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by @levelsio



Instead Startup Ideas



1 year ago

A startup that helps restaurants and bars display their offerings in real time, instead of one menu at a time.

208
3 months ago

A turnkey payment processing platform for online businesses. Instead of a bank’s monthly fee, they charge a flat fee based on the size of the transaction.

201
2 years ago

The founders of this startup are trying to create a new kind of credit card that can be used across multiple merchants, instead of different cards for different merchants.

199
2 years ago

A tool to make choosing a car insurance a little easier. Instead of filling out forms, traditional agents have a choice to make a few basic questions.

194
3 years ago

A mobile app that helps a person use a credit card that does not have a magnetic stripe. Instead, it uses a special card reader that reads the information on the card, and sends it to the app.

193
11 months ago

The idea here is to build a platform similar to UberPool, where users can choose to share rides with strangers instead of getting a taxi. It’s meant to be a sort of last-mile transportation.

176
1 year ago

A product that helps employees keep track of their expenses and support their company instead of losing money to waste.

172
3 years ago

A new way for companies to pay employees, using a rewards-based system with no cash transfers. The company instead creates a digital savings account for employees, allowing them to track their earnings and also cashing out the money when they leave.

168
3 years ago

The startup is building a service that they describe as “the Uber of air travel”. It replaces the “front-end” that users deal with when they book a flight and instead of a travel agent, will connect them directly with an itinerary.

167
1 year ago

A financial wellness platform that is designed to help people take control of their finances, instead of leaving it to a broker.

167
3 years ago

A credit card for the underbanked. It eschews traditional bank systems and instead relies on direct deposit.

166
2 years ago

A way of paying for services with cryptocurrency instead of fiat.

163
3 years ago

A startup that’s building a business platform for people who want to monetize their own social media content and make money instead of just getting paid to post it.

157
1 year ago

helps companies “explore the digital possibilities” of their products and services. Instead of helping businesses discover new markets, the startup wants to help them find new products to sell.

157
11 months ago

A startup that makes a website’s code live in its own browser, instead of using a mobile app.

156
1 year ago

A new way of paying for groceries. Instead of swiping a credit card, shoppers use their phones to scan a QR code for payment and a receipt.

152
3 years ago

Slack is a project management and chat platform for teams and groups. Slack builds software as a service (SaaS) products, which are web-based applications that companies or organizations can use instead of having to install or maintain software on their own computer.

149
3 years ago

A startup that promises to be the next Uber for the taxi industry. Instead of incentivizing drivers by paying them directly, they’ll pay the driver’s customer base.

148
3 years ago

A startup that wants to make it easier for businesses to build their own online store. Instead of a lengthy process of building an e-commerce site themselves, the startup will make it easy for a business to buy in to a pre-built site.

148
3 years ago

A new way to book travel. Instead of booking a flight, the travel planning app lets users plan their trip route and pick the times they want to travel.

148
3 years ago

A new kind of payment system that allows taxi owners to compete with Uber and Lyft. Instead of needing to call a dispatcher, riders can hail a cab in real-time and pay directly through the app.

147
3 years ago

A tool for software designers to create new apps in minutes instead of days.

147
2 years ago

A new type of restaurant that delivers meals, but instead of ordering food online, you get to pick it up at a store. The app will be available in the next few months.

142
2 years ago

A startup that wants to solve the “capital management” problem for enterprise software startups. Instead of companies managing all of their own financial resources, they plan to provide a service that helps startups manage their capital, paying for those resources as needed.

142
1 year ago

A startup for buying and selling used cars. Instead of a dealership, the business connects buyers with sellers. The startup wants to make vehicle buying easier, with an app that helps streamline the process.

142
3 years ago

A tool to help people use their spare screen space for apps, instead of always having to share with a partner or family member.

141
3 years ago

A platform for pharmaceuticals that wants to be the Uber for drug distribution. Instead of having to find a distributor, the startup wants to connect patients directly with pharmacies that can provide them with medicines.

140
2 months ago

This app was supposed to help people schedule doctors’ appointments and manage their health records, but instead it was used by a large portion of the population to cheat on taxes.

140
3 years ago

It’s a “smart” alarm clock that can only be used once, so it only has to wake up once. The company also has a “smart” alarm clock that can only be used once, but it also has a mute button. The company also has another alarm clock that can be used instead.

138
3 years ago

A startup that wants to build a “pay it forward” model, where people volunteer to pay for others’ purchases in the name of “paying it forward”. It’s a bit like the Amazon Dash, but with the automatic donation of the $5 to the cashier instead of the Amazon account.

138
3 years ago

Unbounce isn’t selling directly to customers, but instead to small agencies and marketers that want to hire them to do their advertising.

135
3 years ago

This startup is building a way to help farmers market their products without the hassle of selling via a big, impersonal store. Instead, farmers can have a more intimate and less expensive selling experience when selling directly to the consumer.

135
3 years ago

A startup that wants to take the friction out of the process of purchasing a home. Instead of going through a bank, you can do all the paperwork online.

135
3 years ago

A startup that wants to help businesses create video marketing content inside of a Slack channel instead of a separate app or website.

134
3 years ago

The company operates in a similar fashion to Uber, but instead of driving people around, it takes shoppers to retailers. Shoppers use the app to locate stores and their location, then use the app to walk into shops and purchase items.

134
1 year ago

A new take on Slack chat bots, which have been a big part of Slack’s growth. Instead of just repeating back what you type, it learns from you and adapts to your behavior.

