The idea I submitted and worked on for three years when I applied in 2007 had three of those in one... I don't think anybody has executed on it yet, if you want to read my Spring 2007 application again. (Though if I apply again, it would be with another, more time-sensitive idea, which can also be split up into several of your categories.) I'm not trying to brag, but I did outline the exact way to beat eBay.
Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
11–20 of 401 posts
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#12I'm a bit surprised. Some of the ideas - ok, two of the ideas, dating and "the next craigslist" - don't seem that far off from the proverbial pie-in-the-sky "Facebook killer": the hard part is getting the critical mass, and everyone wants to make one. [edit] #9 and 10, photo/video sharing and auctions, are arguably in this category as well. I also still don't get WebOS. There must be something to it, because a lot of…
What do you expect? Demand is demand: There's not all that much difference between what humans want in 2008 and what they wanted in 1908. They want to listen to music, look at art and theatre, visit with their families, impress their friends, find meaning in their lives, and get laid.
Naturally, these are the waters where everybody goes fishing, year after year.
I think part of the secret, though, is to stop designing (e.g.) "the next dating site" and start designing a way to get compatible, single people into the same room. Focus on the problem, not the old solution. For example, the very word "WebOS" encourages bad habits of thought: It encourages you to look for something shaped like Windows or Linux, or for apps with a UI that reminds you of the desktop.
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#13Really a great list on what is broken and why it needs to be fixed. Pretty much everything on the internet is broken to a certain extent, that gives an opportunity for early and existing Entrepreneurs. I really want to do something with music and news, those two are totally broken which will eventually destroy the industry.
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#14pg, I have working beta for #1 pls. email me at paulpajo [at] gmail
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but YC's model is built around working with very early-stage, yet-to-incorporated businesses. A team that had already built a product to the point of beta, or that had been working on one of the ideas on the list for the past three years as someone has mentioned here, would probably not qualify, right?
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#15Yes, the development of the web is definitely not over! Lots of great ideas there. At swirrl.com we're working on something like Paul's item 22, with a bit of 5 thrown in.
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#16Motivation re:dating site - the very simple (and quite ugly) dating site, Plenty of Fish, earns $10M a year.
The last confirmation was $5 million a year in July of 2007.
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#17The idea I submitted and worked on for three years when I applied in 2007 had three of those in one... I don't think anybody has executed on it yet, if you want to read my Spring 2007 application again. (Though if I apply again, it would be with another, more time-sensitive idea, which can also be split up into several of your categories.) I'm not trying to brag, but I did outline the exact way to beat eBay.
Care to share about your thoughts on eBay? Can you reveal your email address?
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#18pg, I have working beta for #1 pls. email me at paulpajo [at] gmail
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but YC's model is built around working with very early-stage, yet-to-incorporated businesses. A team that had already built a product to the point of beta, or that had been working on one of the ideas on the list for the past three years as someone has mentioned here, would probably not qualify, right?
Wrong.
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#19Hmmm... wasn't planning on applying for Winter, but we're working on the auctions one. (Although I think auctions is the wrong way to look at - looking at marketplaces in general makes more sense.)
Re: Startup Ideas We'd Like to Fund
#20pg, I have working beta for #1 pls. email me at paulpajo [at] gmail
Please correct me if I'm wrong, but YC's model is built around working with very early-stage, yet-to-incorporated businesses. A team that had already built a product to the point of beta, or that had been working on one of the ideas on the list for the past three years as someone has mentioned here, would probably not qualify, right?
I don't see why not, if they're interested in the sorts of terms that YC generally does. At least by my reading of PG over time...