Explosive growth isn’t about hacks and tricks, Allison Swope, VSCO

1 min pitch for what you are doing now?

As VSCO’s VP of Product I oversee a talented team developing new products. The VSCO Membership experience is our top product priority this year. Right now we are focused on bringing video and storytelling to the forefront of that experience in the product.

How was the last year, what worked well, what didn’t move as quickly as you would have liked?

The past year has been incredible. VSCO Membership has more than doubled to over 2 million paying users around the world, and about half of those are age 25 or under. We are truly serving a global community of highly engaged creators of every age and interest, and we’re learning more about how to serve them better every day.

What are your plans for the future?

Our singular focus is helping the people who use VSCO fall in love with their own creativity. We do this by meeting their needs, by joining them wherever they are on their journey to propel and guide them. Giving people new ways to create and the ability to express themselves, however they choose, is what drives our roadmap and plan for the future.

What will you be talking about at this event? 

Driving growth through product development. Explosive growth isn’t about hacks and tricks – it’s about a product that meets the needs of the people you build for.

What inspired you to attend it?

The VSCO community is global, and our product is influenced by the work of people on every continent. Participating in the global tech community dialog is critical to building for a global and diverse membership. In addition, the advancement of technology depends on coming together and learning from one another, partnering together and pushing each other forward in the interest of people we serve.

Which influencers and websites do you follow to keep up to date with the latest developments?

I follow people offering fresh perspectives and challenging mainstream assumptions. Right now I’m frequently checking out Complex, The Verge, The Information, Hypebeast, Reddit, and Monocle.

How can people find out more about what you are working on?

Download VSCO on iOS or Android, play around and check out the team’s latest work! You can also visit our press page.

Anything else you’d like to add / we should have asked?

What makes VSCO such an exciting, inspiring place to work is the positive feedback we get from our users every day. 75% are under the age of 25 — young Millennials and Gen-Z — and it’s incredibly rewarding to see them valuing self-expression and creativity over pursuing popular approval. They’re rising up and creating the future they want to live in, where creative differences are celebrated, and it’s an honor to build for them and watch their growth.

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking