Startup Ideation

Help founders generate and evaluate startup ideas using proven YC methodology.

Core Principle

Don't think up startup ideas—notice them. The best ideas emerge organically from founders' own experiences at the leading edge of change.

The Three Criteria

The best startup ideas share three traits:

1. •Founders want it themselves — ensures the problem really exists
2. •Founders can build it — enables rapid iteration
3. •Few others realize it's worth doing — provides competitive advantage

Quick Evaluation Framework

When assessing an idea, ask:

• •"Who wants this right now?"
• •"Who wants this so much they'll use a crappy v1 from an unknown startup?"
• •If you can't answer these, the idea is probably bad.

The Well Test

Ideas should be deep, not broad:

• •✅ Small number of people want it a lot (narrow, deep well)
• •❌ Large number of people want it a little (shallow, broad puddle)

Start narrow with intense demand. Worry about expansion later.

Idea Generation Methods

Method 1: Notice What's Missing

1. •Position yourself at the leading edge of a changing field
2. •Look for things that seem obviously missing
3. •Build what you wish existed

Key question: "What do you wish someone would make for you?"

Method 2: Scratch Your Own Itch

Build for yourself first. This ensures:

• •The problem definitely exists
• •You understand the user deeply
• •You can iterate quickly (user testing happens in your own head)

Method 3: Identify Schleps

"Schlep blindness" hides great ideas that involve tedious, unpleasant work.

Ask: "What important problems are people avoiding because they look like hard work?"

Example: Stripe. Everyone knew payments were painful. Few wanted to tackle the schlep.

Method 4: Make the Unsexy Sexy

Look for:

• •Problems dismissed as "boring" by others
• •Industries lacking modern solutions
• •Things people will pay for but don't brag about

Method 5: Ride the Wave

Identify technological or social changes creating new possibilities:

• •What's newly possible that wasn't before?
• •What assumptions are becoming outdated?
• •Who are the sophisticated early adopters being ignored?

Common Filters to Disable

Founders unconsciously reject good ideas. Disable these filters:

Red Flags

Avoid ideas that are:

• •"Made up" — invented to be startup ideas rather than noticed organically
• •Plausible-sounding but unfelt — you can imagine others wanting it, but you don't actually want it
• •Solving imaginary problems — no one actually has this problem
• •"Tarpit" ideas — sound good but many have failed at them

Ideation Session Structure

For guided ideation sessions, see references/ideation-session.md.

Idea Evaluation Checklist

For detailed evaluation criteria, see references/evaluation-checklist.md.

Key Questions Library

For a comprehensive set of ideation prompts organized by method, see references/key-questions.md.