- The best way to come up with startup ideas is to notice them organically.
- 70% of successful companies had their startup ideas organically.
- To have organic startup ideas in the future, become an expert in something valuable.
- Working at a startup can help gain expertise and generate great startup ideas.
- For programmers, building things that are interesting can turn into startup ideas over time.

Let's talk about how to come up with startup ideas.

The best way to have startup ideas is to just notice them organically.

If you look at the YCTalk 100 companies, at least 70% of them had their startup ideas organically rather than by like sitting down and explicitly trying to think of a startup idea.

So if you're not planning on starting a company imminently, and you just want to put yourself in a position to have organic startup ideas in the future, here are 3 ways to do that.

First is just become an expert on something valuable.

If you're working at the forefront of some field, you'll see good startup ideas in that field.

And a great way to do that is to go work at a startup.

Harge talked about this in his talk last week.

If you're working at a startup, you'll become an expert in the thing that that startup does, and that is really putting yourself in a position to have great startup ideas.

And finally, if you're a programmer, 1 thing that can work is to just build things that you find interesting.

Even if they're not businesses, they're not clearly startup ideas, sometimes they like turn into them over time.


Speaker 0: Let's talk about how to come up with startup ideas. The best way to have startup ideas is to just notice them organically. If you look at the YCTalk 100 companies, at least 70% of them had their startup ideas organically rather than by like sitting down and explicitly trying to think of a startup idea. So if you're not planning on starting a company imminently, and you just want to put yourself in a position to have organic startup ideas in the future, here are 3 ways to do that. First is just become an expert on something valuable.

If you're working at the forefront of some field, you'll see good startup ideas in that field. And a great way to do that is to go work at a startup. Harge talked about this in his talk last week. If you're working at a startup, you'll become an expert in the thing that that startup does, and that is really putting yourself in a position to have great startup ideas. And finally, if you're a programmer, 1 thing that can work is to just build things that you find interesting.

Even if they're not businesses, they're not clearly startup ideas, sometimes they like turn into them over time.

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The best way to have startup ideas is to just notice them organically.