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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

#122

Post by cellis »

heygrady wrote: post #80

Write an evolutionary ML bot network that trades stocks in 5 minute intervals. Don't try to compete on the nanosecond micro trading end, just try to beat the market by making "good" decisions in a reasonable, human timeframe. The question your bot is trying to solve is, "should I buy or sell this stock?" And the criteria is, "will this stock be up or down in the next X minutes." Let the bots play in a fake market unt…

Or, first read A Random Walk Down Wall Street.

Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea

#125

Post by lj3 »

exabrial wrote: post #12

The problem is you're looking for easy stuff to do. Here's four ideas I just thought of: 1) Write software that uses machine learning to search for tornados in doppler radar signal returns 2) Write software that manages inpatient health care, orders, prescriptions, labs, etc 3) Write software that uses machine learning to route network packets faster 4) Use machine learning to control an engine's ECU to maximize fuel…

This stuff sounds more like R&D than markets to build products for. Way too risky for a company that hasn't even proven they can deliver a product where most of the technical problems have already been solved.

Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea

#127

Post by eugenejen »

What I will say may be old. But that's what I feel everyday I use any piece of software/service. Since I did some startups before years ago. I may just say something only obvious to anyone who have tried them.

1. What kind of stuff do you feel pain?

2. Do all the existing solutions on the market solve that pain?

3. Can you come up something that may be better so users will put their time and money on your idea?

4. Fail, why?

5. Traction, why?

6. Repeat, continue, 1,2,3 [4|5] until you decide to leave the industry.

Re: Ask HN: We have a great team and capital but can't find a good idea

#128

Post by TAForObvReasons »

timfrietas wrote: post #58

Tough love: You'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…

I think the problem as described is actually a team problem.

You don't have a good team without a vision leader who is articulating the ideas and steering the company. Like a boat with no captain, labor and capital resources are important but ultimately useless without a captain who has a vague idea of the endpoint and a sense for the roadmap. Try to dig into your collective social networks and see if you know anyone who has a vision but not the wherewithal to execute.

FWIW Money doesn't magically solve a problem, it merely exacerbates a situation. Talent doesn't solve a problem without a clear understanding of the problem being solved. As much as people on HN like to devalue the importance of ideas, it is an extremely important part of the process

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