Can AI help create better startups?

When I get an idea for a solo project, excitement fills me. I think about the fun I will have putting it together. I'll think of all the new tools and techniques I'll get to use. As someone who loves writing code, I get over-excited about building something. The problem is that I want to make money from some of these projects. To make money, you need people to pay you. People only pay for something they feel is useful and valuable to them. So, unfortunately, I need to do more than make "cool projects". I also need to create useful tools.

Idea validation is how one stops oneself from making something no one cares about. Believe me, I've made a lot of stuff no one cares about. All of them were fun. All of them were "cool". Not all of them were useful. In so many cases, I missed the crucial step. To make money from a digital product, solve a problem people will pay for. The step I missed was, of course, idea validation. So, why am I talking about this?

Whilst perusing Threads the other day, I came across someone who said the best thing you can ask ChatGPT is:

"Act as my harshest critic, tear apart my idea for X and rebuild it with stronger logic."

I had an idea for a new project. I had announced it on TikTok and was ready to #BuildInPublic. I decided to use the prompt on my project concept. Boy! Did I learn something that day? The issue with ChatGPT and other LLMs is that they only want to please you. They are the ultimate Yes Men. They can only comprehend the affirmative. So, when you brainstorm ideas for a startup, they only give you positive feedback. That is if you don't specifically ask them for negative feedback.

The negative feedback I received from "my harshest critic" knocked me for six. My logic was so flawed. There were so many things I had failed to consider. I felt like an idiot. I had to have to cancel my plans to #BuildInPublic on TikTok. Until... I had an idea.

If I missed the fact that ChatGPT will act only as a hype-man unless you tell it otherwise, how many others do the same? How many people build and launch doomed products every day? Countless. Product Hunt has hundreds of product launches every day but only a select few become truly successful. Product Hunt is full of people like me—who dream of becoming a successful Indie Hacker. We dreamers may not spend enough time in reality during the ideation phase of our startups. We spend too much time dreaming of our successes and not enough checking that our ideas are worthy of them. With that in mind, I built a new product. A startup idea validation tool. Essentially, the ChatGPT prompt I found on Threads wrapped in a nice-looking web app.

Yes, that is a good point. The tool is not for smart people who know how to use LLMs like ChatGPT. It's for people like me who think ChatGPT is telling them they are an undiscovered entrepreneurial genius-slash-game-changer. For those people, I added a new set of clothes and a form structure to help them through the process. This project isn't about making millions. It's about providing a way for people to test their ideas and evolve them into full-fledged business concepts before diving into building them. It is a time-saver. It is a confidence-builder. Having used the tool, I want people to either feel confident that their idea holds water or that it is not worth continuing with.

If no one else uses the tool, that's okay. I know that it has a market of one - this guy (points at self while writing alone in bedroom). I know it is something that I need. I hope others will think so too.

If you are interested in using the tool or want to support it on Product Hunt, use the links below.