LLM + Slackbot + admin tool I was thinking of setting up retool to have a bunch of admin/back-office functionality for my startup. Including account provisioning, making reports, seeing user activity, etc. But what I really want is a LLM powered slack bot that can do all of this for me. Is anyone building this? I’m sure I could cobble stuff together using n8n but would prefer a service. 3 0 replies
SAAS to Optimize Content Reach We all know there's algorithms behind virality and generating content that reaches audiences, why is there no tool to upload your content and receive optimization to maximize your chance of reaching the largest audience possible? This seems like an obvious product for the creator economy, it would be easy to develop and also to identify product market fit. 3 0 replies
Does OpenAI go down too much to take seriously as a production API? Right now the OpenAI API, ChatGPT and Sora are completely down. It's a major outage now at 2 hours 36 minutes and counting. Imagine building a product and just starting to get traction and your product stops working for 2 and a half hours. We were in the middle of a demo just now and a key component of our app stopped working. Thankfully it didn't affect our demo too much, but it hurts. I did the math, just looking at their reported uptime for the API alone 99.33%...... 1 0 replies
Employee #1 - how to structure/write my own ESOP offer? Hey all, I'm about to join a *very* early-stage startup as employee #1. The co-founders and I have already agreed in principle that I will be getting a fixed $amt translatable into shares (for the sake of discussion, let's say $500K). The number of shares will be pegged at the valuation of the next funding round, which is set to occur fairly soon. Again, for the sake of discussion, let's say that the post-money valuation cap of the upcoming round is $5M. My share would translate to 10%. But... 2 0 replies
ChatGPT is down! How is your startup product doing? So it looks like today one of those rare days when OpenAI ChatGPT downtime. I've noticed something interesting - many of my favorite AI tools that use OpenAI under the hood are still operating. This makes me think that the APIs might still be working, even though some services are down. It got me thinking: What gameplan have you all put in place for your products that heavily rely on OpenAI's APIs? How do you handle situations when the API becomes unavailable? I'm curious to hear about your strategies,... 2 0 replies
How do you get clients online? I own a music company where I provide tutors for those who want to learn a musical instrument online. This is my second actual business, the first one didn't fail but it took so much of my time and it wasn't fulfilling for me. I see my competitors using Facebook ads, but FB ads are quite expensive for me (for now). I also can't do lead generation, I'd have to pay for a business email (can't for now). I actually want this to flourish but I'm super new to... 5 0 replies
"Small Teams, Big Exits: The Power of Quality Over Quantity" YouTube: 65 employees → Acquired by Google for $1.65B Instagram: 13 employees → Acquired by Meta for $1B WhatsApp: 50 employees → Acquired by Meta for $19B Minecraft: 40 employees → Acquired by Microsoft for $2.5B Oculus VR: 75 employees → Acquired by Meta for $2B Waze: 100 employees → Acquired by Google for $1.1B Twitch: 100 employees → Acquired by Amazon for $970M Founders, take note: a single committed, high-performing employee is worth more than ten who lack dedication. This is the age of achieving more with fewer... 1 0 replies
Should I invest in a moderately expensive .com domain for my fintech startup, or consider specialty TLDs? I'm building a startup in the personal wealth/financial services space, and I need to change my domain name due to trust/spam perception issues. Since I'm targeting consumers directly and in the finance space, establishing trust is crucial. I'm considering three options: - Investing a few thousand dollars in a solid .com domain - Using specialty TLDs like .money, .health, or .ai - a longer less good .com Context about the business: - Still in the validation phase - Target market: Both established wealthy individuals/couples who self-direct their investments, and... 4 0 replies
How I Used 5-Search/Month Keywords to Land My First Customers (No Ads) When I launched my AI Pet Pawtrait busiess, I knew ranking a new site would be tough (**general advice says you won't rank for 3 months**). Instead of targeting high-competition keywords, I focused on ultra-low-volume ones like "{city} pet photographer" with just 5-30 searches/month. By targeting 100 UK towns and cities, **I reached 500-3,000 high-intent searches/month.** Using programmatic SEO, I quickly created location-specific pages, and while the traffic is small, it’s converting well—my first paying customers came in weeks. It's only a small start but it's enough to get... 3 0 replies
VCs - some great, some not so much! Recently engaged with several VCs, thought I'd share my thoughts here to help out others. |VC|Comments|Overall Score| |:-|:-|:-| |fika|Easy to connect and schedule, spoke to an associate who was respectful and intelligent. Did a quick follow up with one of the key partners. The partner meeting looked a bit disengaged and barely asked questions. It seemed he didnt want to be there :) The associate promptly responded in a few days with a respectful reject email citing reasons that seemed genuine. Overall, would still recommend working with them based... 2 0 replies
