Show HN: Get Paid to Build Your Next Side Project

I think this has the potential to introduce an interesting auction model. People might want to join in, but not at the initial price point. What if everyone proposed wanting in on project stated their maximum price point, and the winning application to solve would get the price they bid at for everyone above that level. In other words

customers_offering_prices = [1,1,4,15,30,30,40,80,100,150,175,10000]

winning_applicant_price = 40

winning_applicant_revenue = [40,40,40,40,40,40].sum

The last 6 customers receive the product and they all pay 40. Essentially a modified Vickrey auction. Everyone has an incentive to bid exactly what the product is worth to them.

Edit: >Everyone has an incentive to bid exactly what the product is worth to them.

Actually not true if applicants see the bids. In my example, the the best applicant would want to bid 10000 because that would maximize revenue, but exclude everyone before that. Customers would adjust their bidding as a result. But applicants should know much they can expect to receive if they win so they can bid correctly.

Well, a "Spotify for news" could be made. I know of several attempts.

Good question. The big difference is you own the products you build here, and charge a monthly fee for access (for up to X customers). It's a bit like kickstarting a SaaS business.

Versus with contracting/freelancing, you get paid 1x and the product is owned by the customer you work for.

My impression was that existing services focus on freelancers advertising their own services.

This is more along the lines of Nugget or OppsList in website form, where folks with product ideas request freelance work to bring those ideas into existence.