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Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#61

Post by darkstar999 »

digikata wrote: post #44

Order while you wait infrastructure at restaurants. Basically pull up the menu via wifi while waiting for your table to clear. Take the order, and maybe even pay ahead. Orchestrate the order so that the food is available shortly after you sit down. This lets the restaurant increase their profits by serving more parties through their tables at peak times - maybe 10-15 min per table that uses the order system. Some var…

I've always had a funny lower-tech idea along the same lines. It's an airplane themed restaurant where each table has one of the service buttons that airplanes have. When you want a server to come by, hit the button. It lights up at the table and at the server station.

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#62

Post by bobosha »

krapp wrote: post #59
bobosha wrote: post #51

A store-to-kitchen cart. I carry it in store, checkout items from within the cart - mos t current carts are clunky, heavy - one that you can push onto your car trunk and carry out into your pantry/kitchen. Basically the iPod of shopping carts. Would save billion of shopping bags, no more "paper or plastic?"

How would the store not lose money on them, though? They have to cost money, and customers will probably just keep them.

Stores can sell them. Offer discounts to people with the carts. They can be stylish and fashionable.

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#63

Post by mindcrime »

I had this random idea today, that I'd totally do if I had any free time. There may already be somebody doing this - I haven't looked. But here ya go:

An "eliza bot" like service that doles out Freudian dream analysis when you tell it about your dreams. Maybe even combine a logging service so you can log your dreams (ala the way some people keep dream journals).

I really have few ideas for monetizing the thing, I mostly just think it would be fun to do. But possibly you could do some cool targeted advertising based on the "discussions" you have with the dream-analysis-bot.

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#64

Post by fidotron »

A sort of reverse kickstarter with combinations.

Instead of just makers saying what they can do it would be based more on what people say they want, and attach a value to say they'd pay a certain amount for it. You could also declare that given x, y and z you could do a, b or c and thus giant chains could be resolved.

All a bit GOSPLAN like though.

I've also considered Tinder crossed with auctions: bid according to how hot you think they are, with highest bids getting to meet (and pay!)

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#65

Post by jonbischke »

refurb wrote: post #22
jonbischke wrote: post #10

A couple of years ago I proposed an idea for "AirBnB for self storage" on Quora: http://www.quora.com/Collaborative-Consumption/What-is-the-n... Still seems like a massive opportunity. $24 billion market in the US. Inconvenient locations (for many people). People have (collectively) a massive amount of under-utilized space. Not without its challenges but neither was AirBnB when it started.

Already exists (in SF at least). Roost, StowThat.

AirBnB existed before AirBnB as well. People just called it Homeaway or VRBO. AirBnB did a few key things much better. I think there's the same opportunity in self-storage (although not sure what makes this model finally take off).

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#66

Post by kra34 »

digikata wrote: post #44

Order while you wait infrastructure at restaurants. Basically pull up the menu via wifi while waiting for your table to clear. Take the order, and maybe even pay ahead. Orchestrate the order so that the food is available shortly after you sit down. This lets the restaurant increase their profits by serving more parties through their tables at peak times - maybe 10-15 min per table that uses the order system. Some var…

Already exists as well (more or less)

http://www.paywithcover.com/ New York

http://www.tabbedout.com/ Austin

Open table is also doing it in select markets.

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#67

Post by kohanz »

pan69 wrote: post #53
nardi wrote: post #41

An online-only bank (with ATM support of course) that lets you have as many "virtual" accounts as you want, and lets you set up programmatic rules for transferring money in between accounts on certain days/times, or triggered by events ("transfer $100 from B to A if account A goes below $100, and notify me by email"; "on overdraft from A, withdraw from B instead"). Then have a debit card that you can use to charge to…

I'd like to see a not for profit bank in the sense that the profit the bank does make, goes directly back into the local community surrounding the bank. The bank would have a physical presence but strong and modern on-line support.

It sounds like you're describing a credit union.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_union

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#68

Post by Artemis2 »

lincolnq wrote: post #52

Something with the Oculus VR tech. I think there's massive, exciting options opening up with the Gear VR or similar, and anyone starting now will have a substantial first mover advantage. I have two specific applications for VR: the metaverse, and really good porn. (These do not need to be combined though I suppose they could.) I would argue that Second Life failed mostly due to execution issues. I'd love to see a vi…

The thing is you probably don't have John Carmack or Michael Abrash.

Re: Ask HN: What's your best startup idea that you're not going to pursue?

#69

Post by Artemis2 »

rb2e wrote: post #60

Another one is predicting price rises and optimal time to sell Magic the Gathering cards before rotation. Its like the stockmarket only unregulated Gambling. People, do invest in these cards and flip them. Not for the faint of heart but people love to buy into dreams...

We could call it Magic the Gathering Online eXchange! Sounds totally good.
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