is absent from Github and the like. The unknown makers, who go by the pseudonym Diamondhands, have said the code will be open-sourced after an audit is concluded within the next few weeks.
Investors are also cautioning others to be careful with their investments. Right now you can put Bitcoin in to buy more $Bitclout, but you can’t withdraw it.
However, early adopters point to Bitclout’s list of backers, like Sequoia and a16z, to support the whole concept. They also point out that letting people withdraw too early could cause users to invest and bail too quickly.
Are you getting into Bitclout early or in the wait-and-see camp? Share what you think on the launch page.
Bitclout is a decentralized social network built on a blockchain. The concept seems noble: an open-sourced platform that rewards creators, not a company, for contributions through creator coins. Initial excitement was matched with early skepticism:
“I was waiting for something like this! This is amazing 🤩” - Asad Ali
“Is this a black hole for bitcoin?” - Derrick Guanzon
Many online were put off by Bitclout scraping Twitter profiles of prominent members, baiting them with pre-created accounts (@elonmusk’s coin is over $86K but he has yet to officially join). Others are frustrated that the project is absent from Github and the like. The unknown makers, who go by the pseudonym Diamondhands, have said the code will be open-sourced after an audit is concluded within the next few weeks.
Investors are also cautioning others to be careful with their investments. Right now you can put Bitcoin in to buy more $Bitclout, but you can’t withdraw it.
However, early adopters point to Bitclout’s list of backers, like Sequoia and a16z, to support the whole concept. They also point out that letting people withdraw too early could cause users to invest and bail too quickly.
Are you getting into Bitclout early or in the wait-and-see camp? Share what you think on the launch page.
Slack vs. themselves vs. Clubhouse
It’s been a buzzy week for Slack.
On Wednesday, the company dropped Slack Connect Direct Messages, giving anyone the ability to DM anybody else on Slack, outside of company borders.
Engineer Manager Derek Hollis noted in their Product Hunt launch:
“This is new technology that relegates email to the fringes of business communication.”
Some users were excited about the potential, while others on Twitter showed concern that DMs could be misused by bad actors. Slack leadership was quick to respond making some immediate changes, like removing the ability to customize the invitation that’s sent when starting a DM with someone new.
We look forward to seeing more updates to Slack Connect. In the meantime, Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield talked about Slack’s future plans for audio in a recent Clubhouse with Josh Constine. Stewart shared plans for new features including ephemeral video (i.e. Stories) and audio messages for quick voice notes — something similar to what users of Yac have been doing for a while now.
He also revealed that Slack would soon have a feature akin to Clubhouse where users can drop into rooms for conversations without needing to schedule a meeting or initial call. We’re interested in how this can match up with the DM feature — can Slack take a piece of corporate Clubhouse?
Have any more questions for the engineering team on Slack Connect while you wait for audio and Stories? Ask the makers on their launch page.
On Wednesday, the company dropped Slack Connect Direct Messages, giving anyone the ability to DM anybody else on Slack, outside of company borders.
Engineer Manager Derek Hollis noted in their Product Hunt launch:
“This is new technology that relegates email to the fringes of business communication.”
Some users were excited about the potential, while others on Twitter showed concern that DMs could be misused by bad actors. Slack leadership was quick to respond making some immediate changes, like removing the ability to customize the invitation that’s sent when starting a DM with someone new.
We look forward to seeing more updates to Slack Connect. In the meantime, Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield talked about Slack’s future plans for audio in a recent Clubhouse with Josh Constine. Stewart shared plans for new features including ephemeral video (i.e. Stories) and audio messages for quick voice notes — something similar to what users of Yac have been doing for a while now.
He also revealed that Slack would soon have a feature akin to Clubhouse where users can drop into rooms for conversations without needing to schedule a meeting or initial call. We’re interested in how this can match up with the DM feature — can Slack take a piece of corporate Clubhouse?
