10 Startup Ideas You Should NOT Build in 2023

Introduction: Enter the Foxhole of Futility

Hello, curious entrepreneurs and dubious dreamers! I'm Roasty the Fox, your sharp-witted guide through the wild, often perplexing world of startup ideas. If you’ve ever thought, “Hey, this is a million-dollar idea!” only to realize it’s worth less than a cup of coffee, you’re in the right place. Today, we’re diving into the murky waters of startup concepts that should have never seen the light of day.

Every day, countless ideas are born, but not every fledgling deserves its wings. Some are so devoid of context, they might as well be written in ancient hieroglyphs. Others are echoes of colossal incumbents, offering nothing new but a recycled dream. And then there are those that are just... well, plain puzzling. So buckle up, and let's roast these would-be disruptors that scored a perfect 1 out of 100 on the “Do Not Build This” scale.

1. est-c que tu trouves certaines idées géniales ?

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
This isn't a startup idea, it's a question. And not just any question, but a vague, existential shrug of a question that offers nothing in terms of a problem, solution, or even a hint of who the user might be. If this is your pitch, you'd be laughed out of any accelerator faster than you can say, “pivot.”

There’s not even a language match for a target market, let alone a business model. If you’re aiming to captivate an audience or investors, clarity is key. So, next time, bring an actual idea to the table, preferably one with a coherent problem and a plausible solution. Until then, this idea is just an idle musing.

2. Boom shakalaka

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
Boom shakalaka, it’s a sound effect, not a startup idea. Maybe you’re pitching an app that plays random commentator catchphrases, but without context or a clear problem to solve, you might as well be shouting into the void.

In the world of startups, noise without substance is a sure path to oblivion. There’s no market, no product, no problem being addressed. The only ‘boom’ here is the sound of opportunity slamming shut. If you’re serious about building something, start with what and who, not just an echo.

3. tesst

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
Ah, 'tesst', the typo heard ‘round the world. This isn’t a startup idea, it's a slip of the fingers. If your pitch deck is just a misspelled word, you're not even at square one: you're at the tutorial screen.

You can't validate what doesn't exist, and you sure as hell can't monetize a blank. Pro tip: if you want to build something, start with a noun and a verb. Right now, the only thing 'tesst' is testing is my patience.

4. uber

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
Oh, just ‘uber,’ you say? Not 'Uber for X,' not a clever twist, just 'uber.' That's like walking into a tech conference and saying your idea is 'Google.' Unless you have a time machine set to 2009 and a billion-dollar war chest for legal battles, this isn't even in the realm of reality.

Building a ride-hailing marketplace from scratch is tantamount to signing up for a series of insurmountable challenges. With build complexity through the roof and existing giants firmly entrenched, this idea is less a startup and more a Wikipedia entry.

5. Uuuuu

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
'Uuuuu' is not a startup idea; it's a keyboard malfunction. There’s no market, no pain point, and certainly no product to speak of. If your pitch begins with 'Uuuuu,' expect your meeting to end with 'Nooooo.'

Without a problem or user in mind, this submission is nothing more than a typo with ambition. Next time, try presenting an actual idea. Even a bad one would be a step up from this existential shrug.

6. Hhu

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
'Hhu', the sound of a missed opportunity. This isn't a startup idea; it's a keyboard slip. No context, no problem, no user, and certainly no hint of industry insight.

If 'Hhu' is your elevator pitch, the only thing going up is my blood pressure. This is the kind of submission that makes accelerators invent new rejection templates. Next time, try including at least a noun and a verb.

7. https://rushd.tech/

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
You submitted a URL and called it an idea, a classic 404 for context. If this is your pitch, even a spam filter would pass. No pain point, no target user, no problem, no solution, just a bare link.

Here's the brutal truth: if you can't even summarize your idea in a sentence, you don’t have one. At best, this is a placeholder. At worst, it's a sign you haven't even begun to think about the market, user, or why.

8. Stealing your website

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
Stealing a website isn't a startup idea; it's a confession to a crime. If your 'innovation' is website theft, congratulations, you’ve invented a lawsuit, not a business.

Even if you meant 'cloning websites for legal migration or backup,' it's still a feature, not a company. If this was meant as a joke, the punchline is that you’ll be explaining it to a judge, not a YC partner.

9. Your face is so large it equal with to castle building

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
This isn't a startup idea; it's a surrealist one-liner that seems lost in translation. Without market, problem, or product, this would get you laughed out of a hackathon and possibly banned from LinkedIn.

Unless you're launching a medieval-themed face filter app for giants, there's zero path to MVP, revenue, or reality. Next time, try pitching something that at least belongs in this universe.

10. I want a worke

Score: 1/100 | Tier: ☠️ Roasted
This isn't a startup idea, it's an incomplete sentence. Unless you're pitching ‘unfinished sentences as a service,’ there is nothing to evaluate here.

You didn’t even make it to the end of the word 'worker.' If this is a test of my patience or your keyboard's durability, congratulations: both failed. Come back with an actual idea, or at least a complete sentence.

Conclusion: Dodging the Detours

If there’s one takeaway from this parade of questionable concepts, it’s this: clarity and distinctiveness matter. Every startup needs a well-defined problem, a targeted market, and a clear solution to stand any chance of success.

The world is teeming with half-baked ideas and echo chambers of existing giants. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rise above the noise with clarity and purpose. Avoid these pitfalls, and consider validating your ideas before you pitch. Test them, critique them, and if they still stand strong, only then are they ready for the world.

And remember, before you hit 'submit,' ask yourself: would Roasty the Fox roast this? If the answer is yes, you might want to refine a little more. Until next time, keep your ideas sharp and your pitches sharper.

Written by Walid Boulanouar.
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