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Abstract

medium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*TXvbtrWYD7ayk02mevhTxg.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.frakihabara.com">Frankihabara</a>🟢 Positive: They are really going in a niche of passionate people, easy to address through some specific channels.🔴 Potential Problems: Not sure about the B2B need. Do companies have recruiting problems in this domain that are not covered by current job listing platforms? If not, they are not going to pay.<h1 id="d6b4">Number 13— A marketplace to find dance courses</h1><figure id="0cf6"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*8GxWLkPnG0sQq4NIuTcPPw.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>🟢 Positive: Research of specific courses may be not easy for final customers.🔴 Potential Problems: In a marketplace selling a complex product like this one, it’s difficult to avoid direct contact from customers to the dancing school. B2C acquisition is costly as well.<h1 id="d73b">Number 12 — A real estate platform investing in Cameroon</h1><figure id="1434"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*BzYVdU6y1oNycg2hbc-69A.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://yeggah.com/">Yeggah</a>🟢 Positive: Investing platform in a growing market (Africa).🔴 Potential Problems: It’s quite difficult to convince someone of a financial product. B2C acquisitions are quite hard when we talk about money placement. They need to build a strong reputation.<h1 id="0c4c">Number 11— A digital health book for families</h1><figure id="1aea"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*LWtTt05wH1i7dIf748iC9w.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.tribusante.org/">Tribu Sante</a>🟢 Positive: Can be useful for people who like to have all data in the same place.🔴 Potential Problems: Digitalizing the life of a family (budget, school, …) it’s a recurring idea. Monetization is hard, as the problem is often that the alternatives are OKish (example writing down medical data in a folder) and inexpensive. May not be perceived as a big problem.<h1 id="399a">Number 10— Pet medals with a digitalized profile for your dog</h1><figure id="021e"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Ww6Edlgpd952vQIwws7fbg.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.yulisolutions.fr/">Yuli & friends</a>🟢 Positive: Defined niche, pet-owners are enthusiasts and a good product can quickly spread word of mouth.🔴 Potential Problems: It just seems nice to have. The current alternative in case of loss of a dog is having a medal with just a number to call. It’s not great, but not completely crap. So no huge improvement on that area.<h1 id="b930">Number 9 — A food delivery company with individuals as chefs</h1><figure id="af85"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*XaICrW2A9FI0p2pO-WEmPA.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://ohleschefs.com/">Oh les Chefs</a>🟢 Positive: I always like decentralized model able to decrease costs (remember Uber or Vinted)🔴 Potential Problems: Unfortunately, it’s not the first time I see an idea failing in this area. Why they do? 1 — The quality of the final product is key. Maybe they should try to standardize outcome on just some products. 2 — Logistics in food delivery is a nightmare. 3 — And, B2C acquisition may be costly, we already have plenty of alternatives.<h1 id="1fa0">Number 8— A Marketplace for schools to find speakers for lessons or events</h1><figure id="a468"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*uPyHxay5gakTA_sjAe08TA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.lecturer.fr/">Lecturer</a>🟢 Positive: Smart model, they hide their lecturer profiles not to be bypassed. The school entitles them to the research.🔴 Potential Problems: It does not seem something that occurs A LOT of schools have a lot of budget to devote on. They need to find a profitable niche.<h1 id="6413">Number 7 — An AI based assistant for coaches and teachers</h1><figure id="5e30"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*aTRMDH6fqrm9FdtZKObLWw.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Options