Have any more questions for the engineering team on Slack Connect while you wait for audio and Stories? Ask the makers on their launch page.
Keep this private
Your personal data, that is. It's precious.
Despite the implementation of GDPR in 2018 and new US privacy regulations since, Pew Research from 2019 shows 81% of Americans feel they have very little/no control of the data collected from companies.
Rita launched to the community yesterday and wants to make it easier for everyone, including non-technical people, to get their data back. The app collects your data from platforms (right now Google and Facebook), shows you how it’s used, and helps you request its removal or manage ads you don’t want to see.
Rita made a great first impression on launch day.
“Just tested the App… The “manage ads'' feature is incredible!!! ...This changes everything! 🙏🙏🙏" - Emile Brussels
“Nice and smooth UI, I was shocked about the high number of companies my data is shared with🤭.” - Luca Campo
There are other fast-growing products already in this space. Mine, a 2020 Golden Kitty Winner, lets you discover your digital footprint and remove data from services you no longer use. Jumbo, another privacy assistant, launched an update last year adding data breach monitoring and an ad tracker blocker from following your steps online.
If you’re already using one of these privacy assistants, maker John Arts explained where Rita comes in:
“The difference simplified: Jumbo restricts ongoing tracking. Rita does that + restricting: companies and data that was collected in the past.”
While privacy advocates may implore you to seek out alternatives to certain platforms altogether, companies like Rita and Jumbo play a role in helping the public partake in big tech activity without compromising personal power.
Despite the implementation of GDPR in 2018 and new US privacy regulations since, Pew Research from 2019 shows 81% of Americans feel they have very little/no control of the data collected from companies.
Rita launched to the community yesterday and wants to make it easier for everyone, including non-technical people, to get their data back. The app collects your data from platforms (right now Google and Facebook), shows you how it’s used, and helps you request its removal or manage ads you don’t want to see.
Rita made a great first impression on launch day.
“Just tested the App… The “manage ads'' feature is incredible!!! ...This changes everything! 🙏🙏🙏" - Emile Brussels
“Nice and smooth UI, I was shocked about the high number of companies my data is shared with🤭.” - Luca Campo
There are other fast-growing products already in this space. Mine, a 2020 Golden Kitty Winner, lets you discover your digital footprint and remove data from services you no longer use. Jumbo, another privacy assistant, launched an update last year adding data breach monitoring and an ad tracker blocker from following your steps online.
If you’re already using one of these privacy assistants, maker John Arts explained where Rita comes in:
“The difference simplified: Jumbo restricts ongoing tracking. Rita does that + restricting: companies and data that was collected in the past.”
While privacy advocates may implore you to seek out alternatives to certain platforms altogether, companies like Rita and Jumbo play a role in helping the public partake in big tech activity without compromising personal power.
From SaaS startup to Unicorn
It’s that time of the year again for many. No, not tax season, the other one: performance reviews.
Five years ago, maker Jack Altman introduced Lattice to our community after a few months of beta testing. As explained in the launch, Lattice’s goal is to turn the daunting beast of review writing into a manageable process that won’t scare off employees.
“Maintaining goals in a spreadsheet isn't enough; we wanted to make a tool where they are connected, engaging, and can evolve over time.”
The community responded largely with optimism and a bit of uncertainty from those who saw too much crossover with the project management tools they were already using.
Now Lattice has reached a $1B valuation after their latest funding round taking it to unicorn status. It appears that initial community optimism was well-founded.
Take a look at Jack’s profile and you’ll get a glimpse of Lattice’s growth into an integrated people management platform. In its initial launch, Lattice was a handy but bare board of tracked goals. Five months later, the team launched an iteration with Lattice Reviews, a key function of Lattice’s suite today. This was followed by Lattice Feedback, Lattice Engagement, Lattice Pulse, and recently Lattice Grow, an integrated tool to help managers and employees accelerate their careers.
