Should I Build It Should I Build It
11 Jul 2025
SaaS Startup Lessons

A directory for startup founders to exchange ideas and tips

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

Your idea for a directory for startup founders to exchange ideas and tips falls into a crowded space. Our analysis indicates that this category, which we call 'Swamp,' is characterized by numerous mediocre solutions that struggle to gain traction. With six similar products already identified, the competition is significant. The average engagement, reflected by only 3 comments per product, is quite low, suggesting that these platforms don't typically foster a vibrant community. Given this context and the general assessment of this category, standing out will be an uphill battle unless you can offer something drastically different and highly valuable. Building yet another directory without a unique angle might lead to wasted effort.

Recommendations

  1. Before you invest any further, deeply research why existing startup directories haven't become indispensable resources for founders. What are their shortcomings in terms of content quality, community engagement, and user experience? Understanding these failures is crucial before you can innovate effectively.
  2. If you still see potential, identify a specific niche or underserved group within the startup ecosystem. Instead of a general directory, focus on a particular industry (e.g., AI startups), stage of development (e.g., pre-seed founders), or geographic region (e.g., startups in the Nordic countries). Specialization can help you attract a dedicated audience and differentiate your platform.
  3. Consider shifting your focus from building a directory to creating tools or resources that support existing startup communities and providers. This could involve developing a content management system for startup blogs, a matching algorithm for connecting mentors and mentees, or a data analytics dashboard for tracking startup trends. Helping existing players is often more fruitful than competing directly.
  4. Based on the feedback from similar product launches, pay close attention to the design and user experience of your directory. Users have criticized similar platforms for crowded layouts, broken links, and poor mobile views. Ensure your platform is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and functions flawlessly across all devices.
  5. Critically evaluate the scalability of your platform's features and content generation processes. Some users have expressed disinterest in tasks that don't scale. Focus on building systems that can grow efficiently without requiring excessive manual effort. Explore ways to automate content curation, community moderation, and user support.
  6. Before launching, solicit feedback from a diverse group of startup founders and incorporate their suggestions into your platform. Addressing user concerns and incorporating their insights will significantly improve the chances of success.
  7. Explore adjacent problems that might be more promising and less saturated. What other pain points do startup founders face that haven't been adequately addressed? This could involve problems related to funding, legal compliance, talent acquisition, or market research. You could also create content or provide a service offering startup financial modeling templates, for example.
  8. If, after careful consideration, you determine that the challenges are too great or the market too crowded, be willing to pivot or abandon the idea altogether. It's better to save your energy and resources for a more promising opportunity. Don't fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy.

Questions

  1. What specific problem(s) faced by startup founders will your directory solve that existing solutions fail to address, and how will you measure the effectiveness of your solution?
  2. Given the low engagement observed in similar startup directories, how will you foster a vibrant and active community on your platform, and what strategies will you use to incentivize founders to contribute their ideas and tips?
  3. Considering the criticisms of design and scalability in competing products, how will you ensure that your directory offers a superior user experience and can efficiently handle a growing volume of content and users?

Your are here

Your idea for a directory for startup founders to exchange ideas and tips falls into a crowded space. Our analysis indicates that this category, which we call 'Swamp,' is characterized by numerous mediocre solutions that struggle to gain traction. With six similar products already identified, the competition is significant. The average engagement, reflected by only 3 comments per product, is quite low, suggesting that these platforms don't typically foster a vibrant community. Given this context and the general assessment of this category, standing out will be an uphill battle unless you can offer something drastically different and highly valuable. Building yet another directory without a unique angle might lead to wasted effort.

