[Xelbair]

>A new to the world software start up is trying to serve a need that is currently unserved.

man, really? 99% of software is basically glorified CRUD view for some DB. it's nothing novel.

If we venture outside of corporate software: most startups do not create anything novel - they just monetize existing businesses in a different(usually more predatory) way, or do X but digital. both usually go for 'virtual monopoly' by: offering service(never a product!) for free -> capture the market -> enshittify -> new startups repeats the cycle.

The actual novelty where you find a need that is unserved is sub 0.1% of them.

In reality you aim for product that fits current buzzword meta for funding.

I do 100% agree that product-market-fit is probably the thing you should try to get ASAP though.

[Gravityloss]

That's the point. It's not supposed to be technologically novel, at least at start. It's a new business. The innovation is in the business part.

When we were in Rome and exited the Colosseum, it started raining. Some random dude walked to us and sold us an umbrella. Great business, both of us were better off.

[Xelbair]

It's more akin to someone giving you an umbrella subscription(if it rains more than twice this year I'll save money!), killing our all the competition with dumping prices by running on loss for years, and then hiking up the prices, while also tracking you and telling every food vendor your favorite food so they can prepare a greeter for you.

if you think that's a sustainable model, and is good for society then you do you.

[Gravityloss]

I don't like those predatory businesses. I think many games are like that nowadays. But not all businesses are like that. I think a game like Factorio is honest and respectable. It doesn't have any subscription models, you buy it once and own it forever. Technologically, AFAIK, it's using old fashioned technology (Allegro was started in 1990). The innovation is in the gameplay part.

[Xelbair]

the issue is that Factorio sells you a product. outright.

and they are an outlier.

[riehwvfbk]

I bet there are some local thugs that control who exactly gets to sell umbrellas to tourists outside the Collosseum on rainy days. You can quickly find out buy getting some cheap umbrellas to resell and trying to get some business there the next time it rains.

[jjk166]

Which is precisely why the point of an MVP is not to demonstrate that something can be built but that someone would pay for it once it is built. Of course it can be built, it's technologically simple. It's not minimum viable tech demo, it's minimum viable product.

[HPsquared]

Sounds like the restaurant business.