These Charts Show The Pathway To Success From Your Favorite Apps
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Very few start-ups actually make it out of the idea phase. The truth is that 90 percent of start-ups fail, and the majority of apps are a bust. But Instagram, Angry Birds, and Airbnb were ideas that became global brands. How? These cool charts show their pathways to success.
Related: How Much Do Millennials Make Across America?
1. Angry Birds
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Angry Birds, the video game about birds crashing into pigs, has more than 200 million active players a month, according to the Guardian. The game, which was created by Finnish game developer Jaakalo Iisalo, has been downloaded more than 2 billion times since its launch in 2009. According to a 2011 report for the Telegraph, users spend 200 million minutes playing the game — almost the same number of minutes Americans spend watching the average prime-time television show.
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2. Instagram
Instagram, the number one photo app, was created by Stanford graduate Kevin Systrom. Although he had no formal computer-science training, Systrom worked on side projects that taught him code. With this knowledge he configured an app called Burbn that he shared with friends. The app allowed users to check-in to locations, schedule plans with friends, earn points for hanging out with those friends, and post photos. Then, one day at a party for another start-up, Systrom discussed the app with two investors. This led to an investment that helped create the company. Eventually, he raised $500,000, hired a co-founder, retooled his app to focus exclusively on photos, renamed it Instagram, and launched it in March 2010.
Now owned by Facebook, Instagram is worth $35 billion, the New York Times reports.
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Related: 5 Apps That Help You Save Extra Money
3. Airbnb
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Airbnb is the popular app that allows people to list, find, and rent short-term lodging. It started in 2007 when San Franciscans Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia were struggling to pay rent. So, they turned their loft and three air mattresses into a temporary place for guests to rent. A few people showed up, and that's when the wheels started turning. After some ups and downs where the company failed to really generate serious revenue, Airbnb turned the corner when it improved the photos of listings by going door-to-door in New York to take high-quality images of rental units. The company raised $600,000 during 2010 and 2011, and it hasn't looked back since. Now, Airbnb has expanded to more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries.
Related: Airbnb Death Raises Questions about the Sharing Economy
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