TL;DR
Join us as Candice Factor, co-founder and co-CEO of Disco, shares her journey in community building and transformative learning. From scaling Wattpad to pioneering new ways of learning with Disco, Candice provides valuable insights into the future of education and the role of community in lifelong learning.
What You'll Discover:
Candice’s Journey: How Candice transitioned from strategy consulting to focusing on community-driven ventures. She shares stories from her time at Wattpad, where she helped scale the platform from a small startup to a global community with 120 million users. She emphasizes the power of network effects and how community interactions made Wattpad a thriving ecosystem.
Network Effects at Wattpad: Candice recounts the early days at Wattpad, describing the challenges and triumphs of scaling a platform centered around community-based reading and writing. She highlights the importance of young women who formed the core user base and drove the platform's growth.
Founding Disco: Inspired by her experiences, Candice co-founded Disco to create a platform for transformational learning. She discusses the inception of Disco during the pandemic, highlighting the need for seamless community building and the integration of learning tools. She shares how Disco aims to fix the fragmented experience of building online communities by providing an all-in-one solution.
The Philosophy Behind Disco: Candice delves into the philosophical roots of Disco, explaining how the name relates to the Latin word for learning, discussion, and discovery. She shares her passion for lifelong learning and human connection, inspired by her own immigrant experience and the quest for belonging.
Future of Education: Candice talks about her vision for the future of education, emphasizing the need for curiosity, creativity, critical thinking, and agency. She shares her experiences with Get Curious Now, an in-person program for kids in Toronto, and how those principles influenced the development of Disco.
Role of AI in Learning: Candice explores the potential of AI in augmenting human intelligence and facilitating community management. She shares her excitement about how AI can reduce the workload for community managers, making it easier to create engaging and valuable learning experiences.
Featured Insights from Candice:
"Community happens when the value of others makes the experience better." Candice shares how the network effects at Wattpad created a rich and engaging environment for readers and writers, driving exponential growth.
"The future is ours to create, and learning happens best in community." Candice reflects on her journey and how being in various communities opened up unexpected opportunities and learning experiences.
"AI will be a game changer for the future of work and learning, augmenting human intelligence and connections." Candice discusses how AI can handle repetitive tasks, allowing community managers to focus on building deeper connections and enhancing the learning experience.
"Creating an environment where people can learn new skills and connect deeply is the key to thriving communities." Candice emphasizes the importance of designing communities that facilitate meaningful interactions and continuous learning.
Tune in to gain valuable insights into the power of community in driving entrepreneurial success and innovation.
Listen / Watch it now:
Connect!
Candice’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/candicefaktor/
Helena’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helenabrandist/
Olena’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaavramenko/
Season 1: Community Unlocked
Community Unlocked is an audio and video podcast where we, Helena Brandist and Olena Avramenko, have conversations with top-tier community leaders and growth experts. Our goal is to provide you with concrete and actionable advice to help you learn about launching, building, and growing your community.
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Episode #10: Creating the Future of Learning Communities with Candice Faktor