Below is a list of startup ideas that might be interesting to work on.
Strava for cooking
Start by building the HUD for home cooks and then tack on a social network. More here.
Delete Me (from the Internet)
Create an automated private investigator using common Google queries and default public but likely forgotten about social media services. Charge $99 to clean up old services, removal from databases, etc. (similar to DoNotPay). Add a subscription service for ongoing security monitoring (e.g. haveibeenpwned.com).
Goodreads + GitHub
Build single-player tool for serious learners: personal library with emphasis on SRS retention (automagically create Anki decks from Kindle highlights). Ability to fork and clone personal book repos. Open API from Day 1. Focus on desktop, not mobile. Eventually add a social network.
Streaming Buddy
Re-create the feel of watching live TV + Twitter for async streamed shows. Recommendations across various services (editorial + user-generated content) serves as a top-of-funnel modern ‘TV Guide’.
Instagram for enterprise
Feed with interesting, relevant visual posts (data, slides, links, etc.); designed to be passive (i.e. OK to miss posts). This stuff gets easily lost in Slack today.
Meeting Guru
Integrate with various document, calendar and video conferencing services (i.e. a thin client). Survey participants after the meeting about effectiveness. Analytics for executive team about meeting effectiveness, efficiency, etc.
Clubhouse for enterprise
Uberconference but without the concept of “calls”. Make it work really well when on a lower bandwidth cellular connection (i.e. dialing in from an Uber).
Honey for Wirecutter
Surface even better recommendations for a given SKU via Chrome extension. Use user-generated data to bootstrap your own product review site. Monetize via referrals.
Wirecutter + fiverr
Pay a small-ish amount of money for one-off, more tailored product research. (This already exists on many subreddits for free.)
Spotify + Cameo
Hire a remote DJ for a party, evening, etc. (Spotify has an API). Start with amateurs, work your way up to Kygo.
Replace investors@ Google Groups
Make messages free and encrypted to gain trust. Take over the flow for Docusign investor docs and/or the USD wire workflow over time. Probably a feature for Carta or Pulley but may be a sufficiently different space (messaging vs. cap table management).
If you are working on any of these, feel free to send me an email at hello@danromero.org. Fair warning: I will likely pass without a meeting unless you have a compelling demo or spectacular pitch deck.
First published on March 18, 2021
