Want VC Funding? Build in Public
Hey Indiehackers!
The sun is shining, the VC market's still on fire, and according to our Twitter feeds, y'all have been dishing out some juicy startup ideas this week.
Quick reminder: if you're booking a summer vacay this month, don't just choose the Airbnbs with the best wifi to stay on top of the freshest ideas. Focus on soaking up quality time with the kids first, then if you have time, poke around for ideas later. 😏
Today's round-up will show you a few moves to score a piece of that hot VC deal flow we've been reading about. So fill up your Aeropress, cc the summer interns and let's dive in. ☕️
🛠 Stop Waiting, Start Buildin'
We all know that angel investors are always looking for great ideas. The trouble is booking a meeting with them. Well, what if instead of sliding into their DMs, you flipped the script? Take a listen:
Today Kernal has over 5,000 founders and investors just waiting for their next 100x investment. Why not focus on building ideas in public instead of chasing meetings with suits that don't care about the merit of a good startup idea?
To help you out, here are some strategies we'd recommend:
🌱 Keyword Search for Reputable Investors
Need to find smart investors to pitch your idea to? No sweat. Stop digging through 100+ AngelList profiles that have never updated their projects and try browsing the posters or commenters behind the top ideas on Kernal.
Their engagement will show what they care about, how they think and what sort of ideas spark their interest. Once you have that information sorted, go and swing for the fences.
Bonus: If you have a niche you want to narrow down on like "podcasts, SaaS or marketing" the same rules apply. Type 'er in the search and presto: you'll find an investor match quicker than tinder.
🌱 Review Users' Latest Projects
By checking out someone's profile, you can review their ideas, follower count and profile link as a way of researching their background.
By clicking on Tiffany Zhong's background, you can find the startup she's building, Islands.xyz, but also her whole list of ideas, comments and up-votes. If you wanna stand out, leave your first comment or send her a message that you’ve done your homework.
🌱 Help Others with Recent Startup Ideas
Need to find someone that's a natural storyteller, clever product builder or well versed in the no-code industry? Don't let them tell you in an interview, just read over their latest engagement on the Kernal platform.
Take Alexis Grant for example. By checking out her profile, you can tell that she's:
- well-positioned in the media space
- has a thread of social good baked into her ideas
- and inspires quite a few comments from the Kernal audience
Better than Indeed? I think so. Easier to build a value-aligned relationship with your next investor or co-founder? You better believe it. 🔑
TL;DR:
Reverse-engineer who you wanna meet
Sort people and projects by keywords to save time
Track past ideas, comments and history to stay relevant
Genuinely care about helping others and they'll care about helping you
Now for the goods:
⚒ Featured Startup Ideas to Build
Got a startup idea getting stale in your Moleskine? Post it here, upload a photo and we'll feature it next week.
- Shopping Without The Spam
A Chrome extension that manages all sign-ups and marketing emails (e.g., “Join to Save 20%!) when shopping online so you get the deals but not the spam. Three major benefits: 1. Declutters your personal inbox because all shopping/marketing emails go to the browser extension 2. Protects your privacy… read more
- Crypto LinkedIn by Dharmesh Shah
There’s a lot of noise on LinkedIn and it’s hard to connect with the right opportunities. Imagine using LinkedIn with a crypto spin similar to BitClout. - Instead of following people, you could buy their coin to support their work- Instead of inMailing people (paying LinkedIn to message CEOs), you… read more
- “Speed dating” for startup partners
Networking and relationship-building in the startup world is challenging for new founders, builders, and growers, especially in locations other than SF, NY, etc. This app would match potential partners, engineers, marketers, designers, etc. with users that have an idea, funding, or whatever. read more
- Accountability groups for developers
This is for developers who want to make progress towards something for 30 days while having a small community to support them. We put people in small groups (6-8 people) in a private chat on Telegram. The only rule is that you must post at least one update per day and the groups run for 30 days. read more
- The #1 job aggregator for all-things Blockchain
A simple daily aggregator that lists Blockchain roles from top employers, across tech and non-tech. Revenue model akin to remote.OK:1) Grow an email list and have sponsored listings from employers2) Set fee to post a job on the site (Current link is to a light-weight no-code MVP) Read more
That’s it for today’s round up of startup ideas. Liked the deep dive? Let me know on twitter @joelshansen or drop me an email at [email protected].
Have any advice or feedback that could make the ideas stronger? Drop it in a comment below and I'll send it over to the creator to get in touch.
Want to submit a startup idea to be featured in the next round-up? Sign up to be a Kernal member with this link.
Thank you to Seth King for editing this piece.
Catch ya next week 👋🏼
