Trouble with Next Career Move
Throwaway account. Right now I'm struggling to get some advice on what to do next. So far in the last 15 years I've co-founded a startup, been a CTO at a company and grown it to north of 20M in revenue, and coached several startups at early stages. Right now I really want to build something new, ideally from scratch with the right people. The issue right now is the spaces I'm most interested in are quite saturated with other startups, and strategically I think that would be a bad way to spend ones time.
Does anyone have any ideas around how to go find inspiration, problems, and maybe ways to do work that let those things happen, without feeling like you're wasting your time?
Do you just want to make more money, start something (anything) new, or solve an actually important (and challenging) problem? Your answer to this should guide you on next steps. Ex. if (1), follow the normal startup problem search path. If (2), it doesn't really matter what you do as long as you're personally interested in it. If (3), make a list of the big problems facing the world today and decide which ones you can personally help solve, then figure out how to go about it.
Oh, and if you say "all three" you're not being very honest with yourself. If your next step doesn't feel like a hard choice you're doing it wrong.
You sound like an impostor ...
A CTO doesn't "grow a company."
A founder doesn't wait around and "look for the right people."
If I were you, I would look in the mirror and decide if you're a founder or just a wantrepreneur.
Come back in 90 days with "Tell HN", not "Ask HN."
If a big problem issue is a draw for you: start investigating how to help solve the fake news issue. Just spend an afternoon looking into it, and if it does not fascinate and get your creative juices flowing, I'd be surprised. Tackling fake news is probably one of the most pressing and transparent problems we globally have. Fake news is not just a USA problem, but a global issue that is burning like a wildfire.
It seems like a lot of billionaires act on what they have read in books. Books about the state of the world today and what it could be. Problems and opportunities. Fantasies (sci-fi/philosophy). Systems (economics, cultures, religion). Find out how everything goes together and see if there's something that could be done better, but nobody is around in the position to do so.
I think you should not fixate on other startup's being present in the areas you are interested in. You might bring in different perspective to the problem they are trying to solve also once you start getting customer feedback it might shape the product differently than the way other startup's are tackling it or even the way you thought it ought to be. In short go for it.
> I really want to build something new,
>> ideally from scratch with the right people.
These are personal issues instead of professional wishes, so you should disconnect for a while and ask yourself what you really want to do with your life, assumed that financial independence is sorted? Once you are on the way that makes you feel good, projects and people will come naturally.
I think the classic answer to that question involves taking a lot of time, doing some reading, and having lots of spare time for your brain to wander to interesting places, rather than the stuff you normally immerse yourself in every day.