Google's internal principle of "fast is better than slow" was a key mantra in the 2000s that dictated product and engineering decisions.

ChatGPT differentiated itself from Google Search by offering a "zero clicks, just tells you the answer" user experience.

The co-founders of startup Latchit, Chris and James, previously led the growth team at Substack.

Venture firm Character Capital was co-founded by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Eli Bleak-Goldman.

Slack's initial marketing campaign in 2014 differentiated from email tools like Gmail by focusing on the benefits of "fun" and "boosting teamwork."

Product teams at OpenAI and Anthropic have found the Foundation Sprint framework to be a powerful tool.

Character Capital runs a Foundation Sprint with every new portfolio company immediately after investing.

Gmail's early differentiation strategy against competitors like Hotmail and Yahoo was centered on offering massive storage and superior search capabilities.

Reclaim, a calendar management startup, was acquired by Dropbox in 2023 after building an audience of tens of thousands of users by using AI to help automatically prioritize calendars.

The prototype for what became Google Meet was created in a single week-long sprint in Stockholm after the project had been stalled for three years.

Latchit is developing a platform for artisans to sell products online, aiming to apply Substack's network growth features to differentiate from competitors like Shopify and Etsy.

Axion Orbital is a solo-founder startup building a browser-based, no-code development environment for geospatial developers.

Founders who participate in the Character Labs program report that it accelerates three to four months of work into three to four weeks of sprints.