Plus: Honest user feedback, a broken website & how many people lost their jobs to AI last month.

Newsletter

June 6, 2023

Hi there,

Think you have spreadsheet problems? One of Austria’s leading political parties accidentally announced the wrong candidate as the winner in their elections last Saturday, due to an error in Excel.

In this Open Letter:

Hacking the Genome: DNA plays from right here in SA
The memecoin flood, the broken website you paid for & actual figures on AI job cuts.
The Mom Test: 3 Steps to get more useful user feedback.
Free download: Refer 1 friend and get our 50 Founders Tools.

TRENDING NOW

DNA Plays from Right Here in SA

From impossible to plausible to opportunity

Why do healthy people die from diseases we associate with unhealthy living? That question’s plagued the medical industry for years, and now science says it all comes down to genetics.

In other words, DNA.

OK, dinosaur-frog jokes aside, understanding human DNA and genetics is the key to solving not only diseases and health but helping people live longer, happier lives – basically, the trifecta of every human’s most powerful and primal wants and needs.

Oh, now we have your attention? Good. Because the big news is that we’re fast approaching the time when the next big thing in DNA could come from anywhere – even right here in SA. Yes, with most of the hard work done – human genome sequences are open source – and advances in computing power on the horizon, genetics is no longer just a play for rich countries.

Here’s what you need to know…

First: What is DNA and How Does Scientist Use Genetics to Solve Problems?

“Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of all known organisms and many viruses.” – Wikipedia

Wikipedia

We love how ChatGPT explains it to kids:

Imagine that you have a big box of LEGO blocks. Each block is a different colour and can be used to build different things. You could make a house, a car, a spaceship, or even a whole city!

Now, DNA is kind of like a special instruction book for your body's LEGO blocks. It tells your body how to build everything it needs. Just like how you use different LEGO blocks to build different things, your body uses instructions from the DNA to make your eyes, hair, bones, and everything else.

Just like how different LEGO instruction books will tell you to build different things, different DNA will make different people. That's why we all look a little different from each other, like having different hair or eye colour. But just like how all LEGO blocks fit together, we're all people, no matter how our DNA tells us to look!

And just like how sometimes you might lose a LEGO piece or get it in the wrong place, sometimes there are small “mistakes” in the DNA, which can make us get sick. – Your friendly neighbourhood AI

But here’s the crux of the thing: DNA is not uniform in all humans. The “code” that instructs your body to express a certain gene that makes your eyes blue, for example, is slightly different in another person who also has blue eyes. And one of those slight gene variations could make you or them more susceptible to a specific disease.

If you can figure out which DNA pairing and gene causes it, you can scan everyone and literally change the world by pre-emptively targeting that illness – maybe even eradicating it completely.

And it’s not sci-fi anymore.

It’s now just a question of data.

The Biggest Data Play of All Time

The human genome (that’s the set of DNA that makes up a human being) consists of around 3 billion base pairs. This was, data-wise, a big deal when the Human Genome Project launched in 1990 when most hard drives could only store 40MB.

Things have changed. Today we know we can store about 1 million base pairs worth of data on 1MB of storage. So 1 human’s genome fits on about 3GB. And the entire human genome is now freely available to anyone – access it right here.

Over time, scientists and researchers have been able to gather enough data to map DNA to physical characteristics – which section of DNA is responsible for producing which effect in our bodies. And a lot of that is open source and available in links like the one above.

But what is proprietary and potentially patentable is specific observations in DNA that could lead to improved quality of life. If you can figure out which genes make people more susceptible to a specific disease, for example.

And that’s what a lot of genetic-focused startups are attempting to do.

The DNA Startup Playbook is

Get data by obtaining large amounts of DNA samples.
Map those samples to health status, known conditions, lifestyle, etc.
Develop proprietary models that lead to more usefulness for users.
Subscription services based on your DNA – i.e. your DNA says this kind of exercise is better for you, here's a tailor-made exercise plan for $20 a month.

And data collection isn’t new. For years now you could get your ancestry data for a fee to see where you really came from (useful? We are not convinced). Nonetheless, many people do this, supplying valuable DNA samples to researchers at these organisations.

The Potential Scope

You should be able to use this play to create DNA-tailored:

Eating plans
Exercise plans
Sleep plans
Types of holidays for best rest
Early disease detection
Life extension
Dating compatibility
Basically, anything you can think of...

And with recent progress in genetics and improvement in processing power and machine learning, it might be the right time to look into the DNA game.

