Scaling Duolingo, embracing failure, and insight into Latin America’s tech scene | Gina Gotthilf (Latitud, Duolingo)
Gina Gotthilf is a co-founder and the COO of Latitud, a startup platform supporting the next generation of iconic tech startups in Latin America. Previously, Gina led growth and marketing at Duolingo, which she helped grow from 3 million to 200 million users. She was recently named one of the 500 most influential people in all of Latin America by Bloomberg. In today’s episode, we discuss:
• Behind the scenes of Duolingo’s early growth
• How to balance the “A and B sides” of life
• Stories from Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign
• Lessons from Duolingo’s international expansion
• Tactical tips for driving organic growth
• How to use PR, brand love, and community as growth levers
• Why Gina is passionate about investing in Latin America
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Find the full transcript at: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/scaling-duolingo-embracing-failure-and-insight-into-latin-americas-tech-scene-gina-gotthilf-la/#transcript
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Where to find Gina Gotthilf:
• X: https://twitter.com/ginag
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginafrombrazil/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gina/
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• X: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) Gina’s background
(04:34) The Vamos Latam Summit
(07:22) Gina’s “A and B sides” framework
(09:34) Her B side
(16:27) Lessons from working on Mike Bloomberg’s presidential campaign
(20:40) How Gina was able to 3x the conversion rate on a campaign site in one day
(24:34) 4 areas Duolingo leaned into to have success in the difficult world of B2C subscriptions
(36:39) B-side lessons from Duolingo
(42:05) The importance of trusting your gut
(44:54) Organic growth tactics and the importance of branding
(48:01) What makes for remarkable branding
(52:01) Duolingo’s process for keeping copy on-brand
(52:45) How Duo’s passive-aggressive messages led to a movement
(55:19) How Latitud uses niche humor as part of their branding
(56:31) Duolingo’s TikTok
(59:02) Lessons from internationalizing Duolingo
(1:03:51) Why Gina was drawn to the tech industry in Latin America
(1:09:26) What Latitud does
(1:17:20) Opportunities in emerging markets
(1:20:45) Lightning round
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Referenced:
• The Vamos Latam Summit 2023: https://www.latitud.com/vamoslatamsummit
• Ben Horowitz on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/behorowitz/
• Rappi: https://about.rappi.com/
• Reed College: https://www.reed.edu/
• Marcus Aurelius: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius
• Mike Bloomberg’s website: https://www.mikebloomberg.com/
• How Duolingo reignited user growth: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-duolingo-reignited-user-growth
• Burr Settles on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/burrsettles/
• Nubank: https://nubank.com.br/en/
• Navigating comms and PR | Lulu Cheng Meservey (Substack, Activision Blizzard): https://www.lennyspodcast.com/navigating-comms-and-pr-lulu-cheng-meservey-substack-activision-blizzard/
• 47 Duolingo Memes That Are Equal Parts Funny and Extremely Concerning: https://www.buzzfeed.com/kellymartinez/duolingo-memes-jokes
• Latitud: https://www.latitud.com/
• Brian Requarth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianrequarth/
• On Deck: https://www.beondeck.com/
• Leadsales: https://leadsales.io/en/crm-for-whatsapp/
• Pomelo: https://pomelo.la/latam/
• The Design of Everyday Things: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Revised-Expanded/dp/0465050654
• Man’s Search for Meaning: https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/1663607982/
• Succession on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/succession
• The Rehearsal on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/the-rehearsal
• The White Lotus: https://www.hbo.com/the-white-lotus
• Bo Burnham: Inside: https://www.netflix.com/title/81289483
• “How is the best-case scenario Joe Biden?” song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltg9ohuh0KM
• How to with John Wilson on HBO: https://www.hbo.com/how-to-with-john-wilson
• Viome: https://www.viome.com/
• Levels: https://www.levelshealth.com/
• Andrew Chen’s blog: https://andrewchen.com/
• The ship of Theseus: https://www.philosophy-foundation.org/enquiries/view/the-ship-of-theseus
• Gina Gotthilf on 20VC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_M7XsTicrY0
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Production and marketing by https://penname.co/. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.
