The Startup Ideas Podcast

Join me as I chat with Josh Woodward, VP of Google Labs & Gemini, as he showcases Google's latest AI products and their capabilities. The conversation covers Gemini's advanced features including personalized context integration and video generation, Flow's AI filmmaking capabilities, Notebook LM's research and knowledge exploration tools, Stitch's UI design automation, and Project Mariner's autonomous web task execution. Throughout the demonstration, Josh highlights how these tools can empower both professionals and individuals to create high-quality content and automate tasks.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:57 - Gemini app features and capabilities
06:53 - Video generation with Gemini<...

I share 5 startup ideas that could be launched for under $500, particularly aimed at entrepreneurs in their twenties. Each idea requires minimal technical expertise to start and can be launched using existing platforms like Notion, Circle, Discord, or simple AI tools. These ideas can generate meaningful revenue while providing valuable learning experiences that might lead to bigger opportunities.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:20 - Startup Idea 1: First Job Rejection Tracker
02:31 - Startup Idea 2: Take your headphones off
04:14 - Startup Idea 3: Creator-in-Residence Agency
06:08 - Startup Idea 4: $2K Vibe Coding Agency
07:57 - Startup Idea 5: Hook Line...

On this episode, I test Grok 4's capabilities across multiple use cases to determine if it outperforms competitors like OpenAI and Perplexity. I evaluate 9 different agent types by running specific prompts and analyzing the results. Grok 4 demonstrates particular strength in tasks leveraging X data, with standout performance in market research, customer feedback analysis, and negotiation assistance, while showing limitations in areas like visual design.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:00 - Market research Agent
04:05 - Coding Agent
05:57 - Productivity Agent
10:10 - Fundraising Agent
14:48 - Content MarketerAgent
23:23 - Customer Feedback Agent
27:04 - Negotiator...

Join me as I chat with Ras Mic to discuss the current landscape of AI development tools, evaluating each as overrated or underrated based on their potential impact for both technical and non-technical users. We particularly highlight Claude Code as "extremely underrated" and discuss how tools like Devin and CodeRabbit are changing development workflows. The conversation also addresses my controversial viral tweet about building profitable SaaS businesses with AI tools.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:32 - n8n
06:35 - LindyAI
07:31 - Claude Code
12:09 - Devin/Code Rabbit
19:56 - Bolt/Lovable/Tempo
23:12...

On this episode, I breakdown my comprehensive guide to "vibe marketing" - using AI tools and workflows to automate and enhance marketing efforts. I go over several practical workflows including creating viral AI videos, building AI personas for customer nurturing, generating audio content from text, and creating AI-powered business dashboards. The presentation emphasizes that understanding these tools provides marketers with a significant competitive advantage in the current landscape.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:27 - Overview of Vibe Marketing
03:30 - MCPs and Workflow Explained
06:45 - Creating faceless video content workflow
09:57 - One-click CRM with...

Join me as I chat with Amir to discuss how Cursor can function as a comprehensive interface for business operations beyond traditional coding. Through demonstrations of Model Context Protocols (MCPs), Amir illustrates how to automate financial reporting, conduct UX analysis, create marketing content, and perform QA testing—all within Cursor. The conversation highlights how this approach can dramatically improve productivity by eliminating the need to switch between different applications.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:03 - Overview of using Cursor beyond coding
• 02:40 - Finance automation with Xero MCP
• 07:58 - UX analysis using Playwright MCP
• 14:37 - Sales/Mark...

Join me as I chat with Tod Sacerdoti about String, a platform that allows users to build AI agents through natural language prompts rather than complex visual workflows. Tod showcases several practical examples of automations, from monitoring Hacker News for specific terms to generating LinkedIn posts from blog content. The platform aims to make automation accessible to non-technical users while providing the power to solve complex business problems.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:03 - String Overview
01:49 - Agent 1: Monitoring Hacker News for MCP mentions
08:15 - Agent 2: Creating LinkedIn posts from RSS feeds
17:14 - Agent 3...

Join me as I chat with The Boring Marketer to demonstrate how non-technical marketers can use AI tools like Cursor and Claude Code to build programmatic SEO strategies without coding knowledge. He walks through a complete workflow from keyword research to deploying a live comparison page for AI tools, showing how this approach can potentially generate thousands of targeted pages to capture search traffic. The demonstration highlights how AI is blurring the line between marketers and developers.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:35 - Cursor Overview
03:50 - Claude Code Overview
09:47 - Using FireCrawl MCP scrape website...

