After reading the mixpanel part, I can’t understand why Dropbox got funding given Box existed. Or why Azure, when their was aws.Why Lyft when there was Uber?
I don't know how good Box was at conveniently syncing a folder back when Dropbox launched, but I'm guessing that wasn't a strength of theirs, because I know people got excited about Dropbox's pre-launch demo video.
Azure's differentiated value prop in the cloud market stems from Microsoft's strengths, e.g. enterprises who already are Microsoft-heavy are happy to trust Microsoft to also run their cloud, because they can expect e.g. better integrations with other Microsoft products they use.
Lyft and Uber were both inventing the rideshare market when they launched. Lyft probably wouldn't have been funded if it launched after Uber's lead was dominant. (Indeed, there doesn't seem to be another Uber/Lyft getting funded now.)
Azure's differentiated value prop in the cloud market stems from Microsoft's strengths, e.g. enterprises who already are Microsoft-heavy are happy to trust Microsoft to also run their cloud, because they can expect e.g. better integrations with other Microsoft products they use.
Lyft and Uber were both inventing the rideshare market when they launched. Lyft probably wouldn't have been funded if it launched after Uber's lead was dominant. (Indeed, there doesn't seem to be another Uber/Lyft getting funded now.)