134
3 years ago

In theory, this company can help retailers build better loyalty programs for their customers. Instead of rewarding customers with discounts and other perks, this startup says it can help retailers build loyalty programs that allow customers to earn rewards and discounts based on how often they visit the store.

133
1 year ago

A food delivery app that departs from the usual model, charging for delivery to non-customers. Instead of waiting for a customer to order, you can order from a restaurant from the app and have it delivered. The startup is currently in the pilot phase.

133
3 years ago

A remote-work solution for business partners and freelancers, letting them work from anywhere. It’s a sort of “Uber for freelancers”, and is based on the idea that most clients don’t want to hire someone for a long-term gig, but instead need someone to tackle a project for a few days or a week at a time.

132
3 years ago

A startup that wants to bring a similar UI to the world of online banking, except that instead of generic banks, the startup offers a wide array of financial products.

130
3 years ago

A “digital concierge” that helps users personalize their own homes. Instead of searching around for different products, users can ask their digital concierge to come up with ideas and send them to the user.

129
3 years ago

A software tool that lets companies own and manage the cloud infrastructure they buy, instead of relying on vendors.

128
3 years ago

This is an alternative to the standard subscription model for software. Instead of buying software and only using it, it allows companies to buy access to the software for a set number of uses over a year, and then the software is deactivated once the period is up.

128
4 months ago

Fathom is a company that is making it easier to connect people with people who can help their ideas come to life. The company offers an alternative to the traditional approach of cold-calling people, instead offering a “media service” in the form of a “virtual assistant” that handles the follow-up.

128
2 years ago

This mobile payments company is building the technology that allows companies to collect payments on their apps through Apple Pay, Samsung Pay or other mobile payment options, instead of sending out checks or cash.

127
3 years ago

A startup that helps you create customized “sampler packs” of music. The startup wants to build an algorithm that lets users produce personalized mixes, or albums, without the need to upload music. Instead, users create a “profile” of songs and artists they like, and the system then chooses other songs the user likes and creates an album, including tracklists. The service is currently free, with plans starting at $5 per month for premium features.

126
3 years ago

A startup that is building a platform for mobile phone companies and carriers to provide their services on the open web and in mobile applications, instead of requiring people to download an app.

123
3 years ago

A startup that uses text messaging to help people who are sick or at risk of infection simply call in and connect with a nurse or other professional for a chat, instead of having to go to the doctor’s office.

123
3 years ago

A tool for tracking and analyzing an employee’s travel (could be useful for HR to track which employees are spending all their time flying somewhere instead of working).

123
1 year ago

In the next several years, traditional brick and mortar stores might start to be replaced by online shops, like Zara and H&M. But instead of going to an actual store and waiting in line, online shoppers can order and pick up products from home in mere minutes. Joy is building a way for online stores to connect with customers and handle inventory for them, giving shoppers with no employees the experience of shopping in person.

122
3 years ago

A company that helps online retailers “persuade” a customer to buy from them instead of their competitors. It uses algorithms to determine where the customer is in the buying cycle, and tailors a message to the customer so that they’ll click through to their website.

121
8 months ago

This startup is building a platform to help Indian businesses dismiss their employees. Instead of sending a letter, you pay to have a letter that says you’re firing someone sent by email.

121
1 year ago

A startup that makes smart contracts more usable by creating a visual editor, the startup’s founders say, a way to visually build out the functionality of a smart contract instead of just a programming language.

120
3 years ago

This company is building a chat-based social network for enthusiasts that aims to allow users to share their experiences and advice with each other, like Reddit or Quora. It’s a spin on the social media platform idea: instead of frequent posts from celebrities, the goal is to get your friends to post about their experiences and thoughts.

118
3 years ago

A crowdfunding website with a different twist. Currently popular in the UK, the platform allows users to use online loans for funding instead of just credit cards.

117
3 years ago

A startup that gives away stock instead of cash to startups when they want to accelerate their growth.

115
3 years ago

A credit card that rewards its customers for giving back to the community. Instead of paying a flat fee for the credit card, customers are charged based on the number of points they earn for charitable donations.

114
2 years ago

A white-label company that sells customer data to insurance companies, but the startup says the data it offers is less than what a company buying data from a broker would pay for. Instead of buying a person’s data from a broker, Vitality starts with a person’s data from 3rd party sources and helps them create a profile.

114
11 months ago

A platform that allows businesses to manage their sales and marketing on the same platform, instead of having to manage them separately. This can help businesses see what campaigns are working, or which new ones to run.

114
3 years ago

A distributed team management system that moves employees to a new team instead of firing them.

112
3 years ago

A mobile app that focuses on the experience of the user, instead of the device.

112
3 years ago

A startup for freelance writers, editors, and translators. The startup is in its pre-launch phase, but has already sold $3,000 worth of services. It’s not a traditional marketplace, instead relying on a closed community of writers and translators who are all working on the same project.

111
1 year ago

A startup that is building a platform to help book travel in a new way — instead of searching for flights and hotels, you’ll search for experiences. The startup is partnering with hotels, attractions, and others to build a better experience for travelers looking to do something unique.

111
3 years ago

A hardware startup that’s building a way for software to run on physical products, such as a keyboard or a mouse, instead of being software-only. The startup wants to create a device that can connect to a computer and transform a physical object into a fully-functional computer.

107
10 months ago

A startup for small businesses that want to grow their business by taking on extra projects. Instead of doing all the work themselves, you can put the work out to small contractors.

105
2 years ago

Some of the ideas listed in this section are not considered to be ideas per se but instead products in development.