On this episode, I provide an unsponsored review of GenSpark, testing its capabilities across multiple business applications. I evaluate the platform's ability to create investor decks, product demos, customer personas, and marketing strategies. While I was impressed with GenSpark's research capabilities and business-oriented content, the product had significant limitations in design quality and occasional content confusion.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:55 - Genspark Super AI Agent Overview
03:28 - Building Fundraising Deck
07:33 - Building Product Demo
10:46 - Generating Social Media Strategy
16:26 - Building Fundraising Deck Pt2
17:17 - Building Data Room
18:59...

The exact MCP system to make Claude 10x more powerful : https://www.gregisenberg.com/claude-mcp

Join me as I chat with Riley Brown about how to enhance Claude's capabilities with MCPs. He demonstrates practical applications including accessing Notion databases for content creation and using Glyph for automated thumbnail generation. While acknowledging the current setup process is somewhat technical, Riley emphasizes the significant productivity benefits and predicts these integrations will become more streamlined in the near future.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:08 - MCP Explained
04:36 -Why MCP’s matter?
08:42 - Docker's MCP...

Join me as I chat with Jonathan Courtney to discuss the mechanics of a successful sales funnel. He explains how funnels work to transform cold prospects into customers by warming them up through a strategic sequence of offers. The conversation covers both self-liquidating funnels (where initial purchases cover ad costs) and webinar funnels, with practical advice on implementation for different business models.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:01 - Why Funnels matter
02:26 - Demo of Facebook Ad Library to find competitors' funnels
04:00 - Walkthrough of the actual funnel pages and sales process
20:35 - Discussion...

I explorePerplexity Labs, the AI agent product from Perplexity. I test its capabilities across multiple use cases including creating film storyboards, generating sales leads, developing content strategies, and performing financial analysis. Throughout the demo, I am surprised at the quality and depth of the outputs, particularly the tool's ability to create visual storyboards and comprehensive business dashboards.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction to Perplexity Labs
01:18 - Film director AI Agent
07:04 - Salesperson AI Agent
11:11 - Content strategy Consultant AI Agent
20:13 - Financial Analyst AI Agent
24:08 - Salesperson AI Agent (pt2)
<...

I share 17 practical methods for generating viable startup ideas in the AI era. The strategies focus on identifying pain points, tedious workflows, and manual processes that could be automated or improved with AI. These techniques can help both aspiring entrepreneurs seeking new ventures and established startup founders looking to expand their product offerings.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:48 - Method 1: Using ChatGPT to identify tedious workflows
06:08 - Method 2: Analyzing your ChatGPT history
09:11 - Method 3: Searching Reddit for tool requests
12:00 - Methods 4-7: Finding friction points and using Idea Browser
15:08 - Methods 8-11...

Join me as I chat with Jack Friks to discuss driving free traffic to mobile apps through organic social media marketing on Instagram and TikTok. He details a specific approach that involves creating a fresh account, studying successful content in your niche, and consistently posting while iterating on formats until finding one that generates significant views. Jack emphasizes that success requires patience, often taking 30-100 posts before finding a winning formula.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and overview
01:52 - What viewers will learn from the episode
03:21 - Explanation of organic social media marketing approach
05:30...

Join me as I chat with Meng To, Founder of Aura, to discuss how to elevate AI-generated designs beyond generic templates by using proper prompting techniques. He demonstrates how providing AI with specific context about layouts, typography, colors, and animations results in more professional and unique designs. The conversation highlights how thoughtful design creates user trust and can be a competitive advantage for startups.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
00:32 - Giveaway Winner 1 Announcement
02:37 - Problem with generic AI-generated designs
03:22 - Developer-focused vs designer-focused AI tools
05:03 - Explanation of design framing and styling elements<...

Join me as I chat with Sherry Jiang to discuss her journey creating Peek, an AI-native personal finance app. She explains her development process from rapid prototyping to user testing, and how building in public on social media drove significant user acquisition. The conversation highlights how AI can be leveraged not just within products but also for marketing and content creation.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 03:58 - Behavioral science principles applied to app design
• 06:13 - AI Chat/Peek for X
• 12:05 - User Testing/Feedback
• 14:00 - Building/Launching App
• 23:04 - Building in Public
• 24:42...