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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.
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Growth vs Efficiency: Can You Have Both?
Despite the ease of product building, sustainable growth has become increasingly challenging as many traditional channels no longer deliver the same results.
In these challenging times, we explore the remaining growth opportunities. How can we achieve a balance between efficiency, profitability, and growth? Which channels are still relevant and how can they be effectively mastered in 2023?
Join us as we discuss these questions with three seasoned experts who have successfully navigated similar confusing times in the past: Gina Gotthilf, leading Latitud and renowned for her impressive tenure as the VP of Growth at Duolingo; Kieran Flanagan, a long-time SVP of Marketing at HubSpot; and Bryan Kim, Consumer Partner at a16z, who held various leadership roles during Snap's hypergrowth phase up to its IPO.
Topics Covered:
00:00 – What growth opportunities exist in 2023?
03:00 – What still works in growth?
05:02 – The fundamentals and framework of growth
07:02 – Assessing growth potential and product lead growth
09:33 – Distribution
11:15 – Your moat and growth
14:00 – Integrating AI for product lead growth
16:23 –Trust as a moat
17:23 – B2C growth - discovery and breaking through
18:51 – Can you get ahead of the incumbents?
22:03 – Examples of companies and products
24:59 – How do you foster a growth culture?
28:38 – Experimentation
34:20 – How companies using AI in distribution
44:43 – Growth challenge: What would you do with $10K?
Resources:
Check out Latitud: https://go.latitud.com/
Check out Zapier: https://zapier.com/
Find Bryan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kirbyman01
Find Kieran on Twitter :https://twitter.com/searchbrat
Find Gina on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ginag
Stay Updated:
Find a16z on Twitter: https://twitter.com/a16z
Find a16z on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/a16z
Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: https://a16z.simplecast.com/
Follow our host: https://twitter.com/stephsmithio
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
Stay Updated:
Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube
Find a16z on X
Find a16z on LinkedIn
Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify
Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts
Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg
Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures.
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20Growth: How to Master PR and Comms, How to Get Your Startup Written About; Press Releases, Fundraising Announcements, Embargos etc & Lessons Scaling Duolingo from 3-200M Users with Gina Gotthilf, Co-Founder @ Latitud
Gina Gotthilf is a Co-Founder and COO at Latitud, an a16z-backed platform supporting the next generation of iconic tech startups in Latin America through digital products, a community and fund. Previously, Gina led growth and marketing at Duolingo from 3 to 200 million users via organic strategies and was part of the executive team. She also worked on the Mike Bloomberg presidential campaign, helping oversee the creation of digital ad campaigns at a historical budget, and led growth and community for Tumblr in Latin America.
In Today's Discussion with Gina Gotthilf We Discuss:
Entry into the World of Growth:
How Gina went from working on a farm to leading growth for Tumblr in LATAM?
What are 1-2 of Gina's biggest takeaways from her time leading growth for Duolingo?
What does Gina know now that she wishes she had known when she entered the world of growth?
15 Top Tips and Secrets to Being Featured in the Best Publications:
What is the best way to get in touch with journalists? What mistakes do founders have when they reach out to journalists?
Should founders get in touch with more than one journalist at a publication?
Should founders be explicit about the embargos they have on a story? Should they stick to them?
Should founders be more wary of being published in a publication with a paywall?
What materials should they send to journalists to get their attention?
Should founders send press releases in early messages to journalists?
How can founders control in some way what the journalist will ultimately publish?
How long before the company wants the piece to come out, should they reach out to journalists?
How can founders create FOMO when trying to get journalists to write their story?
How can founders create social validity with journalists, when they are a small company?
Once published, what should the distribution strategy look like?
How can you get people you know to like and share content you are featured in?
What are the top tips and tricks to get people to share content with you in?
Should PR and Comms be an ongoing effort or static projects with news stories?
What are the single biggest mistakes founders make in getting their company in the press?