Fizz Taps TikTok Alum to Boost Marketplace and Recommendation Engine

Fizz, the college social app, is gearing up for expansion with the hiring of David Vasquez, a former TikTok executive, as its new head of product. Vasquez, who previously served as TikTok's head of creator monetization and a product lead for TikTok Shop, brings a wealth of experience in building and scaling successful platforms. With his help, Fizz plans to enhance its recommendation system, expand its marketplace beyond peer-to-peer transactions, and explore video content further, while also opening up the platform to advertising and brand partnerships.

Vasquez was drawn to Fizz because of its focus on authentic, community-based content and its impressive user retention rate. He is particularly excited about helping Fizz build out its recommendation engine, noting that one of the key factors behind TikTok's success is its ability to put the right content in front of the right user at the right time. By enhancing recommendations and personalizing content for users, Fizz can create a more engaging and tailored user experience.

One of Vasquez's first moves at Fizz was to increase the maximum length of videos that users could share from 15 seconds to 30 seconds. This change has resulted in a 350% increase in video content creation on the platform, demonstrating the potential for growth and engagement when catering to user preferences.

In addition to improving the recommendation engine, Vasquez plans to focus on expanding Fizz's recently launched peer-to-peer marketplace. By integrating payments into the platform and opening it up to brands, Fizz can create a more convenient and diverse shopping experience for its users. This expansion can be achieved by leveraging insights Vasquez gained from scaling TikTok Shop, specifically around how Gen Z likes to shop.

Fizz is also exploring video content further, with plans to continue pushing into the format given Gen Z's interest in it. For now, the platform will focus on short, engaging content and may expand the maximum limit to a minute at some point in the future. Additionally, Fizz is now open to brand partnerships and is seeing a lot of interest from generative AI companies looking to advertise on the platform.

As Fizz continues to grow, it is essential to balance the need for personalization in its recommendation engine with the potential for echo chambers and algorithmic biases. To ensure a diverse and inclusive user experience, Fizz can take several measures, such as seeding its recommendation engine with diverse content, analyzing user behavior to identify trends, and employing dedicated staff for trust and safety to enhance automated moderation.

By leveraging Vasquez's expertise and implementing these strategies, Fizz can create a more engaging, convenient, and inclusive platform for its users, ultimately driving growth and success in the competitive social media landscape.