IDEA #1 | STARTUP

Unread Email Summarizer ✉️

Left on unread

1. Problem/Opportunity❓

So, which one are you?

In the red corner we’ve got “inbox zero”, someone who can’t let a single email go , is terrified of missing out on something important and normally isn’t that fun at parties. Then in the blue corner we’ve got “inbox infinity.” This is the person you’ve been trying to reach for 2 days without reply. Do they give sh*t? Absolutely not. Their chaotic approach to their inbox mirrors the chaos on their life.

Now there’s probably some deep rooted psychological explanation as to why some people need their inbox at 0, where others’ have more unread emails than P Diddy’s had name changes.

But who cares. Let’s talk about business opportunity.

If you happen to be someone who lets their unread emails rack up you could end up missing something important.

I once missed an email from a Nigerian Prince who badly needed money. I really hope Prince Wajabi is doing ok.

So let’s build a tool to solve this very problem.

2. Solution ✅

Here’s the idea…create a tool which reads through someone’s unread emails and summarizes any key information that they need to know.

The tool would look for key words which signal that an email is important. This could then be sent to the user as an email (which of course…they could leave on read, creating a vicious cycle) or it could be its own separate app for users. Sending another email to someone who doesn’t read emails may not work out too well.

Over time with more and more data you could create a model which will get better at identifying important information.

3. Business Model 🏦

Go-to-market: start by finding some email ignorers to test the tool for both how useful it is and how accurate it is at finding important information.

Monetisation: charge users a small subscription fee, or sell to enterprises and charge them for their employees to use it

Startup Costs: depending on your technical chops you may be able to do this without raising any money.

4. How You’ll Get Rich 💰

Depending on how widespread this gets used it could be a small micro-saas, or if it could picked up by corporations and some good traction you could get a modest exit to an email service provider.

IDEA #2 | STARTUP

Copy Trip 🛫

Good travellers copy, great travellers steal

1. Problem/Opportunity❓

Many of us dream of living the influencer life.

Jet-setting around the world, getting paid to shill random crap to your fans, inevitably saying something unhinged and getting cancelled.

The influencer life is not a career, it’s a calling.

But seriously, love them or hate them influencers actually do influence us.

Take travel influencers. Sure they get up to some weird sh*t.

But invariably when we see them in an exotic destination we can’t help but want to do a similar trip, as long as our bank accounts will allow it.

So why not build a platform which takes advantage of this fact?

2. Solution ✅

Here’s the idea…create a platform which allows influencers to share the details of their travels so their fans can copy their trips.

Influencers sign up for the platform and select what they did for the trip in as much detail as they want, from where they stayed to what activities they did to where they ate. They could either update their trip in real time as they’re in different locations or, if they want to avoid sharing where they are in real time, they can post once the trip is over.

They then link to the trip on their instagram posts or stories and fans can then see the details of their trips and either fully copy it or do a similar trip.

Within the app you could offer the ability to book in to the same accommodation or activities as the influencer, or suggest cheaper locations if someone wants to do a similar trip but on a lower budget.

The business would earn a commission or affiliate revenue when bookings are made and there would be a revenue share agreement with influencers on the platform since they’re driving users to the platform.

This is fundamentally a travel booking platform using influencer’s trips as a starting point. To take it to the next level you could implement an AI agent which, when prompted, would suggest a trip within constraints set by the user such as their budget and book the entire trip for them.

3. Business Model 🏦

Go-to-market: start by working with one travel influencer to allow fans to copy their trips, then expand to more

Monetisation: charge a commission on reservations made through the platform

Startup Costs: you may need to raise a small seed round to get going here

4. How You’ll Get Rich 💰

In the travel technology sector, revenue multiples can range from 2x to 6x or more, so the goal here would be to exit to a large travel platform like booking.com.

JUST THE TIP

Farmer to Ferrari Competitor

Lamborghinis have grown to become the ultimate status symbol online, so much so that influencers rent them out or photoshop themselves into pictures with them to peddle their shitty online courses.

But the history of Lamborghini is incredibly interesting.

Ferruccio Lamborghini was a genius mechanic in Modena, a small town in Italy. Ferruccio started making tractors using parts from discarded military vehicles and through his renowned he was a name to reckon with in the tractor business in the 1960s.

He loved cars passionately and owned a Maserati and a Ferrari. However, he always felt these cars could be much better.

He once had an issue with his Ferrari 250 GT and went to see Enzo Ferrari whose factory was nearby. Enzo Ferrari dismissed his complaint saying the issue was with the “farmer” driving the car and not the car.

Ferruccio was furious with this insult and vowed to make a car that would beat the Ferrari one day.

Thus, Automobili Lamborghini was born, which has been a pain in Ferrari’s side for decades now.

But what’s the lesson here?