Prompt Cast
Evolution of E-Vite: From Democratizing Coding to Digital Invitations
TLDR Selena Tobaccowala co-founded E-Vite after pivoting from a B2B product to a consumer-focused platform for digital invitations, navigating through challenges like legal complications, financial concerns, and cultural differences, eventually leading to the company's sale to Ticketmaster City Search in 2001. Selena Tobaccowala reflects on the journey from creating a personalized homepage concept to the continued success of E-Vite, highlighting the impact of privilege on her success and the importance of inclusivity in entrepreneurship.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Selena Tobaccowala co-founded E-Vite, the first online invitation business, which survived the dot-com bubble and remains a major player in the industry today.
06:25
Selena Tobaccowala's interest in computers was sparked by her father's influence and early exposure to technology, leading her to pursue computer science and eventually co-found a business with a dorm mate named Al Leib.
11:51
Selina Tobaccowala and her partner Al Leib initially started a company called Oodleworks with the idea of democratizing coding using graphics, but later pivoted to creating a personalized homepage concept called Collage, which attracted users and caught the attention of larger portals like Yahoo and Excite.
16:58
Selina Tobaccowala and her partner Al Leib successfully pitched their personalized homepage concept, Collage, to Excite, leading to a licensing deal that unfortunately fell through due to legal complications.
22:09
Selina Tobaccowala and her partner Al Leib pivoted from a B2B product to creating Evite, a consumer-focused platform for digital invitations, in July-August 1998.
27:17
Evite was launched as a web app in 1998, with a built-in viral marketing strategy that spread through word of mouth and aimed to replace paper invitations with electronic ones for free during the dot com boom.
32:11
Evite raised significant funding in 1999, totaling $37 million, focusing on growing their user base and attracting advertisers without immediate pressure for profitability.
37:43
The focus shifted from rapid spending and growth to profitability and business model viability after the dot com bubble burst in 2000.
43:40
Evite had to lay off a significant number of employees due to financial concerns and eventually sold the company to Ticketmaster City Search in April 2001.
49:23
Selina Tobaccowala joined Ticketmaster after selling Evite, but eventually left to join Survey Monkey due to cultural differences and a desire to be closer to family.
54:35
Selina Tobaccowala reflects on her time at SurveyMonkey, her transition to a health and wellness startup with her Evite co-founder, and the challenges and responsibilities of being a CEO.
59:54
Selina Tobaccowala reflects on the impact of privilege on her success, feeling proud when hearing E-Vite mentioned as part of everyday language, and the continued success of E-Vite as it reaches milestones in the number of invitations sent.
01:05:39
Jamia Ramsey founded Blenz, a brand providing dance tights and shoes in colors that match dancers' skin tones, aiming to promote inclusivity in ballet.
Categories:
Business
