TL;DR: Prioritize Community Engagement for Startup Success
Building meaningful, engaged communities is essential for sustainable tech growth, as exemplified by startups Campus and Fizz. Rather than chasing scale or vanity metrics, founders should focus on solving audience pain points, adding local value, and fostering trust. Engaged communities drive higher retention, lifetime value, and advocacy.
• Lesson 1: Community-focused platforms like Campus thrive by addressing user-specific needs.
• Lesson 2: Startups like Fizz succeed by emphasizing authenticity over algorithm-driven strategies.
• Lesson 3: Avoid measuring success purely by follower counts, focus on strong, lasting engagement.
Create user trust and prioritize quality over quantity to build authentic brands with long-term impact. Join resources like Fe/male Switch for support in growing engagement-led initiatives.
When I attended this year’s TechCrunch Disrupt, something became clear to me right away: the technology sector is now doubling down on community engagement. Sitting through the session led by Tade Oyerinde of Campus and Teddy Solomon of Fizz, I couldn’t help but reflect on how their approach to building engaged audiences directly reflects the future of startups, including those being built right now in Europe. These founders are real-world proof that prioritizing people, rather than scale-at-all-costs, is the strategy of this decade. As a woman entrepreneur myself, I see significant lessons here, not just for the EdTech world or Gen Z social platforms, but for anyone seeking sustainable tech growth.
What Did Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon Share About Engagement?
Tade Oyerinde is the founder and chancellor of Campus, a groundbreaking online education platform offering skills-based associate degrees and certifications at accessible costs. Meanwhile, Teddy Solomon co-founded Fizz, a social app targeting college communities with a focus on authenticity and privacy. Their shared philosophy is astonishingly simple yet often overlooked: building meaningful, engaged communities beats chasing millions of disengaged followers every time.
According to Oyerinde, “engagement starts with understanding your community’s pain points.” He shared how Campus introduced modular courses, not as an afterthought, but as a direct response to demand from employers and students for more flexible learning. Similarly, Solomon explained how Fizz’s design emphasizes user trust, privacy, and hyper-local interaction over traditional social network metrics. “We’re not chasing the algorithm,” he noted. Instead, they’re building what he calls “communities that last.”
1. Why Does Audience Engagement Matter? Let’s Quantify It
If you’re wondering why we’re talking about engagement like it’s the holy grail of startup strategy, here’s the data behind it: engaged communities deliver 23% higher lifetime value per user and are 36% more likely to become advocates for your brand. According to a study by HubSpot, companies with high levels of customer engagement see repeat purchase rates increase by 47%. Clearly, this isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the foundation of modern tech success.
- Fizz: Operating on 200+ college campuses and counting, Fizz prioritizes real, unfiltered connections for students. They’ve managed to raise $40 million to fuel growth while delivering a highly engaging user experience.
- Campus: With 3,000+ students currently enrolled, Campus is actively challenging the traditional education system by offering students live, online courses tailored to job market demands.
How Can Startups Apply Similar Themes to Their Communities?
From my perspective, there are some clear takeaways that any founder, especially in Europe, should use as benchmarks when aiming to build engaged communities. Let’s break them down:
- Focus on pain points: Engagement isn’t built on generalizations. Oyerinde repeatedly emphasized how listening to Campus users allowed him to develop strategies that work. Data isn’t enough, you need to actively ask your community specific questions.
- Add value by being local: Solomon’s Fizz operates campus by campus, with a unique strategy for each. Larger startups often forget that scalability can dilute user connection if executed poorly.
- Monetize without alienation: Both founders have escape velocity without relying on aggressive monetization strategies that frustrate users. For example, Fizz succeeded by using ads intelligently rather than spamming feed-based content.
What Should You Avoid Doing?
As startup founders, we often focus so much on growth that it’s easy to fall into traps. Here’s what you definitely shouldn’t do:
- Focusing purely on metrics: Hits, views, and daily active users may look good in your pitch decks but fail to reflect real sustainability unless paired with strong retention data.
- Overcomplicating monetization: Build user trust first. Your audience needs to love what they’re using before they’re willing to spend on it.
- Ignoring onboarding: An engaged community starts with an exceptional onboarding experience tailored to its unique needs.
How Does This Apply to Europe?
We’re sitting on a goldmine right now. With regulatory tailwinds across Europe favoring ESG-integrated and community-first startups, opportunities here are ripe. From my viewpoint, founders can easily position themselves uniquely compared to their US counterparts:
- Public funding: Take advantage of non-dilutive funding through EU programs aimed at tech diversity.
- Localized growth: Europe’s fragmented markets might sound like a challenge but allow community-focused platforms like Fizz to thrive. Remember: complex markets lead to unique loyalty-building.
