The document provides advice for startups looking to enter the email market based on lessons learned from Xoopit and Yahoo. Some of the key challenges highlighted include: Platforms are reluctant to make major changes to their email clients or share revenue. It will take a long time to properly recreate an email service and integrate with platforms. Creating an alternate site to access email is not sticky for users. Deep processing of email data is difficult and expensive. The document recommends startups focus on small applets instead of large feature projects, make early connections with platforms, and consider new models beyond just fixes to reinvent email.

1. Hacking Into the Email Market:
What We Learned On Both Sides of the
Table at Xoopit and Yahoo!
Bijan Marashi
Xoopit CEO/Co-Founder
thanks to
@jkatzman (Xoopit Co-Founder) & @jbruck
for their input.

3. (Viral) Distribution, Integration, and
Monetization = Hard.

4. Platforms Can’t Make MASSIVE
Changes to Mail Client UI Due to
User Base…
…They Have to Launch New Products.

5. Platforms Don’t Want to Give You
First Class Real Estate or
DEEP Engagement Hooks.

6. Platforms Don’t Want to Share
Revenue With You.

7. Platforms Will Shamelessly Copy
Features From Their Ecosystem…
…Though It May Take Them 2+ Years
To Do It.

8. Waiting for Platforms Will Run You
Dry.
(Your $100K from 500Startups will evaporate before meeting 3 with a
platform or you get your spam filters working right).

9. Make Friends With The People At The
Platforms Early In Your Cycle.

10. It Will Take You WAY Longer Than You
Think to Recreate a Mail Service
Properly
Ask Zenbe, Threadsy.

11. Creating an Alternate Web Site to
Access Mail Features or Mail Data
Isn’t Sticky.

12. Deep Processing Mail Data is Hard,
Takes Lots of Work, and is
Expensive.

13. The (Vocal) Consumers are Finicky
About Mail Privacy.
…This could mislead your product
discovery work.

14. Users Don’t Want Non-Email Features
in Their Inboxes.

15. VC’s Don’t Want To Fund Feature
Projects, They Want to Fund
BUSINESSES Addressing Large
Market Problems…
….Or Wacky New Inventions.

16. Stay Small :
Cottage Industry Styled Applets
May Be Able to Make Interesting
Money for the Two of You.

17. M+A Deals Under $2.5M Are
Relatively Easy To Do…
…$10M, $20M, $30M+ Deals Are
Much, Much Harder.

18. Don’t Confuse Your Personal Potential
With The Fixed Potential of Your
Vessel.

19. The Old School Outlook-like Email UI
Still Blows…
…Email Still Needs to be Re-Invented
From the Ground Up, Not Fixed.

20. Startups Can Unite to Hold The
Market Accountable to Innovate,
Open, or Acqui-Hire.

21. Dare to Dream About New Models,
Beyond Patches and Fixes…
xo,
@biji