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Problem: the main reason startups fail is a lack of market need. 42% of startups built solutions that didn't solve real problems. Solution: we manually find people with unresolved problems they are willing to pay to solve.
ProblemHunt
Hey guys! 👋 I'm Boris, founder of ProblemHunt
1. So, how did I come up with the idea for this product?
It's simple: first, I failed 3-4 startups in a row. The main reason was that I was building products that people didn't need. Then I stepped back to reflect and learn from my mistakes. During this reflection, I came across a series of essays by Paul Graham (the founder of Y Combinator) about how to build startups, starting with the search for ideas. I realized that the entire focus should not be on «startup ideas», but on the problems that can become the foundation for a startup. And that's how the idea for ProblemHunt came about — a place to find unsolved problems that people are willing to pay to have solved.
2. How much time passed from the idea to the first user?
I launched the first version of the product about two months ago, and the first user came right after the launch.
3. What was the most difficult moment and how did you overcome it?
In the process, we found that the most difficult thing is precisely to find people's problems. Most people perceive their difficulties as «normal» and simply put up with them for years, without even looking for a solution.
We have to manually search for and write to different people to draw out their problems. Out of 100 personal requests asking them to share a problem, only 2-3 people react positively. But even among them, we filter out about half — those whose problem has almost no market or is a one-time «wish».
Guys, if you have any questions — please ask them in the comments. I'll be happy to answer all of them. 😊
remio - Your Personal ChatGPT
@gostroverhov Congrats on the launch, Boris! It's inspiring to hear how you turned past failures into such a focused and problem-solving venture.
Given the challenge of finding genuine problems people are willing to pay for, have you considered any strategies for incentivizing users to share their "unsolved problems" more readily on your platform?🤔
ProblemHunt
@lvyanghuang My friend, thank you so much for your support and for this question.
I'll try to answer briefly:
Yes, I've thought a lot about how to incentivize users to share their "unsolved problems" more, but none of my hypotheses have worked so far.
The users who share problems best are those who are genuinely experiencing a problem. It's the real problem itself that motivates them to share it on ProblemHunt.
I hope in the near future I can test a number of other hypotheses that might help encourage users to share their problems on the platform more actively.
Thank you again for your support and your question. Let's stay in touch! 😊
ProblemHunt
@lvyanghuang If you have any more questions, just write at any time — I'll be glad to answer them. 😊
@gostroverhov Great idea tbh and congrats on the launch. I’d definitely use this 🚀
ProblemHunt
@jroycodes Thank you so much for your support! I would be genuinely happy if you used it. I'm always ready to help with something or improve ProblemHunt. Just write at any time, and we'll do our best to make it happen. 😊
PicWish
@gostroverhov Congrats on pushing past the failure cycle Boris! This is great focus. Have you thought about adding a voting feature per problem so makers can gauge which problem has the most inherent community interest before diving in?
ProblemHunt
@mohsinproduct Mohsin, absolutely agree with you, we are already working on this feature. Thank you for your kind words and support, it is very valuable to us. 😊
Thank you @gostroverhov, great idea. I published on LinkedIn to share your product 👉 https://www.linkedin.com/posts/valentin-harrang_pendant-ma-veille-techno-sur-producthunt-activity-7387367302255546369-DYVW 🙂
ProblemHunt
@valentin_hrg Wow! Valentin, thank you so much! That is very valuable to me. ✨ If you'd like, let's add each other to our contacts, my profile is here: linkedin.com/in/gostroverhov 😊
I loved seeing this problem on ProblemHunt. Yesterday we just launched something to solve this. I'd love to know how you want users to engage on your platform!
ProblemHunt
@ziray Hello, friend! 👋
At the moment, it's quite simple:
If a user has a problem, they fill out a form by answering 5 main questions and providing their direct contact details.
We moderate everything and publish it on ProblemHunt.
You can directly contact the user who shared the problem.
That's basically it for now, but we plan to improve the user experience in the future. 😊
ProblemHunt
@ziray Hi, thank you so much for your support. We appreciate it. Have a great day.
ProblemHunt
Hi everyone, I'm Victoria, co-founder of ProblemHunt. I wanted to thank you for your support. We truly appreciate it, and it really helps not only our project, but also the people who need it.
I hope more people will become successful with their startups, making the world a better and easier place to live.
Have a great day!
ProblemHunt
@victoriagostroverhova By the way, we got a great picture a couple of days ago. Isn't it? 😆
Saywise
Congratulations on the launch and I upvoted!
I wonder how you put together the list of these problems - is this a UGC product where people can submit problems they encounter? Or, are you crawling/indexing these problems from the internet?
Also, I wonder what would be the incentives for people who submit these problems. Is the goal to launch a new startup and the problem sharers become part of the new startups?
Overall, a great concept and something that the world definitely needs!
ProblemHunt
@cksaywise Hello! Thank you so much for your support; I truly appreciate it.
I'll try to answer your questions now:
Yes, that's correct. Recently, people have started publishing their problems on our platform themselves, and they provide their direct contact information. Startup founders can contact them and get feedback. Before this, we sourced problems through acquaintances or cold outreach.
For now, the only incentive is the chance that their problems will be solved by someone. But we are thinking about how we can encourage people to share their problems more readily.
I hope I've answered all your questions. Thank you again! 😊
ProblemHunt
@cksaywise If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to reach out. I'll do my best to answer all of them.
Saywise
@gostroverhov Are you on LinkedIn? I wrote about you guys but couldn't tag you :) https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7386869597892816898/
ProblemHunt
@cksaywise Wow! Thank you so much for mentioning ProblemHunt! My LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gostroverhov/
ProblemHunt
@cksaywise Hello! 👋 Unfortunately, LinkedIn has placed a temporary restriction on my account, and I am currently going through the identity verification and recovery process. As a result, I couldn't read your message. This is because I'm using a VPN to access LinkedIn, since I'm currently in Russia (access to LinkedIn is blocked here). I'm planning to move to Europe or the US (wherever it works out) in the near future to avoid such restrictions, as I feel very constrained in moments like these. For now, I'm available via email at gostroverhovb@gmail.com or on Telegram at https://t.me/gostroverhov. Thank you for your understanding!
Looks solid. I would recommend adding $ for adding a problem. If someone is invested enough to pay to state their problem then the solver can get the money.
I see it now once I clicked at the bottom. I’d recommend adding it as a pill on the main page of each problem card. One thing to experiment with.
ProblemHunt
@moisestrejo Thank you so much for your support and the idea. 😊
I've added it to the ideas list. I think this can be tested in the near future. I'll keep you posted.
ProblemHunt
@moisestrejo Hi! Thank you for your support. We appreciate it. Have a great day.
ProblemHunt
@karevaradharaj Thank you for your valuable suggestions, Kare! You've touched upon a key point. Monetization is indeed a central element for validating the viability of any problem. Your idea about providing "simple hacks" to test demand is a wonderful addition, and we are already developing tools to help users quickly validate their hypotheses with minimal investment.