I scraped 1.8 million jobs with ChatGPT, can this become a startup? (I will not promote) Hi! I'm seeking advice on if a side project of mine has the potential to become a startup. Background: I'm a CS PhD Student in AI at Stanford. While looking for jobs, I got sick and tired of how LinkedIn & Indeed are contaminated with ghost jobs and 3rd party offshore agencies, making it nearly impossible to navigate. I discovered that *real jobs* are typically posted directly on a company websites. Until recently, there was no way to scrape them at scale because each job posting has different structure and format.... 2 38 replies
The hiccups in AI UGC and its future (I will not promote) Hi everyone, AI UGC has been a space of my interest for a very long time but I have been trying to see and understand the pros and cons of it and how I could build a bit differently. Long before AI UGC, the whole "AI influencers" or AI-generated content was quite a bit around and popular and people were using it to automate and generate tons of reels or content. There are loads of YT videos or loads of folks putting out platforms or tools that help generate... 2 0 replies
Shutting down a company (I will not promote) I'm looking for advice on shutting down a Delaware C Corp that is behind on compliance requirements. Many years ago, my co-founder & I had started a Delaware C Corp. It didn't go anywhere and the they decided to transfer all stock to me. I continued for a little while and generated some minor revenue. I had Gusto set up so I think I'm fine from a compliance point of view. I'd like to shut down the company. How can I file the necessary annual reports and such to... 4 3 replies
Starting a Small Business Selling Marijuana Plants & Seeds – Need Advice! (I will not promote) Hey everyone, I’m looking to start a small side business selling **marijuana plants, clones, and seeds** in **Northwest Ohio**, where recreational growing was recently legalized. My goal is to start small with minimal investment and hopefully grow into a full-time business. # My Plan So Far: * Selling **clones ($40-70 each, smaller ones for $25-30)** * Selling **seed packs ($20-40 per pack, 3-pack & 6-pack options)** * Focusing on a **1-hour radius around my area** * No physical store – just local meetups and deliveries # My Questions: 1.... 3 4 replies
What's a good pre-launch waitlist size for an online job marketplace? (I will not promote) What do you think the minimum pre-launch waitlist size for an online job marketplace should be for a company to be considered for acceptance into YC? For a little bit of background info, this startup has already been invited for interviews with notable accelerators like Techstars, Muckerlab, and Antler NYC. Thanks! W.W 3 0 replies
Looking for a Payment Platform Like Stripe (But Not Stripe) for a Global SaaS - I will not promote” Hi everyone, We’re founders from Argentina and Uruguay, and we’re looking for a payment platform that works globally—something like Stripe, but unfortunately, Stripe doesn’t support our countries. We do plan to set up an LLC in the future, but first, we want to validate our market fit. Since we’re a bootstrapped startup, profitability from day one is a priority, so we need a payment solution that works for now without requiring a US entity. Has anyone used PayPal for a SaaS business? Would love to hear your experiences or... 2 3 replies
Exercise Deadline for ISOs after Termination I will not promote I will not promote. Does every company pretty much have a deadline for exercising after termination? I am a few months into a company and am burnt out and am thinking of quitting what is supposed to be a unicorn startup before my first vest. It looks good on paper...and has the numbers and profitability to continue on a good trajectory. But I can't help but feel like it's a pressure cooker that's about to blow up. Everyone is burnt out. I am realizing now that the people that... 4 3 replies
Holy hell. My MVP backbone works and I have the data to prove it…. Now what? (I will not promote) The app is a novel (ie. complicated) approach to an existing market and I can finally prove that it will work. If it works we can instantly compete with established players. Well, After 6+ months of building I can prove that it will work (hot f***ing dog!). So now what? At my rate the MVP is 8+ months out. The mountain of work is…large. I’m a solo developer with a marketing focused partner, we have a few other founders but they aren’t business or technical oriented. We have a... 4 7 replies
Holy hell. My MVP backbone works and I have the data to prove it…. Now what? (I will not promote) The app is a novel (ie. complicated) approach to an existing market and I can finally prove that it will work. If it works we can instantly compete with established players. Well, After 6+ months of building I can prove that it will work (hot f***ing dog!). So now what? At my rate the MVP is 8+ months out. The mountain of work is…large. I’m a solo developer with a marketing focused partner, we have a few other founders but they aren’t business or technical oriented. We have a... 2 3 replies
Outbound sales (i will not promote) I'm looking for referrals to agencies or companies that help manage outbound sales programs. I've used Growbots before, but I wonder if people have experience with others. I have my own list of prospects. I just want someone to set everything up and manage the outbound. I'm particularly interested in compliance and deliverability, their "warm-up" product, and general automation. 2 0 replies
How much are people raising in Pre-Seed (AI FinTech B2B2C) and for what % I will not promote Hey everyone, We’re in the middle of raising our pre-seed round for an AI fintech startup and wanted to get a pulse on the current market. I know valuations and dilution can vary widely, but I’d love to hear from founders and investors: \- How much did you raise at pre-seed? \- What % of equity did you give up? \- What were the biggest factors that influenced your valuation? (Traction, revenue, team, market size, etc.) We’re seeing a lot of different numbers thrown around, and it’d be great... 1 0 replies