102
1 year ago

A startup that wants to make it much easier for users to manage their credit cards. Instead of users having to go to multiple sites to manage their identity, they can get all of their information in one place.

102
3 years ago

A startup that helps businesses market to high school students, instead of relying on the university market.

100
2 years ago

A company that makes an app for ride sharing that gives riders pay-per-mile pricing instead of the traditional per-mile pricing.

97
2 years ago

A new way to book tickets online. Instead of booking through a travel agency or airline, the startup plans to make it easy to book and pay for your tickets through the app.

95
2 years ago

Y Combinator is not a startup accelerator in the traditional sense, as it does not provide capital, mentorship, or other startup-specific services. Instead, Y Combinator provides seed funding and office space for startups that have already been bootstrapped for over a year and a half. Y Combinator has five cohorts a year, each of which lasts for 14 weeks. Participants are required to pay for their own flights and housing, which are taken care of by Y Combinator.

94
3 years ago

 A funding platform where a company can take a “drip” approach to fundraising, instead of a full-on “spray”. It allows a company to get funding without all the hassle of pitching, negotiating, and offering equity, while still getting the full equity portion.

93
2 years ago

This startup is building an app that enables workers to schedule tasks via a mobile app instead of an email. They’re currently working on a version for freelance workers, but they’ve also written a book on how to run your business without a web presence.

91
4 months ago

The startup wants to create a better way for companies to manage their workforce’s time. Instead of using spreadsheets and other clunky tools, it wants to use a more sophisticated series of games and visualizations to make it easier to track and manage employees' time.

90
11 months ago

A new startup is trying to be a sort of digital safe deposit box for all your files. Instead of keeping your digital assets on a single cloud, on one platform, the company’s solution will keep them on as many as four different cloud platforms, and in an easy-to-access location. The company wants to replace your password-protected Dropbox, Google Drive, and iCloud accounts with a single, secure place on their platform.

89
2 years ago

A startup that helps businesses sell on Amazon. Instead of having to set up an Amazon seller’s account, the startup takes care of the legal, accounting, and shipping details.

88
2 years ago

A startup for freelancers to sell their services. It’s a bit like Upwork, but instead of freelancers posting projects, it’s employers hiring freelancers.

87
2 years ago

A tool that helps users create their own custom-built fonts with the company’s custom font editor. The startup aims to remove the need to have a designer build fonts for an application or website by allowing users to build their own instead.

87
2 years ago

A new way of paying artists, based on a kind of marketplace model. The major difference is that the company doesn’t take any commission from the artists. The startup instead takes a 30% cut as a fee for the use of the platform.

86
1 year ago

Competing with other messaging apps, Tello wants to deliver SMS and MMS messages through the WhatsApp app instead of via a phone carrier.

86
2 years ago

A financial app for students that helps colleges accept payments directly from a student’s bank account, instead of charging fees or taking checks.

85
10 months ago

They’re the first mobile app for contractors, allowing companies to pay contractors in real-time instead of waiting for the end of the month. It’s currently in beta with a few dozen companies in San Francisco.

84
2 years ago

Instead of having to manually create and manage your own social media pages, this startup is building a single platform for all your different social media accounts.

83
11 months ago

 The startup's goal is to make health tech more accessible by simplifying the experience for users. Instead of needing to learn about a piece of hardware, you can just enter your symptoms in the app and find the best patient-specific treatment for you.

83
8 months ago

The startup wants to make it easy for people to find their next job. Like LinkedIn, but for job seekers instead of employees.

82
2 years ago

A startup that wants to deliver service-oriented photo printing. Instead of printing, they are printing 3D models or scans of objects you’ve shot with your phone.

81
1 year ago

A new way of making yogurt. Instead of a starter culture, they grow the yogurt with probiotics.

81
10 months ago

A company that helps people save money on their baggage fees when flying. Instead of paying $400 for a bag, you pay $30 for a small one.

81
1 year ago

A startup that’s working on an alternative to the taxi app. Instead of calling a car to come pick you up, you call your car. The startup is working on an app that lets you call the car using a phone app, rather than having to use your phone.

80
1 year ago

This startup wants to make Snapchat contacts more useful. Instead of just sending a snap to a contact, you can send them a message and have them view it.

80
1 year ago

The startup has a new way to make a product that is more sustainable, less toxic, and less expensive. Instead of using the same old tools and materials,

80
2 years ago

A startup that wants to reverse the trend of technology companies closing manufacturing facilities in the US, and instead bring manufacturing back to the US.

79
2 years ago

A home Wi-Fi router with an app to manage it. The startup wants to provide a way to manage home routers with an app instead of the current manual process.

79
1 year ago

A B2B startup that helps “co-workers” communicate in writing instead of phone calls.

79
1 year ago

A new way to build mobile apps that allow users to drag and drop content instead of typing it out.

79
6 months ago

A startup working to create a platform for flexible work that allows for variable hours and hours, instead of fixed, static workdays.

78
2 years ago

A company that makes a tool to help companies get their payroll done faster. The platform is based on the idea of a traditional monthly payroll cycle, but instead of hiring a payroll company to handle things, companies can outsource it to a company like Payroll Master, which runs the payroll for them for a monthly fee.

76
2 years ago

A new kind of online marketplace for buying and selling used cars. Instead of going to a dealer, it's a platform where people can bid on cars and sellers can list them on the site.

76
2 years ago

This startup is building software for businesses to keep track of their expensive items, which they can then take to their local jeweler instead of paying a check out fee. They also plan to expand to offer an app that allows customers to track the location of their purchases, so they can get a full refund if the item is lost or stolen.

