YCombinator
I just got back from YCombinator’s first demo day here in San Francisco. Perhaps this is perfectly obvious to everyone else, but I think entrepreneurial ideas fall into a few general categories. The higher-listed items are generally easier to find opportunities:
- Friction: Rendering easy an existing task that is harder than it could be. (anyvite)
- Tools: Filling an identifiable void in the market. (backtype)
- Disruptive: Redefining an established business with a fundamentally new approach. (Frogmetrics)
- New: Creating the first generation in an altogether new field.
I would like this list to be more non-overlapping (disruptive & new can be the same) and I may add some new categories. Nonetheless, it functions quite well. The best of this year’s YC startups can easily identify with one of these categories. The less promising ones, I believe, are solving a friction too small.
