Andrew Hoskins And Kiko Lam- Co-Founders Of Supermind- Improve Memory In All You Do!

Andrew Hoskins is a software engineer based in San Francisco. He is originally from Canada, where he grew up amidst a lot of snow and mountains, before studying Computer Engineering. He loves building things and seeing them grow.

His co-founder on Supermind is Kiko Lam. Kiko is a software engineer with a passion for visual learning. She was born and raised in Hong Kong before moving to the USA to attend Dartmouth College to study Computer Science and Digital Arts.

In an exclusive interview with AsiaTechDaily, Andrew says:

Be less afraid of being different from your peers around you. I grew up in Alberta in Canada, where the economy is dominated by Oil & Gas. The Tech and Software community did not exist. I sometimes felt weird being interested in very different things than the local economy and people.

But I urge you to remember; the world is a prominent place full of diverse and exciting people. If you can’t find your people locally, find them on the Internet and (maybe) eventually, you can physically move to them.

Focus on what excites you. Early in life, there is a lot that feels mandatory, from grade-school to getting into a top University to getting a well-paying job, but remember to focus most on what excites you.

Read on to know more about Andrew Hoskins and his journey.

Please tell me about your personal background, and what are you working on currently?

Andrew Hoskins: The project my co-founder Kiko Lam and I are working on is called Supermind, and it’s the easiest way to improve memory in all you do. We are based in San Francisco, where we’ve both been software engineers the past few years at Twitch, Figma, and Affirm.

The idea behind Supermind is to make the most accessible and most seamless flashcard creating and review system using spaced-repetition learning. Spaced repetition has been popularized by language learning apps like Memrise and Duolingo, but we believe Supermind can make it widely accessible for other kinds of learning too. For example, onboarding to a new job, studying for exams or understanding quantum physics.

How have you attracted users and grown your product from the start till now?

Andrew Hoskins: Growth has been organic and through strategic posts on Hacker News and Product Hunt. Our post had plenty of engagement from Hacker News with good feature suggestions like sharing and exporting flashcards. Many people told us Supermind was a perfect product that fits a need they were looking for. Our primary users right now come from the software and programming community.

What’s your business model, and how have you grown your revenue? What strategy worked best?

Andrew Hoskins: Our business model is a monthly paid subscription after a free trial period. Many people place a high value on tools for learning since the impacts can be so life-changing. A free trial is necessary because people need to experience the value of the product before deciding to pay for it.

What are some marketing tips to help maximize the success of a product launch?

Andrew Hoskins: This is an ongoing learning process that both myself and Kiko are working on. We’ve learned to keep summaries short and straightforward. Getting the message across in the most concise way is essential.

What’s the hardest thing about product launches? And What is a good product launch checklist to be well prepared?

Andrew Hoskins: The hardest part is convincing ourselves that the product is ready for launch. As detail-oriented engineers who have worked in Silicon Valley for years, we have a long list of features that we want in Supermind. Committing to launch dates and prioritizing what to build for launches is the hardest part for us.

How do you plan to expand globally?

Andrew Hoskins: Our business is SaSS, and we already serve users from all over the world. Our next focus is on different types of users, like students, researchers, and lawyers.

What are the most common mistakes companies make with global marketing?

Andrew Hoskins: Knowing your audience in a particular context is very important. For example, the way to frame a product with students is very different from the way the product should be presented to the programmer community.

How do you handle this COVID-19 outbreak situation for your company’s survival in the future?

Andrew Hoskins: We’ve found that because people are inside and more regularly on their computer during the COVID-19 lockdown, they are even more engaged in Supermind because it’s entirely online. Also, during the lockdown, many people are motivated to learn new topics – and Supermind is perfect for this!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? And What advice do you have for someone who is interested in doing similar things like yours or in a similar direction?

Andrew Hoskins: Focus on what excites you. Early in life, there is a lot that feels mandatory, from grade-school to getting into a top University to getting a well-paying job, but remember to focus most on what excites you.

If interested in going a similar direction as me, I’d recommend spending a few years being obsessed with developing your programming skills (this doesn’t have to be at school!) and then thinking of problems in your own life and building products that solve those problems.

What are the one or two things that you would do differently if you could go back to 10 years ago?

Andrew Hoskins: Be less afraid of being different from your peers around you. I grew up in Alberta in Canada, where the economy is dominated by Oil & Gas. The Tech and Software community did not exist. I sometimes felt weird being interested in very different things than the local economy and people.

But I urge you to remember; the world is a prominent place full of diverse and exciting people. If you can’t find your people locally, find them on the Internet and (maybe) eventually, you can physically move to them.

You can follow Andrew Hoskins here.

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