5
 min read
In partnership with
No items found.
No items found.
No items found.
March 12, 2024
March 12, 2024

Where do startup ideas come from?

It’s not the best idea - no joke intended - to try and build your startup from just an idea. Instead, we recommend looking for a key insight instead.

It’s understandable that you might look at the world around you and wonder how startup founders manage to come up with their ideas. All the good ideas are taken, you might think, as you try and think of an idea of your own.

It’s not the best idea - no joke intended - to try and build your startup from just an idea. Instead, we recommend looking for a key insight instead. One that will help you dominate a market or make meaningful change will prove a far more flexible way to build a startup than trying to stick to a single, narrow solution: in other words, your original idea.

Your insights should allow you to identify problems in your chosen area, from which you can explore the opportunities to provide solutions. Let’s look at a few important factors worth considering.

  1. Passions and motivations: Creating a successful tech startup is hard and can take  a long time, so what really motivates you to make a difference?
  2. Start with people: What groups of people do you have strong connections or affinities with and what key problems are these groups trying to address?
  3. Personal experiences: Many startups are created as a result of personal experiences, or those of family or friends, as these experiences can create strong motivations to find ways to make improvements.
  4. Domain or industry expertise: Having a specialised insider knowledge or expertise within a particular industry or discipline can be a great source of insight. It can be hard for outsiders to identify and understand the problems you’re trying to solve.
  5. Access to technology: Do you have access to a novel technology or have you been able to develop a new way of doing things?

Remember, our ultimate purpose here is to create valuable insights that can turn into a potential startup.

Find out more about generating your own startup ideas and finding the solutions to problems on the Startup Basics course which you can access for free via Techscaler membership.

Subscribe to newsletter

Subscribe to receive the latest blog posts to your inbox every week.

By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related Resources

Dec 10, 2024
5
 mins

Launching a Global Startup from Singapore: What You Need to Know

Why understanding local business cultures can make or break your venture
View All
Dec 10, 2024
5
 mins

Lessons from Asia: Ecosystem Builders and What We Can Learn from Them

Exploring the differences between Asia and UK ecosystem building
View All
Nov 27, 2024
10
 mins

Human value in the AI era

Shona Marsh shares why we should embrace AI but increase the value of our human interactions
View All
Nov 7, 2024
8
 mins

Launching WITR App Through Techscaler, Craig Somerville is Making Networking Efficient

Craig Somerville, with Techscaler’s support, launches WITR, a networking app that streamlines event connections by syncing LinkedIn profiles via QR codes.
View All
Nov 5, 2024
7
 mins

Insights from San Francisco: A Transformative Journey for Podplistic

Kayla-Megan Burns is the Founder of Podplistic, an AI-enabled podcast production software. Hear their experiences from Techscaler Silicon Valley.
View All
Nov 5, 2024
10
 mins

Failing Fast and Furiously - Thoughts from Silicon Valley, September 2024

Thoughts from Techscaler Silicon Valley, September 2024 By Nicole Christie, ACCA, Founder of Alvah
View All
Oct 10, 2024
10
 mins

Insights from Silicon Valley: what it takes to build something meaningful

Lewis O'Neill, founder of Niovant, shares what it takes to build something meaningful: resilience, community, and a willingness to navigate the unknown.
View All
Sep 26, 2024
10
 mins

Insights from Silicon Valley: AI is not your feature, it’s your core

Hear from Matt Jenner, founder of Coursensu, about his experience of Techscaler Silicon Valley and the growing significance of AI
View All
Sep 26, 2024
5
 mins

Insights from Silicon Valley: We’re all on our own together

CodeBase's Lauren Wilson shares how the Techscaler Silicon Valley cohort forged a founder community
View All
Sep 24, 2024
5
 mins

Unlock growth for your startup with the Techscaler and Scottish Enterprise MVP Grant

We’re excited to introduce a powerful funding opportunity that can help tech startups take the next step: the Techscaler Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Small R&D Grant, offered in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise
View All
View All
Aug 1, 2024
10
 mins

From Spark to Scale: The Essential Stages of Startup Growth

Learn more about the lifecycle stages of a startup as it builds, grows and scales
View All
Jul 24, 2024
5
 mins

Embracing Digital Accessibility: An Interview with Wojtek Kutyla for Disability Pride Month

For Disability Pride Month, we interviewed UX design expert Wojtek Kutyla about how digital accessibility can improve inclusion in tech.
View All
Jul 22, 2024
5
 mins

Meet Dr Matthew Freer, founder and CEO of Infix Support

Dr Matthew Freer shares his experiences as a Techscaler member working in the public sector
View All
Jul 15, 2024
5
 mins

Growing my startup by learning from others - outcomes from attending Turing Fest 2024

Founder of Coursensu - the learning design platform, Matt Jenner shares his experience of attending Turing Fest 2024 and what he learned to further grow his EdTech startup.
View All
Jul 10, 2024
5
 mins

It's a good time to be a generalist

Oli Littlejohn shares the opportunities being a generalist brings, and how AI can support them
View All
Jun 26, 2024
5
 mins

Improve Investability with an Organised Investor Vault

Ian Martin, Head of Startup Experience at CodeBase, shares insights on a crucial part of startup growth: gaining investment.
View All
Jun 10, 2024
3
 mins

Celebrating Pride Month: How to plan authentic events and activities

How can you plan events and celebrations that go beyond performative gestures? Notes from the group-led discussion at CodeBase’s LGBTQ+ meetup.
View All
May 30, 2024
7
 mins

Navigating startup funding: lessons from an active investor

Insights from Paul Atkinson, Founding Partner of Par Equity, on how best to approach investors for your startup, and challenges of the current investment landscape.
View All
May 27, 2024
5
 mins

Why do tech startups fail?

‍Destigmatising Failure and Building a Supportive Community for Startup Success
View All
Apr 30, 2024
5
 mins

What is a tech startup?

What exactly is a tech startup and how does it differ from a traditional small business?
View All
Mar 26, 2024
5
 mins

Why Generalists Shine as Community Builders

CodeBase's Barry McDonald explains why generalists shine as community builders
View All
Mar 13, 2024
5
 mins

Reflections from Techscaler Silicon Valley

VP of R+D, Oli Littlejohn, shares musings on his week in San Francisco with Scottish tech founders
View All
Mar 12, 2024
5
 mins

Where do startup ideas come from?

It’s not the best idea - no joke intended - to try and build your startup from just an idea. Instead, we recommend looking for a key insight instead.
View All
Mar 11, 2024
5
 mins

The Power of Partnerships

"10 months that changed my life" - Genna Masterton, Founder at Gifted Kind
View All
Mar 4, 2024
5
 mins

Stale, Male and Pale: The narrowing investor landscape for early stage startups

Shift in High Net Worth Definition Threatens Women and Underrepresented Investors in Early Stage Tech Financing
View All
Mar 4, 2024
5
 mins

The Community Building Toolbox (and why you'll need more than a hammer)

VP of Community, Barry McDonald, shares his thoughts on community building
View All
Mar 1, 2024
1
 mins

New Techscaler website live!

Techscaler launches new website to improve member experience
View All