Join me as I chat with Jordan Mix to discuss a comprehensive 35-step playbook for building profitable companies in the AI age. The conversation covers everything from finding niches and building audiences to leveraging AI tools for product development and scaling through automation. They emphasize the importance of creating a business ecosystem rather than isolated products and maintaining a culture of shipping new ideas consistently.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
0:41 - Finding and Validating Idea
03:04 - Building an Audience
05:55 - Vibe Code MVP
07:37 - v1 vs v2
09:09 - Marketing and Partnerships
13:07...

Join me as chat I with The Boring Marketer as we demonstrate a complete n8n workflow automation that can save content creators 10-15 hours weekly by scraping top-performing content, generating new content ideas, and publishing to social. The system uses N8N to orchestrate multiple AI tools that research, write, and even create images for posts, with an optional human review step before publishing.

Build an AI Content Automation in n8n: https://www.gregisenberg.com/ai-content-automation

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:58 - Why use this Content AI Agent
03:05 - Demoing the n...

Join me as I chat with Ben Tossell to discuss how non-technical users can leverage OpenAI's Codex to build and modify websites without writing code. The video showcases a practical example of adding a new tab to a personal website through simple text commands, with Codex handling all the coding work. Ben explains GitHub basics, pull requests, and how to manage code changes while emphasizing that this approach makes coding more accessible to beginners.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:28 - What is Codex
02:38 - Explanation of GitHub and repositories
05:54 - Demonstration of adding a...

Join me as I chat with Steph Smith to discusses startup opportunities in the AI era, focusing on both AI-enabled ideas and tech-agnostic concepts that remain valuable despite technological disruption. She presents detailed concepts for personal data dashboards, health data integration platforms, and AI-enhanced dating apps, explaining how these ideas address existing market gaps and could be monetized

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Join me as I chat with the Boring Marketer about building efficient marketing workflows using N8N and AI tools. Boring Marketer demonstrates how to use Claude AI with custom MCP integrations to automate keyword research, identify content gaps, and generate comprehensive marketing assets across multiple platforms. The approach focuses on simplifying complex marketing tasks through automation to free up time for more strategic work.

Get ideas, tools, and tactics to 10x your marketing: https://www.skool.com/the-vibe-marketers

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:09 - Explanation of Vibe Marketing
04:12 - Automating keyword...

Join me as I chat with Jonathan Courtney to discuss how AI tools are transforming business operations, allowing small companies to achieve the output of much larger teams. We explore practical applications like content research, ad creation, and workflow automation, while emphasizing that founders should personally master these tools rather than immediately delegating.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
04:17 - AI Tools Inflection Point
09:44 - Building an Audience with AI
15:06 - The Role of the Human Editor
16:26 - Taste and Intuition in AI
18:36 - Execution with AI Tools
22:06 - Vibe Marketing<...

I share one of my techniques to get significantly better outputs from LLM’s. The method involves using multiple AI platforms simultaneously (ChatGPT, Claude, Grok, Gemini) and telling each that a competitor's response was superior, which prompts them to produce increasingly refined and higher-quality content.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:29 - Initial Prompt
04:04 - Improved Responses after "Jealousy" Prompt

Key Points:

• Using multiple AI models simultaneously and comparing their outputs yields better results
• Making AI models "jealous" of each other by telling them another model performed better...

I walk through a step-by-step process for building a SaaS product in a weekend using AI tools. The demonstration follows a Reddit post methodology, using Gemini for competitive research, Claude for idea validation and planning, and V0.dev for UI generation.

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:08 - Step 1: Choose your audience
02:38 - Step 2: Research Competition
09:19 - Step 3: Get Honest Feedback
11:47 - Step 4: Write a 1-page product requirements document (PRD)
14:14 - Step 5: Break the UI into "shippable chunks”
16:05 - Step 6: Generate UI with v0
21:55 - Step 7: Connect the ba...

Today I break down Vibe Marketing, I explain how it leverages AI agents and workflows to execute marketing tasks that previously required large specialized teams. I outline essential tools for the Vibe Marketing toolkit including Replit, n8n, Gumloop, Manus, Claude, and OpenRouter, then shares practical workflows for content creation, sales automation, and data analysis that marketers can implement immediately.