Some Local Companies Making Moves Already

Geneway offers genetic tests focused on finding your DNA’s optimum wellness, health, food sensitivity and fertility needs. And they seem to be expanding with DNA-focused supplements.

BioCertica is a Paarl-based startup that’s developing a whole host of tools and services out of DNA results. For now, they offer DNA testing to help you determine the ideal food, exercise and medications for your body.

BixBio has built its own AI platform to curate large DNA data sets specifically for finding DNA variants that require unique medicines and treatments.

Oh, and if you’re interested, even Mediclinic is now also offering an ancestry test – probably in an effort to get more DNA genome data.

What could happen in the future? Imagine an automated lifestyle around your specific DNA. Food deliveries that match food that’s best suited, an ever-adapting training program that matches your makeup and, even better, catching fatal disease long before it happens.

Think we’re ready for that kind of insight? Hit reply and let us know your thoughts….

IN SHORT

🇬🇧 Is the grass greener? Brits earn more than South Africans across multiple sectors, but there’s good news – a Big Mac in the UK will cost you 85% more than back home, meaning you’ll earn more in London (UK), but East London (SA) will be cheaper to live in. And if rugby is your vibe, there is also this.

🐸 Making a meme of it. Memecoins are hitting the Bitcoin blockchain and the OG’s are not impressed. The number of transactions recently shot through the roof making transaction prices skyrocket and causing Binance to pause transactions to the chain.

🤐 When a Townsquare becomes a Battleground. Head of trust and safety at Twitter resigns after criticism from Elon Musk over censoring Matt Walsh’s transgender documentary, “What is a Woman?”. The documentary on the other hand has gone on to get 170m+ views in just a few days, flexing Twitter’s ability as a platform to broadcast feature-length films.

🔥 Out of their depth: People are angrily giggling at the SA Department of Communications and Digital Technologies whose lofty ideals of creating SA’s own competitor to the App Store is this broken website that doesn’t even load anymore and cost R750k in taxpayers’ money when it clearly uses a R950 Drupal template.

⏳ And so it begins. For months the discussion has raged on about when AI will start replacing our jobs. And it would seem like it’s already happened. New research shows in May, 4’000 jobs were cut due to AI.

🍎 One more thing: Apple finally announced its much anticipated mixed reality set at WWDC yesterday. Apple Vision Pro is a new kind of computer that augments reality for a cool price of $3499.

BUILDER’S CORNER

Builder’s Corner is brought to you by Specno. Need help getting excellent user feedback and validating your idea? Book a free 30-minute workshop by clicking the banner below.

How to Get Useful Feedback on Your Product

The Mom Test

Ever had an idea, or even a first draft of a product, and felt stumped about how to improve it?

You're eager for feedback, but all you get are vague thumbs-ups and optimistic "I'd definitely buy this!" comments. Yet the glaring reality of sluggish sales tells a different tale. Well, it's time for a face-off with what Rob Fitzpatrick refers to as "The Mom Test".

“The Mom Test” is based on the premise that even your own mother, when asked for her opinion on your product, is more likely to sugarcoat the truth to protect your feelings than give you hard-hitting, valuable feedback. And let's face it – it's not just moms.

Heck, we sometimes get glowing reviews from folks who, as per our data, have never actually read our newsletter (ouch!). Are we mad? Not a bit. That's just the way of the world, and understanding this is key to zeroing in on feedback that actually matters.

Here's the Fitzpatrick guide to cutting through the feedback noise:

Focus on their life, not your idea: Instead of asking what they think, like or feel about your product, ask how the product has impacted their life. Do they actually use it? How, when and how often? The truth might hurt a bit, but it will help shed light on whether your idea genuinely addresses an issue they face.
Query past specifics, not future possibilities: People can be notoriously overenthusiastic about their future actions, possibly playing up to your expectations. So don’t ask how they are planning to use your product, drill down on how they have already used it. Again, reality might sting, but it’s more trustworthy feedback.
Less talk, more listen: Let them do the talking. Every second you spend talking is a moment lost for learning. Remember the two-ears-one-mouth rule: listen twice as much as you talk.

Bonus tip: Seek out seasoned founders. They're often much more attuned to the value of honest, albeit uncomfortable, feedback, and are generally more willing to serve you the "tough love" medicine you need to make real progress.

With this fresh perspective, let's get real: We've been running this Builder’s Corner segment for several weeks now. So, hit that reply button and tell us, how it’s made a difference to your startup or work setup…

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