Only you can form a valid startup idea, because it is entirely dependent upon what you are capable and willing to execute upon. It is the difference between a great idea and a product.
Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
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Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#52Aside from that, I'd like to see the social stigma around mental health eliminated. It's viewed as a positive thing to care about, and work toward, better physical health. I wish that were true for mental health. I wish improving your mental health was as normal as going to the gym.
Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#53Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#54Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#55Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#56Obviously, this idea is overly ambitious. But, can you take a moonshot idea like that and break it down into smaller pieces? Perhaps, work on one small piece of a really difficult problem. In the example I gave, perhaps a zoning ordinance voting platform that makes zoning change paper work easier. I realize most of the housing problems are entirely Political. But, you gotta realize, those are problems too - and they are big ones!
Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#57The few product ideas we came up with following the above process we dropped, often because we discovered that that space is ultra crowded or commooditized. GoDaddy founder Bob Parsons once said something like (paraphrased slightly) "never be scared to enter a crowded market. Just be better than everybody else". Something to think about. Beyond that, consider that your product is not the only dimension on which you c…
This. If anything you can save time on market validation if you think you can execute or offer something unique that the existing players in the space lack.
Lastly, if the main battle for a certain segment is over for more than a decade, the incumbents seem to get lazy if they continue dominating the market for too long. Look at eBay for example, or Linked.In - they have stopped innovating and basically get worse with every "Facelift", but there's still considerable demand with a lack of alternatives. It's a long shot, but possible with great execution.
Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#58You've done too much reading on the subject already and will learn nothing from reading even more by indulging yourself in the comments here.
And although good teams can find good ideas they have to "try and fail" at things, not just "consider and not try" things. I'm not sure how long you've been at this and which ideas you have considered and rejected and for what reasons, but if it has been longer than a couple of months, you don't have the right team makeup. You need someone with a strong product background immediately to find the intersection of product market fit and what you all are actually good at and will be passionate about building.
I'd love to hear more about what you've thought of and dismissed.
Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea
#59Consider not even creating a new new business. Do someone else's better than them. And there are several companies that seem to grossly overvalued by the standard of "if I gave you [their market cap], could you make a better version of them?" Since one of your strengths is an endless flow of capital, get $1b and make a better Twitter (or whatever).
Maybe just follow Josh Levine's blueprint for $100mm?