Pattern Breaking Startup Ideas

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the author's journey as a seed investor and the insights they gained about what makes some startups more successful than others. The key points covered are:

🙋 Q&A

[01] Inflection Theory

1. What are the key forces that the author believes are important for startup success?

• The key forces are:
  • Inflections - External events that create the potential for radical change in how people think, feel, and act
  • Insights - Non-obvious truths about how one or more inflections can be harnessed to radically change human capacities and behaviors
  • Living in the Future - Immersing oneself in emerging technologies and trends to identify unique insights about what needs to be built

2. How does the author define a "pattern-breaking idea"?

• A pattern-breaking idea is built on top of the three key forces (inflections, insights, and living in the future) to propose a radically different offering. Founders iterate on their pattern-breaking ideas while staying grounded in their initial insight.

3. What is the author's view on pivots?

• The author came to understand that pivots worked not as a completely random outcome, but because the underlying insight was powerful enough to deliver a breakthrough. By iterating the product's implementation and honing in on the right target customers, what seemed somewhat random made more sense.

[02] Inflections

1. What is the author's definition of an inflection?

• An inflection is an external event that creates the potential for radical change in how people think, feel, and act. Examples include the inclusion of a GPS chip in the iPhone 4s, which enabled the rise of ridesharing apps.

2. How do inflections create opportunities for startups?

• Inflections tilt the competitive landscape in favor of startups that can harness them to rewrite the rules of what customers can expect, rather than competing by the current rules.

[03] Insights

1. What is the author's definition of an insight?

• An insight is a non-obvious truth about how one or more inflections can be harnessed to radically change human capacities and behaviors. Powerful insights leverage specific inflections and often contradict conventional wisdom.

2. Why is it a positive sign if many people disagree with your insight?

• If lots of people disagree with your insight, it suggests you have an idea that is not already embraced by the consensus. This means you are playing a game by your own rules, rather than the established rules that favor incumbents.

[04] Living in the Future

1. What are the different ways the author describes for "living in the future"?

• Some founders live in the future and build what they personally want to use, based on what's missing in their own experience. Others work with customers who live in the future and build what their customers find is missing. Some intentionally catapult themselves into different futures to notice shifts and opportunities before others.

2. How does living in the future help founders discover insights?

• Living in the future primes the mind to notice shifts and opportunities that the current competitive landscape is missing, steering founders towards unique insights about what needs to be built.