Get ideas, tools, and tactics to 10x your marketing: https://www.skool.com/the-vibe-marketers

Episode Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:24 - What is Vibe Marketing
02:34 - Why is Vibe...

Join me as I chat with Chris Raroque, who demonstrates how to use AI tools to build sophisticated mobile apps as a solo developer. Chris walks through adding an AI chat feature to his budgeting app, showing his workflow with Cursor and Claude 3.7. He explains how to implement function calling to create an intelligent agent that can access transaction data and answer questions about spending patterns. Timestamps: • 00:00 - Introduction to Chris Raroque and his portfolio of apps • 02:32 - Overview of Cursor workflow for native iOS development • 09:54 - Demo of adding AI chat to a budgeting app • 17:50 - Connecting AI Chat Feature...

Join me as I chat with Hunter Isaacson, a successful mobile app builder who has created apps with hundreds of millions of downloads. Hunter shares his playbook for building million-dollar mobile apps, emphasizing the importance of simple experiences, strong branding, and creating effective growth loops. He discusses how to identify opportunities by adapting existing ideas to new channels and technologies.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:56 - Examples of Viral Consumer Apps
04:35 - Hallow Deep dive 
10:14 - Locket Deep dive
13:51 -  NGL’s Deep Dive
15:08 - Don’t reinvent the wheel
17:27 -  Hunter’s $1M/Mon...

Join me as I chat with Niels Klement, CMO of Perspective, we discuss how agencies are building highly profitable productized services using AI. He explains that the most successful approach involves focusing on a specific industry niche, creating a repeatable funnel template that delivers consistent results, and using AI to automate fulfillment. The discussion covers funnel optimization techniques, the importance of mobile-first design, and how interactive elements like quizzes significantly improve conversion rates.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:44 - Overview of productized services and funnel building
03:21 - How to build a niche-focused service
07:59 - Implementation...

Join me as I chat with Nick Huber to discusses how "boring" businesses like storage, lawn care, and service companies often create more reliable paths to wealth than tech startups. He shares his personal journey from a college storage business that sold for $1.75 million to purchasing and improving self-storage facilities worth millions. The conversation explores various low-tech business opportunities with high profit potential and minimal competition.

00:00 - Intro
02:08 - Nick's Sweaty Startup journey
05:20 - Self-storage facility investments and returns
07:31 - Examples of profitable service businesses
13:13 - Sweaty Startup Idea: Night Nurse Marketplace
18:49...

Use agents https://www.lindy.ai/greg (thanks to Flo for hooking us up with 50% off and you can get started for free)

Join me as I chat with Flo Crivello, founder of Lindy AI, where he demonstrates how to build AI agents that can automate various business processes without coding. The conversation showcases practical applications including meeting recording, scheduling, recruitment, competitive analysis, and customer support. Crivello emphasizes that there's currently a significant gap between what's technically possible with AI agents and what most businesses are implementing.

Built your first AI Agent with Lindy: https...

Join me as I chat with Riley Brown to explore various opportunities in AI, from image generation to rebuilding essential software tools, while debating the future of content creation, customer support automation, and the concept of "vibe coding/marketing." 

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:05 - ChatGPT 4.0 image generation capabilities
07:30 - Rebuilding calendars, inboxes and CRMs
11:02 - Component Animation Library
12:59 - The "spaghetti video" and AI video progression
19:41 - Customer support automation
22:01 - The biggest trap for founders
24:43 - Sketching is the future of AI building
26:15 - Build Consumer AI Mobile A...

Join me as I chat with Justin Mares, Founder of Kettle and Fire, as he explains his methodical approach to validating Kettle and Fire before fully launching it in 2014-2015. He created a basic landing page with a PayPal checkout to test if people would pay $29.99 for bone broth, achieving a 30% conversion rate despite having no actual product. The conversation highlights how modern AI tools have dramatically lowered barriers to entry for entrepreneurs testing new business ideas

Timestamps:
• 00:00 - Intro
• 01:05 - The Scale of Kettle and Fire
• 01:20 - The Initial Idea and Inspiration
• 02:16 - Valida...

