Who else is laid off and looking for a chance to build something? (I will not promote) I'm a bit skeptical about Big Tech companies. Seems like every week another round of layoff happen. Was just planning what would I do if I were laid off! Are you looking for another job, or is this the push to finally go do your own thing? If you’re starting up, what are you working on? 3 1 replies
What are the most in-demand services, besides marketing, that startups need and are actively seeking? [ I will not promote] Many startups pour resources into marketing, but what about the other essential aspects of their business? What are the biggest pain points for startups outside of marketing, and what services address those needs effectively? I'm trying to understand the current landscape of startup needs beyond marketing and where the biggest opportunities lie for service providers who want to pitch their services to startups. Any insights from those who work with or at startups would be greatly appreciated. 5 0 replies
We just filed our first few applications for funding - I will not promote I cannot believe it, we submitted about 5 applications for our first seed round. The journey to get here has been an absolute rollercoaster and I would like to share this with you all. It all started 6 months ago when my partner (politics, British parliament) was discussing a real and personal issue with respects to her health. At the time I was just made redundant (software engineer) and things were looking bleak. Without going into detail I decided to make an app to help with her health issues.... 2 0 replies
If you're an early stage startup, do you start directly with GDPR and SOC2 compliances while landing initial customers? [I will not promote] We're building a data tool that helps aggregate customer data from various sources, edit them and stream them to LLM training pipelines. Although we don't copy the data to our servers (data read from sources), it seems mandatory that in the market gdpr or such compliances are necessary for large organizations as customers. But if we're an early stage startup trying to land our first few customers, is it necessary to go ahead and figure out compliances before ? 5 12 replies
We received 25k investment offer, need advice [I will not promote] We received a $25k for 2.5% on a convertible note offer from a US based investor. The note matures in 18 months with an interest rate of 5%, but the investor said they can extend it further. It’s an AI SaaS in graphic design. We have been bootstrapping till now, and we feel that this money could help us hire better engineers and marketeers, we want to grow it to a good revenue, but don't see it becoming a billion dollar startup as such. Our initial plans were to... 5 16 replies
How to Find a Technical or a Non-Technical Cofounder [I will not promote] If you are looking for a technical cofounder, you want someone to code your idea and bring it to reality. To do so, you should either be able to raise some money, or have already been running the business and making revenue, but need someone technical to operationalize/automate a process. You will not find someone who will code your product for free, because that person has better opportunity costs elsewhere. He can work with another startup that has funding or have customers; It isn't that they aren't committed/drive/motivation/etc, it's... 2 3 replies
How to find committed full stack devs? (I will not promote) Pretty much what the title says. I’m planning on building an app this summer and I think a technical co-founder who has full stack capability would help me a lot. I have about 70 percent proficiency with code and I’m reasonably experienced in most languages, but I was just wondering where I would start to find these kinds of people. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I’m still really early in this process 1 24 replies
How to get first customers to interview? [I will not promote] I'm trying to build a wellness & self-improvement tool for high-achievers and I've been trying to get folks (other than friends & family) to talk to me about there burning needs with little success. On reddit, I'm mostly ignored. What techniques or strategies have you found most effective for finding & interviewing your first customers? 2 6 replies
Pivoted to SaaS, Found Product Market Fit, but Drowning in SBA Debt, I will not promote I’ve been grinding on my startup since before 2020. It started as a service based business, and I was all in on that model for years. But I made a lot of mistakes which mainly, I scaled up a team I didn’t actually need. By the time I realized it, I had already racked up about $300K in SBA loan debt. Last year, I finally pivoted to SaaS, and it changed everything. I found product market fit, and MRR is starting to pick up. The problem is my cash... 2 4 replies
Where do you find people who wanna turn an idea into an MVP fast? I will not promote Note: i used chatgpt to structre my words better and fix grammar issues but it's all my thinking Basically the title A lot of startups fail because they spend way too much time and money building a full product before even knowing if people actually want it. That’s where an MVP comes in. it’s a small, lean version of the idea that lets founders test, get early users, and prove demand before going all in. I’ve built MVPs for two people in my network + my own projects, helping... 3 18 replies