Lattice is joining SaaS startups that boomed in tune with the “new normal,” like Notion which quadrupled its user base from 2019. Jack told Bloomberg that Lattice doubled in size over the pandemic as teams moved to remote.
Looks like silver linings attract unicorns. We’re watching to see who joins the club next.
Five years ago, maker Jack Altman introduced Lattice to our community after a few months of beta testing. As explained in the launch, Lattice’s goal is to turn the daunting beast of review writing into a manageable process that won’t scare off employees.
“Maintaining goals in a spreadsheet isn't enough; we wanted to make a tool where they are connected, engaging, and can evolve over time.”
The community responded largely with optimism and a bit of uncertainty from those who saw too much crossover with the project management tools they were already using.
Now Lattice has reached a $1B valuation after their latest funding round taking it to unicorn status. It appears that initial community optimism was well-founded.
Take a look at Jack’s profile and you’ll get a glimpse of Lattice’s growth into an integrated people management platform. In its initial launch, Lattice was a handy but bare board of tracked goals. Five months later, the team launched an iteration with Lattice Reviews, a key function of Lattice’s suite today. This was followed by Lattice Feedback, Lattice Engagement, Lattice Pulse, and recently Lattice Grow, an integrated tool to help managers and employees accelerate their careers.
Lattice is joining SaaS startups that boomed in tune with the “new normal,” like Notion which quadrupled its user base from 2019. Jack told Bloomberg that Lattice doubled in size over the pandemic as teams moved to remote.
Looks like silver linings attract unicorns. We’re watching to see who joins the club next.
Banking for Gen Z
Need a breather from NFTs? Let’s talk about the newest capital of FinTech — Latin America.
The financial landscape has been heating up in Latin America over the last several years with 1,166 fintech ventures at last count in 2018 by the Inter-American Development Bank. The reasons are plentiful but for starters, 50% of the population lacks a bank account. Traditional financial institutions hadn’t given the area a lot of attention. FinTech startups have changed all that.
Last week’s launch of Z1 showed us how much is on the table.
Z1 is a digital bank for teenagers and part of the Winter 2021 batch of Y Combinator startups. With their parents’ permission, teens can create an account with Z1. Once approved, they’ll be issued a Mastercard and can manage their accounts online, make P2P transfers to friends, and more.
Z1 isn’t just a bank, it’s about setting up the next generation of adults for financial independence. This is what co-founder Thiago Achatz said on launch day:
“Many Gen Z’ers want to learn not only how to spend their money, but also how to earn money of their own and become autonomous from their parents from an early age. Z1’s product is the first in Brazil to give them this autonomy and set them on the road to financial independence.”
Z1’s goal is to become the go-to bank for Gen Z in LatAm. For now, the company is starting in Brazil.
The U.S. and Europe are looking at Gen Z's potential for spending too. Venmo and Revolut are working on debit cards for teens and Step recently introduced their banking solution for teens and families.
We're wishing Gen Z record-breaking financial growth to match their voter turnout.
The financial landscape has been heating up in Latin America over the last several years with 1,166 fintech ventures at last count in 2018 by the Inter-American Development Bank. The reasons are plentiful but for starters, 50% of the population lacks a bank account. Traditional financial institutions hadn’t given the area a lot of attention. FinTech startups have changed all that.
Last week’s launch of Z1 showed us how much is on the table.
Z1 is a digital bank for teenagers and part of the Winter 2021 batch of Y Combinator startups. With their parents’ permission, teens can create an account with Z1. Once approved, they’ll be issued a Mastercard and can manage their accounts online, make P2P transfers to friends, and more.
Z1 isn’t just a bank, it’s about setting up the next generation of adults for financial independence. This is what co-founder Thiago Achatz said on launch day:
“Many Gen Z’ers want to learn not only how to spend their money, but also how to earn money of their own and become autonomous from their parents from an early age. Z1’s product is the first in Brazil to give them this autonomy and set them on the road to financial independence.”