Join me as I chat with Jacob Posel where he explains his viral method for creating professional ads using ChatGPT 4o and reference images. Jacob demonstrates that effective ad creation with AI relies more on providing quality inspiration images than complex prompting. The episode includes four example ads and two live demonstrations, showcasing how marketers can experiment with different audiences and styles at scale to improve conversion rates.

Timestamps:
• 00:00 - Intro
• 02:01 - Best practices and the importance of inspiration images
• 05:52 - Using Reference Images vs. No Reference 
• 09:07 - Exploring Sora for Prompt Inspiration
• 13:3...

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Join me as I chat with Tyler Denk, co-founder of Beehiiv, to discuss how to grow a newsletter to 100,000 subscribers. He demonstrates Beehiiv’s platform features including customizable websites, subscriber data collection, automated welcome sequences, and multiple monetization options. Tyler emphasizes there's no "silver bullet" for growth—success comes from combining multiple strategies that each contribute incrementally to b...

In this episode, host I test Manus AI's ability to function as an AI co-founder by asking it to develop a million-dollar business idea focused on AI. The system analyzes Y Combinator startups and Reddit trends to identify opportunities, ultimately recommending an AI-powered micro-consulting platform for small businesses. Manus delivers a comprehensive business proposal including market validation, pricing strategy, and even designs a functional landing page.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:41 - Initial Prompt: Ideas for $1M Startup in 18 Months
03:24 - Manus AI Processing Prompt
06:25 - Alternative Use Cases of Manus AI
13:14 - Results...

Join me as I chat with Andrew Wilkinson, Co-Founder of Tiny, as we discuss investment and startup ideas in the current AI landscape. We explore how AI is simultaneously lowering barriers to entry while increasing competition, making it easier to build "million-dollar businesses" but harder to create sustainable long-term ventures. We share specific startup ideas leveraging AI, including secure data integration platforms, automated web design services, and AI-powered lending.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:25 - Business building in AI
08:13 - Media Business Opportunities and AI 
18:18 - The future of GPT wrappers
21:20 - Automation and A...

I’m joined by Ashwinn Krishnaswamy, an expert in launching and growing consumer brands, where we discuss how he evaluates market opportunities and creates unfair advantages. We discuss various tools for market research including Ahrefs for keyword analysis, Particl for competitor sales data, and AI tools for product design. Ashwinn emphasizes that entrepreneurs should work backward from distribution channels rather than focusing solely on product development.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
03:45 - Ahrefs tool for keyword research
15:08 -  Particl for analyzing competitor sales data
18:52 - Why start a CPG brand
21:05 - How to stand out...

How to build an audience in 2025: https://www.startupempire.co/build-an-audience

I’m joined by Jonathan Courtney to jam on how to  build an audience in 2025. We explore various tactics including finding your unique format, implementing consistent systems, and measuring progress against clear goals.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
01:58 - The ACP Framework
04:06 - Step 1: Identify Who You're Creating For
10:05 -  Step 2: Find Your Format
19:43 -  Step 3: Build Systems That Stick
24:52 - Step 4: Pick ONE Primary Goal
28:08 - Where to Begin? The Reply Guy Strategy
31:08 - WHY Building an Audie...

I’m joined by Ras Mic to explain MCPs. Mic breaks down how MCPs essentially standardize  how LLMs connect with external tools and services. While LLMs alone can only predict text, connecting them to tools makes them more capable, but this integration has been cumbersome. MCPs create a unified layer that translates between LLMs and services, making it easier to build more powerful AI assistants.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:39 - The Evolution of LLMs: From Text Prediction to Tool Use
07:51 - MCPs explained
11:11 - MCP Ecosystem Overview
13:59 - Technical Challenges of MCP
15:18 - C...

I’m joined by Min Choi to test if Manus AI can replace your AI tech stack. Throughout the episode, we test Manus AI's capabilities by asking it to create a DocuSign clone, research startup ideas, and analyze website SEO.
Timestamps:

• 00:00 - Intro
• 02:18 - What is Manus AI?
• 03:58 - Project 1: DocuSign clone
• 16:54 - Project 2: Research Greg’s top startup ideas
• 27:09 - Security concerns with Manus AI 
• 30:16 - Manus bug and reboot 
• 32:06 - Deploying DocuSign Clone
• 39:42 - Project 3: SEO Optimization 
• 44:14 - Discussion of Manus’s Limitations and Scaling issues
• 48:23 - Project 4: Bui...