Name: <a href="https://educentre.fr/">Educentre</a>🟢 Positive: Teachers and education can surely benefit a lot from the advent of AI.🔴 Potential Problems: ‘An AI Copilote’ is vague. Maybe they should find a feature or pain points that teachers or schools would pay to solve. Is it creating a syllabus, or is it correcting exams? They have some good entry points, they will find out!<h1 id="3756">Number 6— An app for students to have lunch together and have discounts</h1><figure id="ef61"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*W3CoJtG-YBmt8hAHzlNsxQ.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.stud-eat.fr/">Studeat</a>🟢 Positive: The clients are a specific niche and are geographically easy to reach (a university campus). The ‘price reduction part’ may be interesting and is something restaurants already propose and students are price-driven.🔴 Potential Problems: ‘The risk of eating alone’ does not sound like a real problem to me. I suggest focusing more on the other discounts part.<h1 id="f696">Number 5 — A CRM tool to help freelancers with project management</h1><figure id="e46c"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*fwq7Gvhyvm6o3DXHYuLVkw.png"><figcaption>A screenshot from Onboard landing page</figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.onboard-workspace.com/fr">Onboard</a>🟢 Positive: Freelancers are booming, and some of the solutions on secure payments by milestones or contract automatisation are good improvements.🔴 Potential Problems: I guess all freelancers have found less-efficent but OKish solutions, seeing monetary value may not be immediate for them. Also, main freelance platforms like <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/?">Fiver </a>and <a href="https://www.upwork.com/">Upwork</a> already have an internal CRM for milestones and payments.<h1 id="ec6c">Number 4 — A recruiting company focused on industrial profiles</h1><figure id="1c6d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*2VXFbIBcSNTJKxrHPWnrWw.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://techunter.carrd.co/">Techunter</a>🟢 Positive: If they find a niche that struggles with recruiting (industry), they have a good problem to solve.🔴 Potential Problems: Now, the risk is on the product. Do they have a solution capable of finding these profiles? Bonus: the name is confusing, I really thought about ‘Tech’ profiles.<h1 id="27df">🥉Number 3— A platform that forces your landlord to lower your rent to conform to the law</h1><figure id="3301"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*WrCIwKGK3QYe_WpNT_wYQA.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://tenants.fr/">Tenants</a>🟢 Positive: A clear economic gain for clients.🔴 Potential Problems: Many tenants just want to avoid any problems with their landlord. Because of that, B2C acquisitions may be not that easy.<h1 id="0e4b">🥈Number 2— A digital tool for cleaning companies and office managers</h1><figure id="66b2"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*gc8q-no22fDp6Zo4w38lLg.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://e-giene.fr/">e-gene</a>🟢 Positive: Tracking of interventions can be useful for accountability. I personally have a similar app from my building manager.🔴 Potential Problems: They need to convince 3 parts to use their app: a cleaning company, an office manager, and employees. And office managers has to really find a value in it. Is there a big pain point they are solving?<h1 id="cfbb">🥇Number 1— Reparation, customization and upcycling of Sneakers</h1><figure id="73eb"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*bnkfyqjlTVy4MfVbExVYDg.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure>Name: <a href="https://www.beaterssneakers.com/">Beaters</a>🟢 Positive: Very specific segment of passionate people.🔴 Potential Problems: It’s B2C, so customer acquisition may be hard (a.k.a. expensive). Why not trying to sell their Premium SAV on sneakers to existing Sneakers sellers (as <a href="https://tilli.fr/">Tilli</a>)?What was your favourite? Let me know in the comments</article></body>

[2023] 16 Startup Ideas from Parisian pre-seed accelerator (from worst to best)

Here is what 16 selected French entrepreneurs are working on.

Let me know your favorite.

A picture from the Paris-based accelerator Station F

Why this article is useful for future entrepreneurs

Stephen King, when asked how to become a good writer, simply answered:

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.”

The same applies to startups.

In order to become a good entrepreneur, we have to do two things: try out a lot of startup ideas and analyze a lot of startup ideas.

This is why am I spending a fair amount of time analyzing other startups, every week.

This article will be a training session that we are going to do together. We will be analyzing some startup projects selected by Station F Fighter Program. Station F is the biggest France incubator, and the Fighter Program is reserved for entrepreneurs with unprivileged backgrounds.

Before starting, just some words about the framework that we will use.

The RULES

I won’t analyze the team. Despite it being the most pivotal aspect of a startup. Here, I am just stating that we are not investing in the company, just having fun analyzing the business idea.
I will analyze the potential of the idea as it is. Not of potential pivots in the same business area.
One phrase pitch. We will try to understand the essential value proposition just by their one-sentence pitch. You will see it works quite efficiently. No need to enter the details of the technology, we don’t have the competencies anyway.
No judgment. We are just playing around and training. I am sure these start-ups are already doing great and really hope for them, they will all become unicorns 🦄

Ready? Let’s go!

Here is my final standing, from worse to best. Write me your most and least favorite in the comments!

The Program: FIGHTER PROGRAM BY STATION F

Fighter Program is a pre-acceleration program dedicated to young entrepreneurs with unprivileged backgrounds.

Other programs organized by the same institutions are Founders Program and Female in Tech. It’s organized by Station F, the biggest hub for start-ups of France and Europe.

It gives ‘fighters’ full-time access to campus for 5 months and focuses on helping them build and hone their MVP. The program ends with a pitch day.

Number 16 — An e-commerce for organic food that takes also back your organic waste

Name: Humus

🟢 Positive: They try to innovate in the area of food waste.

🔴 Potential Problems: I can’t see a strong need B2C side. It seems the typical ‘solution in search of a problem’.

Number 15 — Rechargeable cleaning products for offices

Name: Flushy

🟢 Positive: Again, I appreciate the effort of reducing plastic waste

🔴 Potential Problems: Definitely a vitamin and not a pain-killer. Nice to have, if not too costly. I don’t think cleaning waste is the number one priority for office cleaners and managers.

Number 14— A marketplace for Japanese-culture-based jobs for students (anime shops, video games, …)

Name: Frankihabara

🟢 Positive: They are really going in a niche of passionate people, easy to address through some specific channels.