74
2 years ago

A company that makes a product called a “pill stop” which is a pill dispenser for people with bad backs, designed to make it easier to take pills by placing them in a container instead of a cup.

74
1 year ago

A startup for the hiring of independent contractors, who are currently forced to pay 70% of the FICA tax to the federal government. The startup wants to eliminate the tax on independent contractors, and instead pay the tax to the state.

74
3 months ago

This startup is building a platform for hosting websites and apps across multiple devices. They say they’re not trying to compete with Google or Facebook but instead use their own platform to help connect their customers to their apps.

74
2 years ago

A health insurance startup that is building a fraud detection platform. The company is building a fraud detection engine that will alert customers if their account is being fraudulently accessed, instead of the fraud being detected by fraud detection systems in the insurance company.

73
2 years ago

It’s similar to an Instagram filter app, but instead of changing your appearance, it changes the tone of your photos.

72
2 years ago

A startup that allows users to “pay” with their face instead of their phone number.

72
2 years ago

A peer-to-peer marketplace and online marketplace for exclusively selling used goods. The company wants to bring a new way to buy and sell things, but it’s not quite a marketplace. Instead, it’s a service that connects buyers with sellers, and a platform where sellers can share their goods.

71
1 year ago

This startup is exploring a new way to send money to friends and family. Instead of using traditional bank transfer, they’re using a virtual currency they call Ven. It’s made of a built-in electronic payment system that’s easy to use, and they say they can send Ven without fees.

70
1 year ago

An API that allows users to request a product to be shipped to their home and picked up by someone who works for the company instead of being shipped to a customer’s home.

70
2 years ago

A company that makes clothes that are made from yarn instead of cotton to help save the environment.

69
1 year ago

This startup is building a tool for talent acquisition. Instead of being on the phone with call centers, an employee can upload their resume, answer a few questions, and be matched with a hiring manager.

69
2 years ago

A company that makes a product called “Flex”, a flexible structural material that can be used to build buildings instead of using steel beams.

68
1 year ago

A startup that offers a new kind of savings account. Instead of storing cash in a savings account for specific purposes, such as a vacation, the user can purchase a “lifestyle account” that allows the user to save the money for recurring costs, such as monthly payments to a car loan or a credit card bill.

68
9 months ago

A startup that helps people who want to buy a home, but don’t have the money to put down a deposit. Instead, they can put down a small down payment for a mortgage and use the rest of the money to pay for the house at a later time.

68
10 months ago

A company building a “digitally-enabled” grocery store in which you can order your groceries on your phone and they’ll show up at your home instead of having to pick them up in store.

67
10 months ago

A dating app for people that “don’t want to date”. Instead, they want to socialize and network.

67
2 years ago

A cloud-based scheduling system for medical offices. The startup wants to take over scheduling for doctors, with a platform that lets doctors manage their schedules by path instead of by time.

66
1 year ago

This app is meant to help business owners make purchases of services that travel to a person’s house. Instead of making a trip to the store, you can use a smart phone app to purchase a service like a plumber or a carpenter.

66
2 years ago

A company that uses AI to detect when someone is using the internet to pay for things with their credit cards. They’re currently in the pilot phase and plan to use the results to help other companies get customers to sign up for their products instead of stealing their data.

65
1 year ago

A company that, instead of selling bikes and bike accessories, sells insurance for bikes and their accessories. The startup claims it has already signed up 100,000 customers in the UK.

65
1 year ago

A mobile app that allows people to rent out their homes instead of selling them.

65
1 year ago

“It’s an app that’s basically a search engine inside of an app. Instead of searching through Google, you search through an app.”

65
2 years ago

A startup that provides a platform for companies to pay employees via a monthly subscription instead of a one-time salary.

64
1 year ago

This startup is building a messaging app that won’t let you send a group text message, but will instead send you a notification on your phone and let you respond via an in-app message. It’s an attempt to develop more effective messaging and improve how people deal with notifications.

64
2 years ago

A cloud-based platform that allows families and businesses to forgo forking over large sums of money on software subscriptions and instead just pay for the software they use.

63
1 year ago

A platform that helps users find the right people and businesses to work with. A concept similar to LinkedIn, but instead of connecting people, it connects companies with freelancers, consultants, and talents.

63
1 year ago

A platform for on-demand laser hair removal that uses infrared light instead of lasers, making it a more affordable option.

62
2 years ago

A tool for crowdfunding on the blockchain, where the funds are held in a wallet, instead of a bank or payment processor, and can be transferred to multiple investors.

61
2 years ago

A startup that wants to move from the “iPhone to the iPhone”. Instead of building apps for the iPhone itself, they’re building specialized apps for all of the things you can do with an iPhone. For example, they recently launched an app that lets you control your Nest thermostat with your iPhone and use it as a webcam.

61
10 months ago

A company that wants to offer an alternative to the traditional way of buying insurance. Instead of taking a chance on a new product, people can buy a plan and get a better idea of what their costs would be.

61
6 months ago

A start-up that wants to help people in India or other third-world countries get a bank account and credit card. Instead of a bank account, they want to offer a virtual one.

61
2 years ago

This company offers a service that helps businesses skip the expensive installation and setup work of virtualization and server management, and instead offer managed service options.

60
1 year ago

These guys want to convince you to stop buying toilet paper and start buying their product instead.

60
1 year ago

People are frustrated by the fact that they have to manage multiple credit cards, bank accounts, and current accounts, so Connect is offering a new way to connect all your accounts with one mobile app so you can do one thing with them instead of dozens.