How I run customer interviews (and why they're better than analytics for 0-1) ## Why talk to customers? Look, I've built products at companies of all sizes - tiny startups, growing scale-ups, and 500-person enterprises. The one thing that's always worked? Actually talking to customers. Especially when you're starting from scratch. Don't get me wrong - tools like Amplitude are great at showing you what people do in your app. But they miss everything that happens outside it. Some of the best insights I've found came from discovering that people were using weird Excel templates or Word docs as workarounds. You'd never... 1 0 replies
How do you stay up to date on competitors, industry news etc? I'm ashamed to admit I don't Hi! I'm wondering how other CEOs stay up to date in whats happening externally? Do you have people & processes for this information flow? As a growth stage CEO, I feel like there is so much things happening in our industry, it's so hard to keep up. Investors and other stakeholders constantly share news like: "Did you hear about the new project your competitor started?" or "Do you have a view on the upcoming regulations under discussions?" etc., and I'm always somewhat embarrassed to admit I simply don't know.... 1 0 replies
[Hiring/Seeking/Offering] Jobs / Co-Founders Weekly Thread # [Hiring/Seeking/Offering] Jobs / Co-Founders Weekly Thread This is an experiment. We see there is a demand from the community to: * Find Co-Founders * Hiring / Seeking Jobs * Offering Your Skillset / Looking for Talent # Please use the following template: * \*\*\[SEEKING / HIRING / OFFERING\]\*\* (Choose one) * \*\*\[COFOUNDER / JOB / OFFER\]\*\* (Choose one) * Company Name: (Optional) * Pitch: * Preferred Contact Method(s): * Link: (Optional) ## All Other Subreddit Rules Still Apply We understand there will be mild self promotion involved with... 3 0 replies
Share your startup - quarterly post Share Your Startup - Q4 2023 [**r/startups**](https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/) **wants to hear what you're working on!** Tell us about your startup in a comment within this submission. Follow this template: ===================================================================================== * **Startup Name / URL** * **Location of Your Headquarters** * Let people know where you are based for possible local networking with you and to share local resources with you * **Elevator Pitch/Explainer Video** * **More details:** * What life cycle stage is your startup at? (reference the stages below) * Your role? * **What goals are you... 2 0 replies
The Importance of Networking for Startups As a startup founder, you're likely aware that networking plays a crucial role in your journey. Not only can it help you secure funding and partners, but also provide valuable connections and expertise to overcome common challenges. However, many startups struggle with balancing their time between running the business and attending networking events. How do you prioritize networking as a startup founder? What strategies have worked for you? 5 1 replies
The Pros and Cons of Starting a Startup When considering starting a startup, it's essential to weigh the pros against the cons. On one hand, entrepreneurship can be incredibly fulfilling, allowing you to turn your passion into a career. However, startups often come with significant financial risks, long working hours, and uncertain outcomes.Would you like to share your experiences or insights on this topic? Have any of our community members successfully navigated the startup world? What advice would you give to those just starting out? 1 1 replies
Bootstrapping vs Funding: What's the Best Way to Launch a Startup? As entrepreneurs, we're often faced with the decision of whether to bootstrap our startup or seek funding from investors. Both options have their pros and cons, but which one is best? Let's discuss! How do you think bootstrapping versus seeking funding affects a startup's growth and success? 2 1 replies
What are some key factors to consider when developing a business plan for a startup? Hello fellow entrepreneurs! As we know, having a solid business plan is crucial for any startup's success. I'd love to hear from you all - what are some essential factors that you think should be considered when creating a business plan? Is it market research, financial projections, team building, or something else entirely? 1 1 replies
The Impact of Funding on Startup Success When it comes to startup success, funding is a crucial aspect that can make or break a business. A well-placed investment can provide the necessary capital to scale and grow, while insufficient funds can hinder progress. But what's the ideal amount of funding for a startup? Is too much funding actually beneficial? Let's discuss! 1 1 replies
The Benefits of Founding a Startup During an Economic Downturn Many entrepreneurs are hesitant to start their businesses during times of economic uncertainty. However, I'd like to propose the opposite - that founding a startup during an economic downturn can actually be beneficial. With fewer established companies competing for resources, startups have more opportunities to innovate and disrupt existing markets. Additionally, governments often implement policies to stimulate growth during these periods, providing access to funding and other support systems. What are some of your experiences with starting or working at a startup during challenging economic times? 2 1 replies
