Cold Start Problem

Biological Parallel

The cold start problem—how to bootstrap network effects from zero—is nature's challenge in recolonizing after extinction events. After a wildfire, the first plant to establish provides no mutual benefit (no mycorrhizal network, no nutrient cycling, no pollinator attraction). Early colonizers must be self-sufficient until critical mass enables mutualism. Pioneer species like fireweed solve this through wind pollination and fast reproduction, building density before switching to insect pollination. Marketplaces face identical dynamics: solve for single-player utility first, network effects second.