Should I Build It Should I Build It
19 Apr 2025
SaaS Startup Lessons

A business that finds the ideal advisors for a startup which are ...

...specific to the startups relevant industry and who u see stand the problem the startup is trying to solve

Confidence
Engagement
Net use signal
Net buy signal

Idea type: Swamp

The market has seen several mediocre solutions that nobody loves. Unless you can offer something fundamentally different, you’ll likely struggle to stand out or make money.

Should You Build It?

Don't build it.

Your are here

You're entering a space where finding the ideal advisors for startups has been tried before, with mixed results. The 'Swamp' category suggests the market is littered with mediocre solutions, and with only 3 similar products found, our confidence is medium. These products don't have any explicit buy or use signals. Average engagement is low with 2 comments per product, signaling a need to differentiate significantly. Existing platforms are struggling to gain traction, with concerns about online platform effectiveness and idea theft. To succeed, you'll need to address these shortcomings head-on and offer something genuinely novel and valuable to stand out from the competition.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing advisor-matching solutions haven't gained widespread adoption. Identify the specific pain points startups face when seeking advisors and understand why current platforms fail to address these issues effectively. Focus on the user experience, pricing, and advisor vetting processes.
  2. Instead of targeting all startups, identify a specific niche or industry where your advisor-matching service can excel. Tailor your advisor network and platform features to the unique needs and challenges of this group. For example, you might focus on SaaS startups, AI startups, or businesses in a specific geographic region.
  3. Consider offering tools and resources to existing advisory firms or networks. This could include a platform for managing advisor profiles, matching startups with advisors, and tracking engagement. By empowering existing providers, you can leverage their established networks and expertise.
  4. Instead of directly connecting startups with advisors, explore offering services that support the advisor-startup relationship. This could include tools for project management, communication, or performance tracking. These services would complement existing advisory relationships and provide value to both parties.
  5. Given the concerns about idea theft raised in similar product launches, prioritize building robust security measures to protect sensitive information shared by startups. Clearly communicate your data protection policies and offer assurances to users about the safety of their ideas. Consider obtaining certifications or adhering to industry best practices for data security.
  6. Develop a clear and compelling value proposition that differentiates your advisor-matching service from existing solutions. Highlight the unique benefits of your platform, such as the quality of your advisor network, the accuracy of your matching algorithm, or the level of support you provide. Emphasize what you're doing differently to address the failures of past attempts.

Questions

  1. What specific mechanisms will you implement to ensure advisor quality and relevance, going beyond simple profile matching?
  2. How will you address the potential for conflicts of interest or biases among advisors, particularly when serving startups in competitive industries?
  3. Considering the low engagement observed in similar products, what innovative features or strategies will you use to foster meaningful interactions and build trust between startups and advisors on your platform?

Your are here

You're entering a space where finding the ideal advisors for startups has been tried before, with mixed results. The 'Swamp' category suggests the market is littered with mediocre solutions, and with only 3 similar products found, our confidence is medium. These products don't have any explicit buy or use signals. Average engagement is low with 2 comments per product, signaling a need to differentiate significantly. Existing platforms are struggling to gain traction, with concerns about online platform effectiveness and idea theft. To succeed, you'll need to address these shortcomings head-on and offer something genuinely novel and valuable to stand out from the competition.

Recommendations

  1. Thoroughly investigate why existing advisor-matching solutions haven't gained widespread adoption. Identify the specific pain points startups face when seeking advisors and understand why current platforms fail to address these issues effectively. Focus on the user experience, pricing, and advisor vetting processes.
  2. Instead of targeting all startups, identify a specific niche or industry where your advisor-matching service can excel. Tailor your advisor network and platform features to the unique needs and challenges of this group. For example, you might focus on SaaS startups, AI startups, or businesses in a specific geographic region.
  3. Consider offering tools and resources to existing advisory firms or networks. This could include a platform for managing advisor profiles, matching startups with advisors, and tracking engagement. By empowering existing providers, you can leverage their established networks and expertise.
  4. Instead of directly connecting startups with advisors, explore offering services that support the advisor-startup relationship. This could include tools for project management, communication, or performance tracking. These services would complement existing advisory relationships and provide value to both parties.
  5. Given the concerns about idea theft raised in similar product launches, prioritize building robust security measures to protect sensitive information shared by startups. Clearly communicate your data protection policies and offer assurances to users about the safety of their ideas. Consider obtaining certifications or adhering to industry best practices for data security.
  6. Develop a clear and compelling value proposition that differentiates your advisor-matching service from existing solutions. Highlight the unique benefits of your platform, such as the quality of your advisor network, the accuracy of your matching algorithm, or the level of support you provide. Emphasize what you're doing differently to address the failures of past attempts.

Questions

  1. What specific mechanisms will you implement to ensure advisor quality and relevance, going beyond simple profile matching?
  2. How will you address the potential for conflicts of interest or biases among advisors, particularly when serving startups in competitive industries?
  3. Considering the low engagement observed in similar products, what innovative features or strategies will you use to foster meaningful interactions and build trust between startups and advisors on your platform?

  • Confidence: Medium
    • Number of similar products: 3
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 2
  • Net use signal: 8.6%
    • Positive use signal: 8.6%
    • Negative use signal: 0.0%
  • Net buy signal: 0.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 0.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 0.0%

This chart summarizes all the similar products we found for your idea in a single plot.

The x-axis represents the overall feedback each product received. This is calculated from the net use and buy signals that were expressed in the comments. The maximum is +1, which means all comments (across all similar products) were positive, expressed a willingness to use & buy said product. The minimum is -1 and it means the exact opposite.

The y-axis captures the strength of the signal, i.e. how many people commented and how does this rank against other products in this category. The maximum is +1, which means these products were the most liked, upvoted and talked about launches recently. The minimum is 0, meaning zero engagement or feedback was received.

The sizes of the product dots are determined by the relevance to your idea, where 10 is the maximum.

Your idea is the big blueish dot, which should lie somewhere in the polygon defined by these products. It can be off-center because we use custom weighting to summarize these metrics.

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