What would be a better version of YC ? - I WILL NOT PROMOTE Hey everyone, This post is to get your thoughts on what would be a better version of YC or other established programs that help pre-seed and seed startups. What would truly level up support for founders at this crucial stage? Help with tech development, help with finding quality team, or something else entirely? So what is good about YC, what isn't good and what would you like to see if someone would launch a similar program? 2 0 replies
Pre-seed investors fell through. Is it ok/a red flag to reach out to others who investors I previously rejected? (I will not promote) I previously thought I was going to successfully close out my pre-seed round so I told some interested investors that I wasn’t accepting any more investments. Unfortunately, some investors pulled out at the last second and I find myself in a situation where I need to raise additional funds to replace the flaky investors’. Is it a red flag to investors if I reach back out to them saying I need to raise more after all? 3 0 replies
Profitable Startup Seeking CTO, i will not promote i will not promote I’m the founder of a startup years in the making. Our product can disrupt a large emerging market. Our bootstrapped business is profitable and gaining traction, and is very inexpensive to run monthly. Our product is an IoT (hardware + software) and we operate on a SAAS business model. Our MVP is rough around the edges, but with the assistance of a marquee customer, our product was recently redesigned to be 3d cut/printed, solving operational problems and setting up for mass production and scaling. Our... 2 3 replies
*I will not promote* What comes after the ideation phase for a B2B SaaS startup? \*I will not promote" Let's say I've noticed a big pain point or opportunity in a specific sector. Afterwards, I come up with an idea of a software solution to address that issue or opportunity. I then reach out to professionals in the industry, and I receive positive feedback for the idea. Not only from multiple professionals, I also receive validation from learning about company/government incentives that are encouraging solutions that are similar to my idea. My team and I are currently developing a proof of concept (PoC) with... 5 0 replies
Is the Hemp Industry in India a Viable Startup Opportunity?(Ofc i will not promote) I will not promote Been looking into industries that are still kinda untapped or have low competition, where being an early mover could actually make an impact. One thing that caught my attention is the hemp industry in India. With global demand growing for hemp-based products (textiles, CBD, bioplastics, etc.), is there real potential for startups here? Also, how exactly do Indian laws separate industrial hemp from marijuana? Any major legal roadblocks to watch out for?" On that note, what do you guys think about the future of marijuana... 1 2 replies
Created the Shopify Alternative in a 3rd world country “I will not promote” Built a Shopify alternative I’ve been a long-time follower of this subreddit and have always valued the insights shared here. Today, I’m reaching out to share our story and seek advice or guidance on potential next steps for our business. Four years ago, we set out to build a local e-commerce platform tailored to the unique challenges of operating in a third-world country where global solutions like Shopify fall short. Shopify, while a fantastic platform, doesn’t provide localized support or integrations here, and the costs of running a Shopify... 3 0 replies
Successful startups who didn't rely on giving up equity / investor funding? [I will not promote] I'm curious to hear from successful startups who have NOT gone down the route of equity investors—those who take shares in exchange for funding. - What's your story? - how did you do it? - how old were you when you started? - what drove you to do it? - how many businesses did you start before finding the right one? - anything else worth sharing I mostly hear about companies securing investor funding where they give up shares, and I’m really interested to learn how many businesses managed... 1 9 replies
How do you actually plan your week as a founder? (i will not promote) "i will not promote" As an entrepreneur, I constantly hear advice like *"focus on getting customers"* or *"focus on fundraising."* Great advice, but pretty vague when it comes to actually structuring my week. For those of you running a startup, how do you decide what to prioritize day-to-day? Do you have a specific system, framework, or approach that helps you break down big goals into actionable tasks? Would love to hear how you approach tactical planning! (*Not here to promote a time management app—just genuinely curious about how other... 1 4 replies
Hiring UX/UI designers - I will not promote Where do you find good UX/UI designers and 3D designers/modelers? In the past, I've used the on-demand work sites with very so so results even after reviewing resumes and portfolios. I've also listed ads on CraigsList in tech hub cities in the US and that actually proved fairly effective but again, it required a LOT of sorting through resumes to find people that can deliver. Just curious where people now are finding designers.... Not sure if it violates the I will not promote but my needs are web app... 4 0 replies
Phishing (I will not promote) The volume of phishing attempts right now is huge. My finance team almost just paid an invoice for executive coaching (that never took place); I’m seeing a ton of fake Docusigns, either attempting me to sign SOWs or as a means into systems. Be vigilant. 5 0 replies
