Vertical Professional Networks

Shaan Puri discusses how certain professional groups, particularly teachers and nurses, need specialized networking platforms rather than generic solutions like LinkedIn. He emphasizes that these large workforces have unique needs that aren't well-served by existing platforms.

• Large Professional Groups with Unique Needs:

  • Teachers and nurses represent massive workforces
  • Both groups are heavily word-of-mouth driven
  • Current solutions don't adequately address their specific needs

• Nurses Market Opportunity:

  • High demand due to nursing shortage
  • Significant placement fees available
  • Hospitals willing to pay for nurse placement
  • Vertical LinkedIn for nurses could be valuable

• Teachers Market Opportunity:

  • Different from nurses - less demand for job placement
  • Need specialized professional networking platform
  • Potential areas for platform focus:
    • Peer engagement
    • Sharing teaching tips
    • Content sharing (like Teachers Pay Teachers)
    • Job opportunities
    • Professional development

• Why Generic Solutions Don't Work:

  • LinkedIn isn't tailored to their specific needs
  • These groups need custom solutions
  • Professional networking looks different for each vertical

• Success Example - Teachers Pay Teachers:

  • Estimated to be worth $500M+
  • Demonstrates potential of teacher-focused platforms
  • Has achieved monopoly status in its niche
  • Shows viability of vertical-specific solutions