Z1’s goal is to become the go-to bank for Gen Z in LatAm. For now, the company is starting in Brazil.
The U.S. and Europe are looking at Gen Z's potential for spending too. Venmo and Revolut are working on debit cards for teens and Step recently introduced their banking solution for teens and families.
We're wishing Gen Z record-breaking financial growth to match their voter turnout.
10 design tools to make life easy
Some people have such a great blend of right and left brain that they made themselves a career in graphic design. The rest of us have Canva.
Even so, our mockups and landing pages often need a touch more to tell a story — illustrations with diverse characters, 3D images, and even just blobs.
We’ve seen a huge number of resources recently to help with quick design solutions, whether you’re a marketer, a designer saving time, or a bootstrapping maker crafting a pitch.
This list is about to save you some design time.
Blobs 2.0 - Simple blob generator
Presentations by Pitch - 50+ templates for your Pitch
Float - Tool to transform your static artwork into moving creations
Amigos - Hand-drawn illustrations of characters that are remixable
Haikei - Tool to generate unique SVG shapes, backgrounds, and patterns
MagicPattern Toolbox - Toolkit of patterns, gradients, and, yup, more blobs
Studyum 3D Icons - 28 customizable 3D icons
THINGS - 3D customizable device mockups
Removal.ai - AI-powered background removal
Sensa Emoji - Free, vector, and open-source emoji set
And once you’ve made it through the list, take a break with this game to identify fonts.
Even so, our mockups and landing pages often need a touch more to tell a story — illustrations with diverse characters, 3D images, and even just blobs.
We’ve seen a huge number of resources recently to help with quick design solutions, whether you’re a marketer, a designer saving time, or a bootstrapping maker crafting a pitch.
This list is about to save you some design time.
Blobs 2.0 - Simple blob generator
Presentations by Pitch - 50+ templates for your Pitch
Float - Tool to transform your static artwork into moving creations
Amigos - Hand-drawn illustrations of characters that are remixable
Haikei - Tool to generate unique SVG shapes, backgrounds, and patterns
MagicPattern Toolbox - Toolkit of patterns, gradients, and, yup, more blobs
Studyum 3D Icons - 28 customizable 3D icons
THINGS - 3D customizable device mockups
Removal.ai - AI-powered background removal
Sensa Emoji - Free, vector, and open-source emoji set
And once you’ve made it through the list, take a break with this game to identify fonts.
Google vs. TikTok
Everyone wants to get their hands on the magic behind TikTok. Even Google.
Facebook, Instagram, and Snap have long been in this race, meanwhile YouTube has been playing catch-up. They launched their own short-form answer to TikTok in India last year to beta testers.
Now, YouTube is expanding its YouTube Shorts beta to the US. YouTubers can record, edit, and share content that’s 60 seconds or less and set it to popular music thanks to deals with a list of music companies including Universal and Sony.
In what could be considered fortuitous or serendipitous timing, Twitter just shared that it’s testing a way to let you watch YouTube videos right from your timeline.
<280 characters + <60 seconds. That sounds like a highly compatible match.
As you’re heading into the weekend with yet another channel to share your short-form content, Kamua could be a huge help. The video editing tool made its debut recently with AI automation to help creators optimize video across all major video platforms, from YouTube to TikTok to Instagram.
We’ll leave you with this helpful comment from a fellow creator.
“Pro tip for creating social content - shoot everything in landscape and use Kamua to convert to portrait, square, 4x5, etc. It’s so much easier…” - Jim Harrison
Facebook, Instagram, and Snap have long been in this race, meanwhile YouTube has been playing catch-up. They launched their own short-form answer to TikTok in India last year to beta testers.
Now, YouTube is expanding its YouTube Shorts beta to the US. YouTubers can record, edit, and share content that’s 60 seconds or less and set it to popular music thanks to deals with a list of music companies including Universal and Sony.
