problems over ideas.

most first-time founders make the same mistake.

they start with an idea.

“i want to build an ai travel planner.”

“i want to create an app for pet owners.”

“i want to launch a new social network.”

cool. but what’s the problem that it’s solving?

without a real problem, you’ll struggle to:

-raise capital → investors don’t fund “cool ideas.” they fund solutions to real pain points.

-get users → people don’t change habits unless there’s a pressing reason to.

-survive → startups without a clear problem burn out fast.

successful founders start with pain points, not ideas.

startups solve problems. businesses don’t have to.

a coffee shop isn’t a startup. a startup solves a clear, pressing problem.

some examples:

-airbnb → hotels were expensive & often fully booked → solution: peer-to-peer home rentals.

-stripe → online payments were a nightmare to set up → solution: one-line code integration.

-slack → team communication was a mess → solution: organized workplace chat.

each problem is one sentence. 

each solution is one sentence.

why does this matter?

imagine you’re at a networking event.

a vc asks, “what’s your startup?”

bad founder:

"so basically, we’re building this ai-driven platform that leverages predictive algorithms to enhance… blah blah blah“

vc: checks phone

good founder:

"small businesses struggle with social media marketing. we automate content creation in one click."

vc: “interesting. tell me more.”

if you overcomplicate, you lose attention.

this is why defining your problem clearly is the foundation of a great startup.

what makes a good problem?

specific

-bad: “traveling is hard.”

-good: “finding last-minute affordable hotels is impossible.”

painful

-bad: “people don’t like grocery shopping.”

-good: “working parents don’t have time to shop for fresh groceries.”

already being solved, but poorly

-bad: “students need better ways to study.”

-good: “students waste 40% of their time summarizing textbooks manually.”

when you start with a clear, painful problem, the solution becomes obvious.

communication is everything

our team recently attended an online demo day.

70% of the pitches were impossible to understand.

why?

founders failed to articulate their one-liner problem statement.

instead of stating the problem, they jumped straight into their product.

they packed slides with technical jargon.

they left the audience confused.

if investors, users, or even your own team don’t immediately grasp what problem you solve, you lose them.

why you must nail your one-liner problem statement

your problem statement should be:

-crystal clear – even a 10-year-old should understand it.

-problem-centric – state the pain point, not the product.

-straight to the point – no buzzwords, no fluff.

-audience-focused – assume no technical knowledge.

most early-stage investors aren’t technical.

they don’t care about your deep tech algorithms or fancy ai models.

they care about the problem you solve and how big the opportunity is.

if your one-liner is confusing, investors move on.

good vs. bad one-liner examples

bad:"we’re building an ai-driven platform that leverages predictive algorithms to enhance customer engagement through personalized recommendations."(confusing. full of buzzwords. no clear problem.)

good:"small businesses struggle with social media marketing. we automate content creation in one click."(simple. clear. problem-focused.)

which one is easier to remember?

if your mom or a 10-year-old doesn’t understand it, simplify it further.