Recommendations

  1. Before you invest any further, deeply research why existing startup directories haven't become indispensable resources for founders. What are their shortcomings in terms of content quality, community engagement, and user experience? Understanding these failures is crucial before you can innovate effectively.
  2. If you still see potential, identify a specific niche or underserved group within the startup ecosystem. Instead of a general directory, focus on a particular industry (e.g., AI startups), stage of development (e.g., pre-seed founders), or geographic region (e.g., startups in the Nordic countries). Specialization can help you attract a dedicated audience and differentiate your platform.
  3. Consider shifting your focus from building a directory to creating tools or resources that support existing startup communities and providers. This could involve developing a content management system for startup blogs, a matching algorithm for connecting mentors and mentees, or a data analytics dashboard for tracking startup trends. Helping existing players is often more fruitful than competing directly.
  4. Based on the feedback from similar product launches, pay close attention to the design and user experience of your directory. Users have criticized similar platforms for crowded layouts, broken links, and poor mobile views. Ensure your platform is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and functions flawlessly across all devices.
  5. Critically evaluate the scalability of your platform's features and content generation processes. Some users have expressed disinterest in tasks that don't scale. Focus on building systems that can grow efficiently without requiring excessive manual effort. Explore ways to automate content curation, community moderation, and user support.
  6. Before launching, solicit feedback from a diverse group of startup founders and incorporate their suggestions into your platform. Addressing user concerns and incorporating their insights will significantly improve the chances of success.
  7. Explore adjacent problems that might be more promising and less saturated. What other pain points do startup founders face that haven't been adequately addressed? This could involve problems related to funding, legal compliance, talent acquisition, or market research. You could also create content or provide a service offering startup financial modeling templates, for example.
  8. If, after careful consideration, you determine that the challenges are too great or the market too crowded, be willing to pivot or abandon the idea altogether. It's better to save your energy and resources for a more promising opportunity. Don't fall victim to the sunk cost fallacy.

Questions

  1. What specific problem(s) faced by startup founders will your directory solve that existing solutions fail to address, and how will you measure the effectiveness of your solution?
  2. Given the low engagement observed in similar startup directories, how will you foster a vibrant and active community on your platform, and what strategies will you use to incentivize founders to contribute their ideas and tips?
  3. Considering the criticisms of design and scalability in competing products, how will you ensure that your directory offers a superior user experience and can efficiently handle a growing volume of content and users?

  • Confidence: High
    • Number of similar products: 6
  • Engagement: Low
    • Average number of comments: 3
  • Net use signal: -4.0%
    • Positive use signal: 8.0%
    • Negative use signal: 12.0%
  • Net buy signal: -4.0%
    • Positive buy signal: 4.0%
    • Negative buy signal: 8.0%

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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The Product Hunt launch received positive feedback, with users congratulating the creator on the launch, awesome design, and for keeping the resources free. Users found the tool nice and awesome, especially for startups and innovation. Some expressed enthusiasm and a desire to follow the creator. Questions arose regarding the educational resources' origin and monetization plans.

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Hey HN,I've been working on a little side project and could really use your feedback.So, I've always been fascinated by those stories of successful startups doing crazy things in their early days - you know, like Airbnb founders personally photographing listings or DoorDash founders delivering food themselves.I started collecting these stories, and before I knew it, I had a pretty big list. So I thought, "Why not turn this into a website?" And that's how https://dothingsthatdontscale.org was born.It's super basic right now - just a simple directory with about 70 examples. But I'm wondering if this could be useful for other founders or startup enthusiasts.I'd love to hear your thoughts:> Is this something you'd find helpful? Why or why not?> What would make this more useful for you?> Is it easy to use? (I'm not good at design)> Am I missing any awesome stories that should be included?I'm not trying to monetize this or anything - just want to create something helpful for the community. Any feedback, criticism, or ideas would be hugely appreciated!Thanks in advance, you awesome people!

Users commented on the design, animations, fonts, layout, and reported broken links. They appreciated the art and the site's positive vibe. Some advised caution against scaling too soon. Users liked the source links but wanted more descriptions. There were suggestions to improve the mobile view. While the advice was considered great, there was disinterest in non-scalable tasks.

Users criticized the product for its animations, font choices, and crowded layout, with some broken links also reported. Concerns were raised about the product's practicality and scalability. There was curiosity about how descriptions are generated. Suggestions were made to adjust paddings and margins. Some users expressed disinterest in tasks that don't scale.

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Users feel the product is sketchy and have concerns about permissions and value. The subscription model is not appealing, and the course content is perceived as lacking value, resembling a bookmarks list. Additionally, the link is not archived, and there is a general sense that something is missing.

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Users are inquiring if the code is open source and have noted that the logo link uses someone else's logo.

The main criticism is an issue with the logo link.

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