Who this is
Daniel Minini is 36, grew up in Dortmund and has been building internet projects since 2001. At eleven he had other kids, whom he found in online forums and coordinated over ICQ, do the programming for him, funding everything from ad revenue. He founded his first limited company on his 18th birthday and later co-founded Social Sweethearts in Cologne with two partners. Their Facebook game Nametests has been played by more than 500 million people. His app Beer Buddy, which pings your friends when you head out for a beer, now has 10 million users. Through his Viral Growth Ventures GmbH he invests in consumer apps as a business angel. He lives in Cologne and Berlin and usually spends January to March in Cape Town.
Episodes
Numbers from the episode
FAQ
Who is Daniel Minini?
Daniel Minini is a Cologne-based serial entrepreneur who has been building internet projects since 2001. He co-founded Social Sweethearts, the company behind the Facebook game Nametests, and is a co-founder of the Beer Buddy app. Through his Viral Growth Ventures GmbH he invests in consumer apps as a business angel. To the episode →
What is Beer Buddy?
Beer Buddy is an app that sends your friends a push notification showing where you're having a beer, so they can join. Daniel launched it about five years ago for the US market, with Snapchat login and invitations as built-in virality. According to Daniel it has 10 million users, one million of them monthly active, and makes close to 100,000 euros in profit per month in summer with a subscription model. To the episode →
How does Daniel Minini validate an idea before building it?
He posts videos about the not-yet-existing product on TikTok and Instagram, often with a faked screenshot and a hook borrowed from successful apps. During an exploration week he tests several ideas in parallel this way. He then vibe-codes the idea whose video gets the most views and requests. To the episode →
Quotes
„… Jeder vierte Facebook-Nutzer weltweit hat mindestens einmal unser Spiel gespielt.““One in four Facebook users worldwide has played our game at least once.”
„Kill your darling. Also du musst am Ende sehr schnell auch entscheiden, worauf du dich fokussierst.““Kill your darlings. In the end you have to decide very quickly what to focus on.”
„Scheiß drauf, einfach online stellen, Feedback sammeln …““Screw it, just put it online and collect feedback.”
„… was sozusagen die Hauptaufgabe für uns Entrepreneure ist, ist letztendlich diese Distribution.““Our main job as entrepreneurs is ultimately distribution.”
„Dann wirst du der gefragteste Arbeitnehmer in den nächsten Monaten und Jahren.““Then you'll be the most sought-after employee in the coming months and years.”