59
1 year ago

A company that allows people to sell their used cars without having to sell them themselves, instead allowing some sort of intermediary to do it for them.

59
1 year ago

No one wants to move their personal data to a new cloud provider. Instead, they want to keep their existing data in the cloud, but have the peace of mind that comes from an enterprise-grade, multi-tenant infrastructure. This startup wants to help businesses do just that with a software-as-a-service platform that takes care of the infrastructure so they can focus on their product.

58
1 year ago

The startup’s headline feature is a website that allows you to create a four-digit passcode to share with others, instead of asking for their phone number. The company says they’re seeing traction with that feature, though they’ve also built an app that allows you to share with others your phone number, instead.

58
9 months ago

A company that helps people sell their houses using a mobile app. Instead of just paying a realtor, users can put their house on the market and pay rent to the app. Once a buyer is found, the house can be sold quickly, and the buyer can then buy it.

58
1 year ago

A startup for showing you all of your favorite movies on YouTube. The idea here is to provide the functionality of a movie database, but in a more consumer-friendly way that caters to those who aren’t looking to start watching movies, but instead just want to know what movies are coming out that are worthwhile.

56
2 years ago

A startup that aims to make it easier for small business owners to have a storefront presence on the internet. Instead of opening a website the company works with businesses to have a simple storefront integrated into their existing business.

55
1 year ago

This is a startup that allows companies to set up and manage their own online campaigns. Instead of creating an ad and selling it to an agency, you can create a campaign and sell it to a customer.

55
1 year ago

A startup that helps companies get paid faster by letting employees request payments from their companies instead of having to wait for checks to arrive.

55
1 year ago

This startup lets people unlock the Internet with the wave of their hand. It’s like a WiFi-enabled and Bluetooth-enabled pair of glasses, but instead of tracking your eye movements, it tracks your hand movements.

55
1 year ago

This startup is building a service for B2B companies that allows them to create contracts in minutes, instead of in hours or days.

55
1 year ago

A person can’t buy domain names any more. So instead they can go to a URL registrar like GoDaddy and buy a name pair like “www.airlines.com”. The startup is taking names in the .com, .net, .org, .us and .gov TLDs and buying them up in bulk with the idea that it can then resell them at a premium.

55
1 year ago

A brand new payment platform for small businesses that don’t want to give credit card companies a cut. Instead of taking a percentage, the payment is split up between the merchant and the customer.

55
1 year ago

Our team is trying to disrupt the world of product development by creating a platform that allows startups to focus on great product ideas instead of building the product itself.

54
1 year ago

A startup that operates like a music studio but instead of a recording studio, they have a classroom setting where children learn to play traditional instruments

54
11 months ago

A startup for event planners, meaning that instead of organizers having to find venues, they can say “I’m hiring for this event” and then have a venue finder come to the organizer and match them with the best space.

54
1 year ago

A platform that helps companies manage the customer relationship with their customer data. It’s a customer growth platform for startups, but it’s not about helping customers learn about the business, instead, it’s about helping companies keep track of the data they have on customers, and making it easy to analyze and reach out to them and use those insights to grow their business.

53
1 year ago

A tool for web designers that makes adding CSS and JavaScript to the web super easy, letting them focus on their designs instead of code.

53
2 months ago

A startup that’s creating a new type of home security system that doesn’t use a key or a fob. Instead, the startup uses a smartphone app to arm and disarm a system that uses an algorithm to watch for intruders.

53
1 year ago

The founders of this app want to build a tool for managing digital feedback. Instead of emailing feedback to a manager or leaving a comment on a blog post, users can send feedback directly to a specific employee, and the app’s smart algorithms will automatically highlight the most important parts of each comment so the employee can see it, reply to it, and move on without having to read through unnecessary comments.

52
1 year ago

A platform for startup founders to raise capital in a new way. Their pitch is that their platform is bringing transparency and efficiency to angel investing. Instead of a typical deal where a startup founder gets 50% of the company’s future equity, they offer equity up front as well as a stake in the company’s future profits.

52
1 year ago

 A new way to pay for coffee. Instead of paying for a cup of coffee with cash, consumers can enter their credit card information to pay for their coffee and the coffee shop will take care of the rest. The product is as a credit card payment processing platform, and the company claims that “millions” of coffee shops are already using Credit Card Coffee.

52
1 year ago

Instead of using a team of people to go and measure your house, the founders of Wallflower have created a system that helps you take photographs of the interior of your house that you can post to social media with just the push of a button.

51
1 year ago

This is a text messaging app that lets you call and text your friends and family directly from your phone. It’s like the Snapchat app, only instead of sharing photos or videos, it’s sharing texts. The startup makes money by charging a small percentage of the transaction.

51
1 year ago

A company helping the elderly and disabled to stay in their homes, instead of nursing homes

51
1 year ago

A company that assists small, local businesses obtain loans. The company doesn’t lend money itself, but instead works with other lenders to provide them with the data they need to be able to make their own loan decisions.

50
1 year ago

A personal fitness tracking app. The startup believes they can be the Uber of fitness tracking. Instead of having to choose between a gym membership or buying a fitness tracker, they want to make the process seamless.

50
1 year ago

A startup that helps developers prioritize and track their projects. Instead of a long list of tasks, developers can create multiple tasks that run in parallel, with the app keeping track of their order. Other startups in the space include Asana, Basecamp and Trello.

50
1 year ago

A startup that wants to take the “ieatcookies” concept of delivery startups, and instead focus on food delivery for people with diabetes. The company’s founders say that in the past year they’ve already seen over 3 million “clicks” on their website.

