Internet Explorers19 Apr 2025

This Founder's App Was Going Nowhere. Now It's #1 | Internet Explorers Ep. 76

Nick Confrey's first app was all promise, no traction—until one bold pivot changed everything.

This week on Internet Explorers, the crew starts with the messy fallout from Base's content coin launch—an experiment in onchain media that spiraled into backlash, infighting, and meme coin chaos. But the real story comes in the second half, when Nick joins the show to share how he turned a floundering generalized social platform into Tome—a viral BookTok hit that hit #1 in the App Store's books category.

Nick walks us through his journey from building for "everyone" to focusing on one deeply passionate community. Along the way, he breaks down why Tome rejects ad-based business models, how it's building creator-first monetization, and what crypto-native lessons helped shape a product for people who don't care about crypto at all.

If you've ever wondered how to pivot toward product-market fit—or how to go viral without selling out—this episode is for you.

This episode unpacks:

Why Base's content coin launch blew up on Crypto Twitter
The cultural clash between meme coins and new creator tools
How one mechanism flaw tanked Base's experiment
Why Rodeo's TikTok virality didn't translate into growth
Nick's early app failure and what wasn't working
How focusing on BookTok turned Tome into a breakout success
The philosophy behind Tome's anti-ad, user-supported model
How Tome leverages intrinsic motivation over speculation
What crypto can learn from Tome's mainstream product strategy
Why the best crypto apps might never mention crypto at all

Chapters:

00:27 — Jess Returns From Vacation
01:14 — Twitter Meltdown Recap
03:44 — Base Launches Content Coin
07:06 — Mechanism Fail & Blowback
08:55 — Cynicism Killing Innovation
13:55 — What Meme Coins Reveal
20:41 — Outro: Base Drama Ends
21:44 — Rodeo's Viral Flop
25:52 — Incentives vs. Organic Behavior
29:07 — Guest Intro: Nick Confrey
30:52 — The Pivot to BookTok
36:23 — How Tome Went Viral
40:29 — Monetizing Without Ads
43:01 — Incentives for Creativity
46:41 — Mini Apps & Remix Culture
49:34 — Growing Niche to Platform
54:35 — Tome's Puzzle Launch
57:22 — Final Thoughts & Shoutouts
58:47 — Cozy Social, Big Lessons
01:02:29 — Crypto Growth Beyond Crypto
01:05:33 — Closing Vibes

Internet Explorers is a weekly rundown show where extremely online individuals broadly explore (romanticize, even) new consumer Internet experiences.

Join us⁠ live on Twitter/X, Fridays 10am PT / 1pm ET.

Seed Club Twitter: https://x.com/seedclubhq

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