🔴 Potential Problems: Not sure about the B2B need. Do companies have recruiting problems in this domain that are not covered by current job listing platforms? If not, they are not going to pay.

Number 13— A marketplace to find dance courses

🟢 Positive: Research of specific courses may be not easy for final customers.

🔴 Potential Problems: In a marketplace selling a complex product like this one, it’s difficult to avoid direct contact from customers to the dancing school. B2C acquisition is costly as well.

Number 12 — A real estate platform investing in Cameroon

Name: Yeggah

🟢 Positive: Investing platform in a growing market (Africa).

🔴 Potential Problems: It’s quite difficult to convince someone of a financial product. B2C acquisitions are quite hard when we talk about money placement. They need to build a strong reputation.

Number 11— A digital health book for families

Name: Tribu Sante

🟢 Positive: Can be useful for people who like to have all data in the same place.

🔴 Potential Problems: Digitalizing the life of a family (budget, school, …) it’s a recurring idea. Monetization is hard, as the problem is often that the alternatives are OKish (example writing down medical data in a folder) and inexpensive. May not be perceived as a big problem.

Number 10— Pet medals with a digitalized profile for your dog

Name: Yuli & friends

🟢 Positive: Defined niche, pet-owners are enthusiasts and a good product can quickly spread word of mouth.

🔴 Potential Problems: It just seems nice to have. The current alternative in case of loss of a dog is having a medal with just a number to call. It’s not great, but not completely crap. So no huge improvement on that area.

Number 9 — A food delivery company with individuals as chefs

Name: Oh les Chefs

🟢 Positive: I always like decentralized model able to decrease costs (remember Uber or Vinted)

🔴 Potential Problems: Unfortunately, it’s not the first time I see an idea failing in this area. Why they do? 1 — The quality of the final product is key. Maybe they should try to standardize outcome on just some products. 2 — Logistics in food delivery is a nightmare. 3 — And, B2C acquisition may be costly, we already have plenty of alternatives.

Number 8— A Marketplace for schools to find speakers for lessons or events

Name: Lecturer

🟢 Positive: Smart model, they hide their lecturer profiles not to be bypassed. The school entitles them to the research.

🔴 Potential Problems: It does not seem something that occurs A LOT of schools have a lot of budget to devote on. They need to find a profitable niche.

Number 7 — An AI based assistant for coaches and teachers

Name: Educentre

🟢 Positive: Teachers and education can surely benefit a lot from the advent of AI.

🔴 Potential Problems: ‘An AI Copilote’ is vague. Maybe they should find a feature or pain points that teachers or schools would pay to solve. Is it creating a syllabus, or is it correcting exams? They have some good entry points, they will find out!

Number 6— An app for students to have lunch together and have discounts

Name: Studeat

🟢 Positive: The clients are a specific niche and are geographically easy to reach (a university campus). The ‘price reduction part’ may be interesting and is something restaurants already propose and students are price-driven.

🔴 Potential Problems: ‘The risk of eating alone’ does not sound like a real problem to me. I suggest focusing more on the other discounts part.

Number 5 — A CRM tool to help freelancers with project management

Name: Onboard

🟢 Positive: Freelancers are booming, and some of the solutions on secure payments by milestones or contract automatisation are good improvements.

🔴 Potential Problems: I guess all freelancers have found less-efficent but OKish solutions, seeing monetary value may not be immediate for them. Also, main freelance platforms like Fiver and Upwork already have an internal CRM for milestones and payments.

Number 4 — A recruiting company focused on industrial profiles

Name: Techunter

🟢 Positive: If they find a niche that struggles with recruiting (industry), they have a good problem to solve.

🔴 Potential Problems: Now, the risk is on the product. Do they have a solution capable of finding these profiles? Bonus: the name is confusing, I really thought about ‘Tech’ profiles.

🥉Number 3— A platform that forces your landlord to lower your rent to conform to the law

Name: Tenants

🟢 Positive: A clear economic gain for clients.

🔴 Potential Problems: Many tenants just want to avoid any problems with their landlord. Because of that, B2C acquisitions may be not that easy.

🥈Number 2— A digital tool for cleaning companies and office managers

Name: e-gene

🟢 Positive: Tracking of interventions can be useful for accountability. I personally have a similar app from my building manager.

🔴 Potential Problems: They need to convince 3 parts to use their app: a cleaning company, an office manager, and employees. And office managers has to really find a value in it. Is there a big pain point they are solving?

🥇Number 1— Reparation, customization and upcycling of Sneakers

Name: Beaters

🟢 Positive: Very specific segment of passionate people.

🔴 Potential Problems: It’s B2C, so customer acquisition may be hard (a.k.a. expensive). Why not trying to sell their Premium SAV on sneakers to existing Sneakers sellers (as Tilli)?

What was your favourite? Let me know in the comments