50
1 year ago

A startup provider, where subscribers can get their hands on a curated list of products based on their preferences, instead of having to sift through so many options.

50
1 year ago

This startup is trying to create an alternative to VC funding. Instead of taking a piece of equity, investors pay a fee that is locked in for the entire life of the company.

50
1 year ago

 A CPG startup making a product called "Coffee.io" that uses the same smartphone-based sensor technology as Fitbit, but with coffee instead of steps.

50
1 year ago

“Find a product or service that fits your needs and create a custom experience in minutes instead of days or weeks.” The company will automatically match users with the best online seller or service.

49
1 year ago

Telematic is an online distribution platform that turns any online-based seller into an actual physical retail store. It’s a bit like Overstock or Ebay or Amazon, but instead of buying an item through an online-based website, you can actually buy the item in a physical store. The company was founded in 2016.

49
1 year ago

Instead of having to buy an expensive hardware device to measure your blood pressure, they’re going to come out with a $10 smartphone app that works off of a few sensors. The startup aims to reduce the cost of healthcare by getting more people to use the device.

49
11 months ago

This startup wants to bring the same transparency that’s made credit scores a consumer product to the finance industry. Instead of having to go to your bank every time you want to see how your credit is doing, you can keep track online. The company is privately held.

49
9 months ago

Say goodbye to the physical shopping cart. Instead, this startup is using the phone’s GPS and cameras to track an item’s journey and build a shopping list, which is later synced to a digital shopping list.

49
8 months ago

A way for developers to create more seamlessly integrated apps. Instead of having to use a bunch of different APIs, developers can build an app that has a single API that can be used by multiple platforms.

49
3 months ago

A fashion company that sells “traditional” pieces that aren’t made of plastic. Instead, the products are made of natural materials like cotton, silk and raffia.

49
9 months ago

A healthcare startup that wants to help biotech companies test new drug combinations in mice, instead of relying on elite clinical trials. The startup uses 2D and 3D cell cultures to test the effects of possible drug combinations on the mice.

48
7 months ago

A tool that helps people get a credit score from different lenders, instead of using their traditional credit report.

48
2 years ago

A startup that helps businesses automate the process of reaching out to customers and prospects. Instead of using a “cold call”, which is risky and has a 50% failure rate, companies use a “warm call” that is more successful and costs less.

47
1 year ago

A simple method to avoid the hassle of making cold calls to candidates and instead let a company’s own hiring managers and recruiters interview candidates.

47
1 year ago

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a technology that has been around for a while. RPA is software that runs the work of a specific job, like a bank teller or a stock trader, instead of a person. The goal is to free up people to do other tasks while allowing businesses to free up IT resources.

47
1 year ago

A startup that’s looking to build a new type of digital currency that’s backed by an asset instead of by a bank or government.

47
9 months ago

A startup that’s building a platform intended to bring more control and customization to the world of laundry detergent. Instead of having to buy the same product over and over again, users can create their own formulas for specific applications.

47
4 months ago

Android users are often told to delete the app to fix a bug or to update it. But this startup aims to make keeping an app on your phone more manageable. Instead of just deleting the app, what if you could just set it to “do nothing” That way, you can still use it but it won’t be draining your battery or sucking up data.

47
1 year ago

A pay-as-you-go carpool network that lets you share your car instead of buying one outright.

46
8 months ago

With YC’s latest batch, they’ve reduced the number of people accepted into the program to 20, down from 23. The startups have also opted out of their previous program model, in which they accepted a number of companies and invested in all but one, and instead will only accept one company in the summer (with the possibility of two in the winter).

46
1 year ago

InstaPay is a payment company looking to do something a little less familiar. Instead of charging users a flat fee or percentage, InstaPay charges businesses a percentage of their purchase sales, so they can make money even when they’re buying things they don’t need.

45
1 year ago

Users can send and receive money using the app but want to spend it on apps or other items. Instead, they can use the app to pay people directly, without going through a merchant.

45
8 months ago

This startup is building a platform for drop shipping, but for retailers. DropShip is a platform for retailers to easily provide dropshipping services for other retailers. It’s a new type of platform that doesn’t take any inventory, but instead allows retailers to provide dropshipping services for other retailers.

45
8 months ago

This startup is building a way for people to exchange money via offline stores. Users scan QR codes on the products and the startup takes care of the logistics. The company wants to change the way people pay for things by using their phones instead of cash or credit cards.

45
2 months ago

A startup that wants to build a better way to manage and organize documents. The company wants to build a system for managing documents and files similar to Dropbox, but for documents instead of pictures.

45
7 months ago

A startup that helps people make giftcards more liquid. It’s like a gift card exchange, but instead of paying a fee, you get the cash back.

44
4 months ago

This is a new type of financial instrument that rewards you for your purchasing decisions. Instead of paying out the full amount of what you spent on a certain product, you get a percentage back, depending on the rating of the product.

43
1 year ago

A way for the most recent version of documents in a company to be accessible via the web instead of email.

42
3 years ago

A startup that allows you to transfer funds from a card (like a credit card or bank card) to a bank account using an API (application programming interface) instead of a physical card

41
1 year ago

A college admissions platform that was pitched as “LinkedIn for colleges,” but with a twist: instead of looking for professional connections, the company’s users are looking for school connections. The company claims to have over 1,000 users and is looking to grow from there.

41
1 year ago

WeChat is a messaging app popular in China that’s being developed by a company that’s not even based in China, instead choosing to base itself in Hong Kong. The app is similar to Whatsapp, but with a focus on shopping and gaming.

