Lunchclub · Go-to-market · Mid · 45 to 60 minutes

How should Lunchclub grow without hurting match quality?

Lunchclub is a product that helps professionals make curated one to one introductions. Answer this product management case and get it graded line by line against a weighted rubric.

GTM strategy
Product judgment
Positioning
Metric design
Experimentation

The situation

You are the PM responsible for member growth and onboarding at Lunchclub. Leadership believes there is room for a better professional networking experience than broad contact lists and cold outreach, but the product only works if new members trust the brand and if each person gets a strong first match. Growth pressure is rising because more professionals are looking for ways to build relationships online, and larger networks already have distribution. Some teammates want to open access widely to capture demand fast. Others want a controlled rollout, such as a waitlist, invitations, or referrals, to manage match quality and signal that membership is valuable. There is also debate about whether the product should lean into a more structured remote meeting experience to make adoption easier. Assume the team can support one quarter of go to market and lightweight product changes, but not a full rebuild of matching. The CEO asks you for a recommendation on how to launch the next phase of growth without damaging the core experience.

What to produce

Write a 1 to 2 page go to market brief.

Your answer must

Name the primary target user segment for the next phase and the core job to be done for that segment.
Recommend an access model for launch, open signup, controlled access, or a hybrid, and justify it using supply, trust, and match quality trade offs.
Explain how you would position Lunchclub against existing professional networking options, including at least one place where those options are weaker for curated introductions.
Define success metrics and leading indicators across acquisition, activation, and repeat usage, and state what evidence is missing today.
Propose a rollout and learning plan with 2 to 3 tests or decision points, plus the main risks and how you would respond if early match quality drops.

Constraints

Use the current core product of one to one professional introductions, plus lightweight onboarding or meeting format changes only.
Do not assume rich historical conversion data, your plan must work despite limited evidence and create learning quickly.
Protect member trust and match quality, a growth plan that meaningfully worsens the first experience is not acceptable.

Format

Use short headings such as target user, launch model, positioning, metrics, rollout, and risks.

How Lunchclub actually played it

Describes how Lunchclub used invite-only access and a pivot to video calls to grow a professional introductions product. It notes the thin data on how well the acquisition tactic converted.

Exclusivity can create demand when supply is limited
Compare the product with what LinkedIn does poorly
Flag where a growth story lacks data

Built from Quick Insights: How Lunchclub leveraged invite-only exclusivity for growth by Inside Startups.