The biggest startup opportunities right now:
- Biggest B2C: solving loneliness
We’re seeing the rise of companies that make people feel less lonely. This manifests itself in many ways.
This startup TimeLeft brings strangers to meet each other for dinner in cities every Wednesday. Sounds like a cute, small idea? Well, they just went from $0-$10M ARR in no time. It's a serious business.
The insight is that loneliness spikes during life transitions
- Moving cities
- Becoming a parent
- Getting divorced
- Switching careers
- Getting sober
That's your opportunity. Build for these moments when people are most open to connection.
Some ideas:
- Dinner clubs for new parents by neighborhood
- Activity groups for recent divorcees
- City exploration crews for people who just moved
- Apps to get you off social media and IRL
- Career transition communities
2. Biggest B2B: Vertical AI Agents
The horizontal AI platforms are built. That was a huge opportunity for a few players (Anthropic, OpenAI, Grok etc). Now comes the real opportunity for thousands of founders - AI agents that understand the deep complexities of specific industries.
The playbook working right now:
- Pick an industry with high regulatory burden (real estate, medical, legal)
- Scrape every regulation PDF, industry guide, and training manual
- Fine-tune an LLM on this corpus
- Build 5 very specific workflows that save 3+ hours each
- Price at 20% of the human alternative
Example: Law firm intake AI. Handles client screening, conflict checks, and engagement letter drafting. Charges $7 per completed intake vs. $100 worth of paralegal time.
That would print.
3. Biggest SaaS: Pay-per-result
The monthly subscription model is showing cracks. Companies are tired of paying for software they hope works. The future is pure performance pricing. Marketing tools that charge per qualified lead. Sales tools that take a cut of closed deals. Recruitment software that only bills when a candidate is hired.
How I’d think about building pay-per-result software:
- Free tool that delivers 80% of traditional SaaS value
- Pay only for specific outcomes ($X per qualified lead, Y% of closed deal)
- Cap the monthly maximum at 3x traditional SaaS price
- Offer “success guarantee” - don’t pay if targets missed
4. Biggest consumer social: friend-to-friend social networking, not apps to follow creators
Social apps could not be more different than they were 10 years ago. Instagram replaced photos of your best friends with short-form video of creators and meme pages. What’s next isn’t about following strangers - it’s about deepening connections with people you actually know. The opportunity isn’t in building another social network, it’s in building apps and IRL event tools that strengthen existing relationships.
The most engaging social products right now are focused on micro-communities of 5-15 people who already know each other. Think family groups, close friend circles, small teams. These groups share 5x more content than typical social media users.
BeReal "failed" (acquisition for $500M) but I think we'll see more apps like that.
5. Biggest E-commerce: AI Personal Shoppers
The biggest problem in e-commerce is decision fatigue and curation. People don’t need more options, they need better decisions. The opportunity is in building AI that actually reduces choice while increasing satisfaction.
I think we'll see AI that starts with constraints instead of possibilities. Rather than showing everything available, it asks about budget, timeline, and specific needs first. Then it presents only 3-5 perfect options. And it'll notify you when there's a product they are 90% sure you'll buy, not blanketed marketing emails praying you'll buy.
6. Biggest creator: tools that make creators go viral or monetize more efficiently
You know there’s a lot of money to be made when Mr. Beast is launching creator tools like ViewStats to help YouTube creators get a competitive advantage. It’s really smart. He’ll do better selling software than selling hamburgers.
There are more opportunities for micro-SaaS to help create, get seen, or make more money than ever.
7. Biggest edtech: personalized learning
The way e-learning has manifested on the internet is by copying classrooms online. It misses the point.
Here’s what’s actually working: You build software that adapts to how each person learns. They get stuck on fractions? AI creates new practice problems. Crushing geometry? Speed up the pace.
Most edtech: “congrats you finished module 3!”
Smart edtech: “you’ve mastered 85% of algebra, here’s what’s next”
The cool part is completion rates are 4x higher when you focus on mastery instead of checking boxes.
Think about it: no kid left behind, no kid held back. Each student moves at their perfect pace. Teachers become coaches instead of lecturers.
I think that's the future of learning.
8. Biggest overlooked: eldertech
Not enough people are building for seniors. That’s crazy because they’re about to be the largest demographic in developed countries. They don’t want “old people apps” - they want beautiful products that make them happier and healthier. They already have iPads and Netflix. They appreciate great design.
Smart founders build products that make seniors feel independent and alive. By 2030, there will be more people over 65 than under 18. They have money to spend. They want tech that makes them feel young, not old.
Here’s how I’d sum up these opportunities:
The best companies in 2025 will be simple businesses that fix painfully obvious problems:
- AI tools that make average workers elite
- Communities built around life transitions
- Software that charges for results, not hope
- Products that make seniors feel alive, not old
Think about it
We have AI that can write novels, but recruiting still takes 30 days
We can create photorealistic art, but seniors can’t find exercise classes
We can generate code instantly, but students still learn at the same pace
That’s the opportunity.
While everyone chases the shiny new thing, build what people actually painfully need.
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#1
I totally agree and it fires me up.
#2
This and sending 5+ memes to each other everyday.
#3
No doubt
#4
This is so true. But I hope you'll say hi to me. Either on the streets of Miami, online or replying to these email.
New Startup Ideas Podcast (SIP) episodes🧃
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I had Dan Shipper who build AI apps give his best AI app ideas to us
3 ideas. Definitely got my creative juices flowing.
Listen now --> YouTube, Spotify, Apple
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Thank you for reading Greg's Letter. I hope you it got your creative juices flowing. You can forward this email to a friend that might benefit.
And feel free to click follow/subscribe on The Startup Ideas pod on Apple, Spotify and/or YouTube to get more startup ideas in your feed. It's free, so why not?
Until next week.
Be well,
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