41
6 months ago

The VCs have been called out for valuing companies based on the idea rather than the execution. They’ve also been criticized for the size of the checks they write - instead of the usual $1-5M checks, they’re going bigger — more than $20M at times.

40
3 years ago

A startup that provides a service where people can book a room to stay in for a night like AirBnb but instead of an entire house it’s just a room

39
1 year ago

A new way for businesses to advertise on their website, instead of selling their ad space on a third-party platform.

39
1 year ago

A platform for software developers to sell their code, but instead of just paying them, the company pays the developer for their time and expertise.

39
5 months ago

A startup that is developing a new type of fuel cell that uses water instead of air. The fuel cell will be 58% more efficient than the current leading technology.

39
11 months ago

A startup with a very unusual (but interesting) business model. Instead of charging a monthly fee, Mattermark sells itself as a kind of “product research service” to customers, who pay when they find an investment-worthy stock.

38
1 year ago

A micro-lending startup that sets its own timelines for loan funding, instead of waiting for customers to have their credit histories evaluated by traditional banks.

37
8 months ago

A tool that allows users to create a single destination for all of their online wishlists, enabling them to save time by only having to check one place instead of multiple ones across multiple platforms.

37
1 year ago

A way to create personalized “games” using a database of user behavior and the users themselves. Instead of showing a player a pre-determined experience, it shows them a mixture of content and their own data, allowing them to create their own personalized experience.

36
1 year ago

A P2P vetinary clinic that aims to break away from the traditional vetinary model by avoiding the vetinary practice of selling a vetinary service for a fixed price. They want to sell services based on a vetinary’s experience and reputation, instead.

36
11 months ago

This startup is looking to build a platform for online real estate investing (so you can invest in properties you want to own instead of renting out your apartment) with the goal of enabling anyone to be an investor (even if you don’t have a lot of money).

36
3 months ago

Yuppie, a service that gives people with little disposable income the opportunity to spend money on experiences instead of things.

36
7 months ago

 "Once you have your seed funding it's important to have a strategy. I think we need to build an innovative bank. Instead of a bank, we are building a program. We have a program that is focused on building a new financial system for the country. We need to build the smartest bank in the country."

35
6 months ago

A brand-new startup that’s pitching a new way to buy and sell things online. The startup says it’s different from other marketplaces because it’s not focused on one particular category of items, but instead on a whole range of things like books, games, and even pets.

35
7 months ago

A tool used by teachers and parents to help organize and plan after-school activities. Instead of tracking each child, the company uses the school calendar to automatically track kids attending different activities and then creates plans for parents based on the kids’ interests and availability.

34
1 year ago

A startup that wants to help advertisers and marketers build out email campaigns and see the results of those campaigns in real-time, instead of relying on a separate tool.

33
6 months ago

A “credit score for the world” for 90% of the world’s remittance flows. Instead of relying on a single credit score, which may differ depending on where you live, IDream ventures wants to provide a global score that’s the same regardless of country.

33
1 month ago

A mobile platform that builds, distributes, and promotes content that has nothing to do with sports or celebrities, but instead helps people connect with their community.

32
1 year ago

A company that aims to make a solar power panel that charges up in the middle of the day and stores the excess energy overnight. Instead of a battery, it’s integrated with the home power grid and uses solar energy to charge a battery bank.

30
1 year ago

A tool that helps people create products that can be purchased through their site. It’s like a marketplace but instead of buying products, you’re offering them to people as a service. It’s a model similar to TaskRabbit or Uber.

30
8 months ago

 A platform that helps companies run events in-house. This is a company built on the premise that the event industry has been the victim of commoditization from companies like Eventbrite and Ticketmaster, and that event producers who work with companies skimp on costs to try to compete. Instead, Eventbrite should be able to offer a more powerful and flexible platform for people to book events.

30
8 months ago

A company that’s building a version of Amazon Go that works with a smartphone instead of an RFID chip. It uses NFC, QR codes, and a geofence.

30
4 months ago

Pitchfork is a food delivery app that works like UberEats, but instead of food, you’re getting a curated package of music (from artists like Father John Misty and Run the Jewels).

30
3 years ago

A startup that creates a service for helping people with their resume The startup helps people get their resume on the top of the pile instead of the bottom

27
5 months ago

Instead of a “Google for writers”, the startup instead wants to build a platform that allows writers to get paid for writing on any topic. It’s a platform that lets people get paid for their writing, similar to Blogger.com or OpenIDEO.

27
2 months ago

A multiplier for the “thank you” note. Instead of thanking someone with a note, you can send a gift basket.

26
4 months ago

The startup’s goal is to get a million people onto a credit card by 2020. In order to do so, it focuses on helping consumers get credit cards in China without credit scores or bank accounts, and instead with a mobile number.

25
4 months ago

A chat bot that’s designed to help people with their mental health. The startup claims to be the first to provide a mental health chatbot that’s designed to operate in a similar way to a messaging app like WhatsApp. Instead of opening an app, people can text the bot with their symptoms and get a response.

25
4 months ago

Threadless is an online marketplace for T-shirts, with a focus on “hope, innovation, and independent artists.” It’s a direct-to-consumer effort that doesn’t have any advertising, but instead relies on an algorithm to match buyers and sellers.

25
6 months ago

 A company that is building the next generation of virtual reality. The startup, which is based in San Francisco, is working on a new form of VR that uses a device that looks like a pair of glasses with a button on the side, but instead of a screen, there’s a camera and a microphone.

