Superbowl Sunday & ARR Growth

Superbowl Sunday is a very special day to me. When my family first moved to the US, my parents decided to not have a TV at home so that we could spend time at home with each other instead of in front of a screen. This meant, I had no knowledge of most things pop culture at the time: Friends, Frasier, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, etc. But every year on Superbowl Sunday, my dad and I used to find a way to watch this sport that neither one of us actually understood. He was never a sports watcher and didn't get why so many people religiously watch other people play a game instead of playing it themselves. Over the years, he’s seen me get more and more devout about following football (Cal, 49ers) and basketball players (LeBron James) and teams. And with each of those loves is a whole group of friends that share my passion. Fanaticism brings people together and brings happiness to their lives. And it is that fanaticism that leads us to spend irrationally on game tickets, tailgates, jerseys, and Super Bowl parties.

The same fanaticism can be seen for the best products in the world around us. When we have a great experience with a product, we share that experience with those in our circles. As the echo chamber of positivity grows around a product or company, so does the company and its chances of success. I can think of so many products that I love, that I can’t wait to start talking about (Instant Pot, AirBnb Experiences are two recent ones).

As investors, we often talk about metrics like DAU/MAU or acceleration of ARR. The underlying question we are asking is “is your fan base growing?”. In addition to talking about the big logos in a slide deck, it would be great to have a “super fan” slide which delves into what makes and drives the super fan!