*I will not promote* What is the best way to outreach to companies for collaborative pilot programs or networking? I'm currently working on a B2B SaaS startup, and we've gotten to a point where we have a presentable MVP that can be useful to our potential customer base. I've tried cold-messaging company execs and other potential clients through LinkedIn and through company Contact Us forms. In my messages, I discuss how our service can help them and how we are even willing to provide them with a no-commitment free trial/pilot program in exchange for their feedback. But no response. I don't even know if they read my messages,... 1 3 replies
I will not promote - digital branding and web design discussion Hey everyone, I’ve been diving deep into branding and Webflow-first web design and wanted to start a discussion: How important do you think branding is for startups & scale-ups? At what stage should a startup invest in branding? Do you think an early-stage startup should focus on branding, or is it secondary to product-market fit? Have any of you rebranded after launching, and what impact did it have? From my experience, a strong brand identity (logo, typography, UX/UI consistency) can be a major differentiator, but I know some founders... 1 2 replies
Where do you search for idea validation? (I will not promote) Hey everyone, I’m curious—what strategies or methods do you all use to validate a SaaS idea before you even start building? Sure, some of you may have direct access to potential customers or know someone who could use the product, but I’m looking for more diverse validation approaches. For example, I have had an idea for an "all-in-one toolset for ecommerce and startup conversion optimization," which would include features like: * AI chatbots integrated with company data * Pop-up widgets with discounts * Social proof of transactions (e.g. Stripe,... 1 1 replies
How to know difference between “good things take time to do right” vs. unnecessary perfectionism (i will not promote) I find myself needing to do everything** at the highest level possible.. Context: I’m a solo entrepreneur and right now am do everything myself until my monthly revenue affords me to hire someone. Example with recent product photography/videography: - Research best ads and photo/video for similar products - Narrow by getting feedback from target customers on possible executions - Find most ideal environment for photos - Use friends’ really nice kitchen for product photos - Take a week getting all possible shots/angles/photos/videos for different ad creatives - Take time... 2 2 replies
Started a new project i need advice ( i will not promote) Hi, i started a project which i will officially launch near Q3 this year. So i wonder should i open a company and fill for a trademark, or wait until project gets users and some activity then begin with legal stuff. Project will be free initially, and then at some point of time i will add some paid features, this could go even to next year this time. Please advice me, what would you do ? 1 2 replies
Incorporating My First Startup in Delaware? Can I Do It Alone with Stripe Atlas? i will not promote Hey everyone, I'm about to incorporate my first startup and have been researching whether I should go with a Delaware **LLC** or a **C-Corp**. I’ve read that **C-Corps are typically preferred by investors** (especially VCs), but I’m wondering if it’s the right choice for me at this stage. A few things on my mind: 1. How much does the structure really matter (I’m planning to raise funds)? 2. **Has anyone here used Stripe Atlas to incorporate a Delaware C-Corp?** Is it really straightforward enough to do alone, or are... 3 12 replies
100 AI-Driven Businesses Later… Here’s the Truth No One Tells You! (I will not promote) I analyzed 100 businesses across industries that implemented AI, and here’s what I found! Most businesses use AI for: Marketing automation (15%) – email copy, ad creatives, SEO research (ChatGPT, Jasper, Copy.ai) Customer support (12%) – AI chatbots handling up to 70% of inquiries before escalation (Intercom, Drift) Data analysis & insights (10%) – AI summarizing reports, trends in seconds (Tableau AI, ChatGPT for spreadsheets) Sales prospecting (10%) – lead scoring, automated outreach (Apollo.io, HubSpot AI) Workflow automation (8%) – connecting tools and automating repetitive tasks (Zapier, Make.com) Biggest... 3 1 replies
Looking for a recommendation for a virtual phone number provider for a WhatsApp bot - I will not promote So as the title says, I'm building a WhatsApp bot and I am looking for a provider. I am building it by myself with code, I'm not looking or some bot building all included suite of tools or something. It will only be used for the bot. It won't be added to my mobile device. I won't be making any calls. It is simply to establish a WhatsApp entity. Of course though the first text message needs to be received to confirm the number, but that's about it. I've... 4 5 replies
Who Else Hates Prelaunching? Let’s Talk About It " I will not promote " I will not promote. I’ve launched before building. I’ve built before launching. And honestly? **Both approaches kinda suck.** When I launched my last startup, I was convinced people wanted it. We had early signals, we saw some demand, and we figured, **"If we build it, they’ll come."** But after months of work, we launched… and even the people who said they wanted it **didn’t buy.** It made me realize that **just believing in an idea isn’t enough**—we need real-world validation, not just assumptions. But here’s the problem: **prelaunching is... 1 10 replies
