Real file from a public repo · synced Sep 3, 2026
cold-start-problem
Start and scale networked products using Andrew Chen''s "The Cold Start Problem" framework for network effects. Use when the user mentions "network effects", "chicken and egg", "cold start", "two-sided marketplace", "atomic network", "hard side", "liquidity", "critical mass", "invite-only launch", "how do I get my first users", or "the marketplace has no buyers or sellers". Also trigger when launching a marketplace, social, or collaboration product that is worthless without other users, deciding launch sequencing and seeding tactics, or diagnosing stalled network growth at scale. Covers the five stages: cold start, tipping point, escape velocity, hitting the ceiling, and the moat. For word-of-mouth virality, see contagious. For habit-driven retention, see hooked-ux.
Works with
Install in three steps
- 1
Download the ZIP
One file per agent, plus INSTALL.md with the exact paths below.
- 2
Claude Code: copy SKILL.md into your skills folder
.claude/skills/cold-start-problem/SKILL.md # this project ~/.claude/skills/cold-start-problem/SKILL.md # every project
- 3
Other agents: use the matching file
skill.mdc goes in Cursor’s .cursor/rules/. AGENTS.md works as GitHub Copilot instructions, a legacy .cursorrules, or a Codex / Gemini CLI instructions file.

