If you don’t follow thingtesting on Instagram yet your feed is missing out, it’s one of the top accounts I check daily. In a similar spirit to our great @rrhoover, London based VC @gyllanderjenny reviews the newest products in the land from both a consumer and VC perspective.
@gyllanderjenny seems to always get her hands on things just as they pop onto my radar (and even before). She has her finger on the pulse 💅🏽
As an outside observer, VC can sometimes feel more like an art than a science — with thingtesting I’ve really enjoyed getting a better understanding of what makes a startup an attractive long term investment. Plus the page looks really pretty!
What’s one tech product you’d love to review next @gyllanderjenny? And any plans to introduce video reviews soon? One thing I’d love to see on thingtesting is AR/VR products...
Thank you @abadesi for hunting Thingtesting. I feel like I’m being blessed with one “Hunter” after the other, hehe (ping @hunterwalk).
Here’s why I started Thingtesting as a side project 6 months ago:
✔️I was curious: When I moved to London a year ago I had this magical list of products that I couldn’t wait to try. Birchbox, mattresses, you name it (not many could be purchased where I lived prior to moving to London). My colleagues at Backed endured me raving about new and some not-that-new products for months; Amazon Prime(!), Sofar Sounds, Glossier London pop-ups. One day when I was trying out Psycle, London’s version of Soulcycle, I realised that I can’t bother my friends and colleagues with more “youshouldcheckthisout” and needed a channel to do so. I bought some foam board in an art shop, my flatmate gave me a crash course in photoshop and I started shooting. I’ve been doing that on evenings and weekends ever since.
✔️ It made sense: I chose Instagram as my channel because it feels like home to me. Some of the companies I admire the most use Instagram as a prime channel to drive growth. I see my friends setting up companies and they have instagram accounts before they even have websites. Why are no VCs on Instagram, when so many companies are born there?
✔️New audience: While I test and review new products, I try to do my best to demystify some VC thinking. I also hope that Thingtesting can speak to another audience than most VC blogs, so that a more people would get involved and interested in startups and VC.
As for new products I’d love to review? I’m planning some themed weeks at the moment: Sleep, meat substitutes, productivity, travel and sex. I cannot wait to get my hands on a Mirror, for___days t-shirts, New Wave Foods (fake shrimp), Rothy’s shoes, plus I guess it’s due time to get my hands on some Kylie Cosmetics… That magical list of mine today has more than 150+ companies... I want to start to test experiences too (Museum of Pizza in NYC!). Abadesi, your idea on AR/VR makes a lot of sense for experiences hmm… IGTV, stay tuned 😎
I have one rule on Thingtesting: 100% honesty. So now it’s your turn to be 100% honest! Thoughts, feedback?
And also - what are the best emerging brands that have I missed? Who should be featured on Thingtesting? I promise to review the top 3 products suggested in the comments!
@rrhoover is doing a guest post on Thingtesting today at 8AM PDT - what product do you think he will review? 😎
I've been following thingtesting for a few months now, prior to @hunterwalk featuring it. It's a refreshing and engaging look at startups and I really enjoy the content on a daily basis. Thingtesting is clean, consistent, and to the point. Will definitely continue to follow.
Pros: already on a platform I engage on, no need to download anything
Cons: sometimes I wish it would have a blog post attached when you swipe up on stories with more information
I love that it levels the playing field for entrepreneurs and it's a way to get featured if your product is good. I'm curious if more VCS will utilize methods like this in the future. Thoughts?
@pimdewitte1 I hope so! ThingTesting has been a great way to keep tabs on the consumer market in a much more digestible way than trawling through multiple newsletters every morning.
However, Instagram is clearly suited for consumer products - I wonder where we can see a similar methods for: gaming, B2B etc. Podcasts seem like a good place to start
The beautiful well curated content constantly blows me away. How can you make something this simple so great! I just wish there was now of it, luckily I don't think she'll run out of products to test.
Pros:
Excellent, beautiful and honest reviews from both sides of the table at once.
Thingtesting does not verify user identities or purchases. They act as a middle-man between small brands and their customers, charging them high fees to interact with their own customer base.
Exploitative and predatory business practices, and a Founder who is joking herself thinking she's doing good in the world.
Great platform and a great community! If I usually use thing testing to find and check new products. Their review systems are great, I am able to read honest insightful reviews to decide whether I should buy the product or not.
Hustle Crew Academy
thingtesting
Medal Game Recorder
thingtesting
The beautiful well curated content constantly blows me away. How can you make something this simple so great! I just wish there was now of it, luckily I don't think she'll run out of products to test.
Pros:Excellent, beautiful and honest reviews from both sides of the table at once.
Cons:None