- Diverse positioning: Investors in Europe are increasingly prioritizing inclusive and community-led growth, making your startup, with the right story, a compelling bet.
Final Thoughts: Quality Over Quantity
The future isn’t about chasing vanity metrics. It’s about crafting authentic spaces where your users feel heard and valued, and that’s applicable whether you’re building the next EdTech in Aachen or a social app in Amsterdam. People connect with brands, make sure yours feels human at every turn.
If you’ve been struggling to navigate audience building, take inspiration from Oyerinde and Solomon: Listen first, act second, and give your users a reason to stick around. And if you’d like a community built specifically for women entering STEM and entrepreneurship, join us at Fe/male Switch.
FAQ on Building Engaged Communities from TechCrunch Disrupt Insights
Why is community engagement critical for startups today?
Community engagement is foundational in modern startup growth because engaged communities offer significantly higher customer retention and lifetime value. According to HubSpot, companies with strong engagement achieve a 23% higher user lifetime value and 36% higher brand advocacy. For startups, this translates to sustainable growth and efficient monetization potential. As Tade Oyerinde of Campus emphasizes, understanding your audience's pain points and tailoring solutions ensures deeper connections. Similarly, Teddy Solomon of Fizz targets hyper-local college communities to build trust, showing that prioritizing meaningful connections is better than chasing vanity metrics. Discover insights from TechCrunch Disrupt 2025
How have Campus and Fizz demonstrated the importance of solving user pain points?
Both Campus and Fizz developed their core features by identifying and addressing specific user pain points. Tade Oyerinde launched à la carte skill-based courses in response to employer feedback, aligning education with job market needs. Teddy Solomon designed Fizz to foster trust and privacy, addressing social media concerns in college-aged users. Their focus on listening and responding to user needs has fueled sustained and authentic growth.
What monetization strategies did these startups share?
Campus and Fizz demonstrated different monetization strategies. Campus keeps tuition affordable through partnerships and using public funding like federal Pell Grants. Meanwhile, Fizz employs an ad-based model that prioritizes user experience, ensuring ads integrate seamlessly. While subscriptions are an option, they currently focus on keeping core features free to maintain a happy, loyal user base. Explore Fizz’s monetization model
Why is hyper-local growth important, as seen with Fizz?
Hyper-local growth ensures that communities feel genuinely connected to a platform. Fizz deploys campus-specific strategies, tailoring its engagement to each university's unique culture and needs. This personalized approach has driven high retention and expanded the app to over 200 college campuses. Founders like Solomon caution startups against scaling too quickly, as it can dilute the user experience and weaken community bonds. Learn more about Fizz’s strategy
What mistakes should startups avoid when building communities?
Common pitfalls include prioritizing vanity metrics (e.g., user signups over meaningful retention), overcomplicating monetization strategies, and providing poor onboarding experiences. Both Tade Oyerinde and Teddy Solomon stress building trust before overloading users with subscription offers or intrusive ads. Without strong onboarding and clear initial value, user communities are more likely to churn quickly.
How does Campus leverage public funding to create affordable education access?
Campus taps into federal Pell Grants and investor funds to maintain low tuition costs while offering exceptional, skills-based education. By leveraging public policy support for education initiatives, Campus is able to challenge traditional models while making higher education accessible to underserved groups. Check out Campus’s programs and affordability model
What advice can European startups take from this model?
European startups benefit from access to non-dilutive funding opportunities, such as grants from the European Union for tech or educational diversity projects. Additionally, the continent’s fragmented markets offer an opportunity to apply hyper-local scaling models, similar to Fizz. Investors in Europe are increasingly focusing on inclusivity and ESG-integrated projects, making community-centric startups particularly appealing in this region.
How do modular courses highlight user-centric design in EdTech?
Tade Oyerinde designed Campus’s modular courses after identifying a demand for flexible, job-specific learning. Modular structures let students pick only the courses they need, maximizing value and minimizing time commitment. This approach moves beyond traditional degree frameworks, making education accessible and aligned with market realities.
Why do retention metrics outweigh daily users in app success?
Daily and monthly active users may look impressive, but they don't guarantee long-term sustainability. Brands like Fizz focus on retention by delivering hyper-local, private, and trust-driven spaces that users naturally gravitate toward and stay engaged with. Retention ensures that users continue to interact and advocate for the platform over time, leading to what Solomon calls “communities that last.”
How can startups prioritize engagement in 2026?
Startups can prioritize engagement by focusing deeply on their users' needs, fostering hyper-local connections, and minimizing monetization pressure in the early stages. Investments must align with the principle that happy, engaged users are more likely to generate organic growth and advocacy. Consider scalable engagement strategies such as modular courses, targeted social interactions, and trust-building policies.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the point of view of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.