In what could be considered fortuitous or serendipitous timing, Twitter just shared that it’s testing a way to let you watch YouTube videos right from your timeline.
<280 characters + <60 seconds. That sounds like a highly compatible match.
As you’re heading into the weekend with yet another channel to share your short-form content, Kamua could be a huge help. The video editing tool made its debut recently with AI automation to help creators optimize video across all major video platforms, from YouTube to TikTok to Instagram.
We’ll leave you with this helpful comment from a fellow creator.
“Pro tip for creating social content - shoot everything in landscape and use Kamua to convert to portrait, square, 4x5, etc. It’s so much easier…” - Jim Harrison
Notion + Roam Research = ?
We've been known to do the loco-Notion.
Today we’re staying calm with Zenkit’s launch of Hypernotes which hit #1 of Product of the Day last week.
Zenkit first launched onto Product Hunt in 2016. Rather than separate, non-synchronous kanbans and notes, Zenkit puts a team’s data at the core with tools built around it for a single collaborative platform.
Hypernotes is a new addition to this ecosystem which includes Zenkit Base (project management), ToDo (task management), and Zenchat (“chat + tasks”). The new tool is a knowledge management system with many of the features wiki evangelists love.
When asked about key differentiators, Zenkit CEO Martin Welker replied:
“Compared to Notion we've got the graph, EU servers, & chat functions. Compared to Roam - mobile apps, speed 🏃♀️, graph functions like focus & collapse, & business admin functions 👍”
He also said there are more, but THE main one is that Hypernotes sits within Zenkit’s interconnected suite. This exchange gave us a peek at the potential.
Early adopters also showed excitement for Hypernotes features and UX.
“Really cool note tool, with top UX! I recommend.” - Dylan Deberge
“Uhhh a knowledge graph... Haven't seen that before. Smart move! 🤓 " - Felix Marmann
If yesterday's productivity tools didn’t provide relief, maybe you’ll get zen today from this platform?
Today we’re staying calm with Zenkit’s launch of Hypernotes which hit #1 of Product of the Day last week.
Zenkit first launched onto Product Hunt in 2016. Rather than separate, non-synchronous kanbans and notes, Zenkit puts a team’s data at the core with tools built around it for a single collaborative platform.
Hypernotes is a new addition to this ecosystem which includes Zenkit Base (project management), ToDo (task management), and Zenchat (“chat + tasks”). The new tool is a knowledge management system with many of the features wiki evangelists love.
When asked about key differentiators, Zenkit CEO Martin Welker replied:
“Compared to Notion we've got the graph, EU servers, & chat functions. Compared to Roam - mobile apps, speed 🏃♀️, graph functions like focus & collapse, & business admin functions 👍”
He also said there are more, but THE main one is that Hypernotes sits within Zenkit’s interconnected suite. This exchange gave us a peek at the potential.
Early adopters also showed excitement for Hypernotes features and UX.
“Really cool note tool, with top UX! I recommend.” - Dylan Deberge
“Uhhh a knowledge graph... Haven't seen that before. Smart move! 🤓 " - Felix Marmann
If yesterday's productivity tools didn’t provide relief, maybe you’ll get zen today from this platform?
7 productivity tools you've never heard of
This hump day has us thinking about the things that take more time or brainpower than they should.
You know the feeling: “Why is this SO hard?!”
Fortunately, our hair is full of secrets. We put together seven new products that make getting through the most standard parts of your day easier.
Logging In: Idenati keeps all of your online services (banking, developer tools, streaming, etc.) in one place.
Reading: TLDR This summarizes any piece of text into concise, digestible content.
Finding: Clipboard Pro gives you a place to put your most-used content, like your CV, for easy access.
Journaling: Ponder makes daily journaling quick through a browser extension — click it open and free-write or use the prompts.
Pasting: Text Blaze lets you save snippets of copy, formulas, etc. and insert them anywhere with keyboard shortcuts.
Tracking: Lunatask is an all-in-one to-do list, habit tracker, and pomodoro timer with Zapier integrations.
Zooming: Zapp Pad is a Zoom keyboard created by a maker and dad who noticed his kid’s teacher would benefit from hotkeys while managing two dozen kindergarteners.
Start your day by getting all your apps and logins together.
You know the feeling: “Why is this SO hard?!”
Fortunately, our hair is full of secrets. We put together seven new products that make getting through the most standard parts of your day easier.
Logging In: Idenati keeps all of your online services (banking, developer tools, streaming, etc.) in one place.
Reading: TLDR This summarizes any piece of text into concise, digestible content.
Finding: Clipboard Pro gives you a place to put your most-used content, like your CV, for easy access.
Journaling: Ponder makes daily journaling quick through a browser extension — click it open and free-write or use the prompts.
Pasting: Text Blaze lets you save snippets of copy, formulas, etc. and insert them anywhere with keyboard shortcuts.
Tracking: Lunatask is an all-in-one to-do list, habit tracker, and pomodoro timer with Zapier integrations.
Zooming: Zapp Pad is a Zoom keyboard created by a maker and dad who noticed his kid’s teacher would benefit from hotkeys while managing two dozen kindergarteners.
Start your day by getting all your apps and logins together.
Better than scrolling Zillow?
Stimulus checks in the US are coming with surveys showing that 50% of millennials plan to invest it.
We've been covering alternative investment platforms that give investors access to opportunities previously inaccessible to many. For a quick tour of recent launches in this space: In December, we looked at the latest products for managing cryptocurrencies, in March we shared NFT marketplaces to buy minted digital art, and on Friday we traded sports cards on Alt. Today, we're talking about real estate.
Scrolling Zillow is a big hobby for many, so if you don’t want us to ruin home browsing as a leisurely activity, look away.
Ark7 launched this week — a platform where you can buy property shares for as low as $5, making real estate more accessible. Splitting real estate investments isn't totally new, but on Ark7 investors can choose the properties they want to invest in (which have been bought and vetted by Ark7), giving investors a bit more control than they've traditionally had.
Maker Meng Xu explained their launch goals:
“Right now, we have over 800 users who are mostly engineers at the big tech firms in the west coast. We are currently looking for early-stage users to give us feedback on our product and platform.”
Feeling generally overwhelmed about investing? Check these tools out:
💡 Archimedes is an investment learning hub with bite-sized lessons.
🪙 CoinGecko provides a fundamental analysis of the crypto market.
📈 Worth It tracks your money and assets.
If you’re saving that stimulus check, Nova Money gamifies your budgeting to make it fun. 🎮
We've been covering alternative investment platforms that give investors access to opportunities previously inaccessible to many. For a quick tour of recent launches in this space: In December, we looked at the latest products for managing cryptocurrencies, in March we shared NFT marketplaces to buy minted digital art, and on Friday we traded sports cards on Alt. Today, we're talking about real estate.
Scrolling Zillow is a big hobby for many, so if you don’t want us to ruin home browsing as a leisurely activity, look away.
Ark7 launched this week — a platform where you can buy property shares for as low as $5, making real estate more accessible. Splitting real estate investments isn't totally new, but on Ark7 investors can choose the properties they want to invest in (which have been bought and vetted by Ark7), giving investors a bit more control than they've traditionally had.
Maker Meng Xu explained their launch goals:
“Right now, we have over 800 users who are mostly engineers at the big tech firms in the west coast. We are currently looking for early-stage users to give us feedback on our product and platform.”
Feeling generally overwhelmed about investing? Check these tools out:
💡 Archimedes is an investment learning hub with bite-sized lessons.
🪙 CoinGecko provides a fundamental analysis of the crypto market.
📈 Worth It tracks your money and assets.
If you’re saving that stimulus check, Nova Money gamifies your budgeting to make it fun. 🎮