24
6 months ago

An e-commerce platform that allows sellers to sell things without having to build an entire store. Instead, the company’s service allows sellers to just create a store on their website, and then get algorithms to show them what type of product sells well for them.

24
5 months ago

A platform for homeowners to share their home with potential renters. Instead of just placing pictures of a house on a website, HomeSeer allows users in a community to interact with one another, helping people find houses to rent.

23
4 months ago

A company that helps companies manage their expenses, which is a bit like how TurboTax helps people prepare taxes but instead of taxes, expenses.

23
2 months ago

The startup wants to build a generic API that allows users to make calls and store data on their own servers, instead of uploading to external services.

23
5 months ago

Instead of building a home, the founders say, this company lets people rent out their homes and instead make a profit on the hosting fee. It’s similar to Airbnb for personal use.

22
4 months ago

The company’s premise is that a bicycle can be more powerful than a car. Instead of using a motor to move itself, it uses an electric motor to provide power, which it says is more efficient and cheaper than a car. The company wants to launch in the US and Europe by 2022.

22
6 months ago

A company that allows users to make an electronic payment in seconds, without a credit card or bank account. Instead, the startup offers a way to pay friends and family with Bitcoin.

20
5 months ago

A platform to help fashion designers build products that have 3D printing built-in, instead of relying on 3D printing as an add-on.

20
2 months ago

A startup that helps retail companies import data from their CRM and other systems into one centralized dashboard for big-picture analysis, instead of having to pull it all over from different systems.

20
21 days ago

A food delivery startup that is building a platform to enable food delivery through everyday foods. This is a startup with an interesting business model: instead of going after restaurants, the startup is focused on delivering to people’s homes.

20
4 months ago

Smartphones are getting more powerful and more capable, but developers are struggling to find ways to put them to good use, with a lot of mobile apps having been written from scratch instead of reusing existing code.

19
1 month ago

A startup that aims to transform the way people pay for health insurance. Instead of paying for a single healthcare plan, people will be able to pay for the health insurance they want in monthly installments.

19
1 month ago

A startup that helps people buy and sell homes with cash, instead of going through a realtor.

18
2 months ago

 “A new kind of bank account that gives you free money”.  A new account that is meant to be an alternative to the checking account that doesn’t have overdraft fees just like a checking account. Instead, the account has a debit card in addition to the free money.

17
2 months ago

A company building a new kind of payment card that builds on the mobile wallet paradigm that exists today. The company is building a card that can hold all of your bank card data. Instead of having to manually enter your 12-digit number every time you use the card, the card will be able to pull up your recent transactions and automatically pull in your bank card number.

17
4 months ago

A text-message-based platform for hiring truck drivers and delivering food. The company doesn’t actually own trucks, but instead acts as a middleman to connect drivers with restaurants and other businesses that need to deliver food.

15
1 month ago

The startup will bring a new type of “social lending” model to the world, where businesses can raise capital by selling equity instead of debt.

15
23 days ago

It’s another on-demand delivery service with a twist: Instead of run only in neighborhoods where workers are already prevalent, DoorDash delivers in any city or town, with a fleet of drivers who are hired on the spot to meet demand.

15
4 months ago

A credit card that works like PayPal, but with a twist — instead of charging a flat fee, the company earns a little every month off of customers’ purchases.

13
3 months ago

A startup that wants to allow companies to book a room or a seat at a restaurant using a phone app instead of using written or verbal communication.

13
1 month ago

A new way to link your existing paper health records with your electronic health record. Instead of having to copy and paste info from your paper records into an EMR, each record is uploaded to the service as a .CSV file.

12
11 days ago

A company building a virtual assistant for hospital nurses and doctors, combining the functions of a virtual assistant and a doctor. The idea is that instead of having to type in a medical query, you’d speak to a nurse, who would then use a series of keystrokes to pull up a list of answers.

11
3 years ago

Idea: This is a real estate startup that wants to help people find homes to rent. They’re looking to target people who’ve been priced out of the market and need to rent instead of buy. The startup’s pitch is that it’s better than Craigslist because it focuses on neighborhoods and can recommend specific apartments.

8
28 days ago

This is a startup that’s designing a better way to manage your food delivery. Instead of having to call an operator to place an order, the startup’s technology will let you order hot food from an app.

7
17 days ago

Like the Sharing Economy, but aimed at moving things like furniture or cars around instead of people.

7
11 days ago

A delivery service for groceries in Canada that has the ability to go to your house (as opposed to the standard UPS or FedEx). Instead of a driver, a delivery person comes to your door, takes your order, and leaves.

7
6 days ago

A new kind of bank account, aimed at people who don’t have traditional bank accounts. Instead of an account number tied to a bank account, the startup lets people store money in a simple digital wallet that they can use to pay for things like phone service or groceries.

6
3 years ago

Idea: A mobile game that runs in-browser for the browser-based game streaming service The startup basically wants to make a mobile game but instead of building a native iOS or Android app, it can run inside the browser and be streamed to a phone

5
5 days ago

A “personal assistant” for the elderly. The startup’s unique selling point is that it doesn’t have a single point of contact, but instead, has a large community of users who can help the user with tasks and advice.

2
3 years ago

Idea: A new consumer-focused mobile payments app to replace credit cards The company aims to reduce friction by letting users buy things with their phone instead of having to pull out their wallet They want to replace everyone’s credit card information The startup has processed over $1MM in payments

-1
3 years ago

Idea: A new way to order a steak. Instead of receiving an entire side of beef, customers can order individual cuts to their specifications.

-2


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