Guest: Gina Gotthilf - Co-founder and COO of Latitud. Gina is known for leading growth and marketing at Duolingo, helping it grow from 3 million to over 200 million users, primarily through organic channels. Key Takeaways: Mission-Driven Growth: Duolingo's success was significantly driven by its mission to provide free education, which attracted users and talent, and informed product and marketing strategies. Organic Growth Focus: Early-stage startups should prioritize organic growth and retention over paid acquisition to ensure sustainable and authentic user engagement. Brand and Voice: Developing a unique and memorable brand voice, as Duolingo did with its quirky and humorous communication style, can significantly enhance user engagement and word-of-mouth growth. Global Strategy: While cultural differences exist, focusing on universal human behaviors and keeping product offerings consistent across regions can simplify operations and accelerate growth. Resilience and Adaptability: Embrace failures and learn from them, as they are part of the growth journey. Duolingo's iterative approach to testing and learning was crucial to its success. Topics Covered: Duolingo's growth strategy, organic growth vs. paid acquisition, brand building, internationalization strategy, Latin America's tech ecosystem, resilience in startups, building a mission-driven company.
“Communication is constantly underrated.”
“We are very encouraged in our lives, especially professionally, to talk about our A-sides all the time.”
“Fake it till you make it.”
