Silicon Valley is always trying to re-invent the wheel and expect you to be surprised the wheel exists. Or that wheels were even a “thing” in the first place. Not a criticism, just a statement of fact. Find me a Silicon Valley idea that doesn’t sample from the past, recontextualize existing ideas and package them into a more serviceable product. Uber is a perfect example of this—a homebrewed taxi service, but ordered from your smartphone—and yet I use 10,000 percent more taxis through Uber than I did prior to its existence.
I bring this up because it represents an idea brought up by Sima Sistani, who is a hot commodity in Silicon Valley currently. Sistani is the co-founder and CEO of HouseParty, the popular video group chat service beloved by teens. (Seriously ask your nephew about HouseParty, they love that shit.) Sistani was a guest on The Verge’s brand-new podcast Converge, where she discussed various topics like being a parent in the social media era, and her past career. But Sistani’s concept to venture into the cannabis world was what peaked our ears.
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“My big idea is Stella and Dot for Pot,” she told Converge host Casey Newton.
Sistani’s idea revolves around introducing cannabis covertly into homes where stigmas may be still be associated with the plant. In other words, homes like her own, as Sistani admits to being a straight arrow on the straight and arrow.
“I feel like that [marijuana] has the stigma, and the way to take the stigma away is remove the dealer. Right? Have the hostess. You bring her, it’s like a Tupperware party. You can invite her over, except the Tupperware has brownies in it,” she said.
For those that don’t know what Stella and Dot are (like myself), Sistani explained the concept while also explicating her own.
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[Stella and Dot is] basically a retailer, but the idea is along the lines of Mary Kay or Avon, where you invite somebody to your house, they host a party on your behalf, and your guests can walk away with buying some beautiful jewelry. And, in the same way, I think that people should be able to come over and maybe, I don’t know, partake in some chocolate-covered espresso beans that are micro-dosed with marijuana. I’ve brought up the idea a couple of times in mixed company in Menlo Park, and I get some odd [looks]. … A couple people who love it, a couple people who are wondering why I’m allowed to have children.
But I really think that if you applied that same business model, that you could bring something to the masses in a safe way. And, frankly, you don’t wake up with a hangover, and it’s just as good of a nightcap as a glass of wine. So, why not?
There you have it: Re-packaging something old into a modernized product and service. Not a bad Silicon Valley idea, all around it. Sign us up.
