Community is everything.

Product Hunt founder Ryan Hoover knows a thing or two about that.

Originally started as a simple email list to share cool new products among friends, Product Hunt would quickly become the water cooler for all new things tech.

As his email list quickly gained thousands of subscribers he knew he was onto something.

But, he needed help. He reached out to his friend Nathan.

Over Thanksgiving break in 2013, they successfully built the MVP that would move beyond a simple email list. There was now the possibility for community.

Ryan began carefully inviting the who's who of the tech world onto the platform, giving them access to post new products themselves.

This hand curated approach ensured that the community would grow in a healthy and productive way. And it worked! While other communities have become known for their negativity or snark, PH has always been known for its positivity and genuine support of makers and their products.

Fast forward to 2023… Product Hunt is a household name and is a key marketing strategy for all product launches.

While it is still very similar to its original origins, there's something to be said for this 2013 throwback. Back when "doing things that don't scale" was the recipe for growth.