CatDivers

A UK investor said to me treat it like a sale funnel. Reach out to 100-200 and hope for 5/10 meetings and convert a couple.

Conversion rate likely higher in US and depends obvs on you, your idea, your pitch, timing etc

I’m 38 and have a start-up. I am more focused, energetic and hard working than in my 20s, and of many I’ve met.

Most funders and programmes disregard me due to age and gender (f), that’s their loss. These stereotypes aren’t helpful, but they won’t change anytime soon and no point complaining - I’ll just keep killing it.

‘I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me’ - this quote from the Departed aligns with my view ;)

Two things that work well for my b2b are direct outreach on LinkedIn and online webinars with member networks/groups that they're part of.

:D

a. Claims calls are often used to better detect fraud (tone/pauses etc) and ask probing questions to deny claims. The friction of having to make a call also helps to reduce claim volumes.*(not all insurers)

b. Not sure, the insurer should negotiate competitive rates and know what they are. This could be on a sliding scale or otherwise vary dynamically based on claims and performance criteria.

c. Insurance is state-regulated in US. There may be specific requirements relating to this.

I spent a decade working in insurance and reinsurance in the UK. The US healthcare system is a different beast but there are some similarities.

Insurers are using tech in lots of interesting (and... unethical?) ways. Some reasonable ways would be linking to wearable or IoT devices for real-time data and offer incentives to care better for your health and home.

Others, like pricing and claims optimization strategies are a bit more questionable. This is where they'll vary prices and claims to maximize profitability. With claims optimization, the insurer will use data about the person's financial situation to determine how low a pay-out they can make e.g. £1000 today or new car next week.

With AI, they can analyze more datasets e.g. social media activity to analyze behaviours and likelihood of claims in order to adapt pricing... they've done this forever. 20 years ago they'd vary pricing based on your email provider.

There are new models like UBI (usage based insurance) and on-demand insurance, and some new entrants are using tech to streamline operations including cutting the contact centres - so it's being done by some.

I think there are more fundamental opportunities to disrupt and build more accessible and profitable insurance models with a longer-term view though.

I think it depends what you ask for. Notion style webpages, fine. Yesterday I asked for gauge charts and it didn't perform well at all, I'll need to get better at prompting.

Just got a scooter in SF, friend told me to ride alongside Waymo where possible, as they're less likely to crash into you.

+1 for v0. Good for creating starting base design. I then ask Claude to organise codebase, then take it to Cursor.

Should mention I'm non-technical and building a scrappy mvp this way. It could end up super scrappy...

Yes, i'm a millenial and no good at posing. I want my phone to act as a professional photographer and tell me to turn to the side, lean in etc... maybe even throw some compliments :)

Had quick look at home page above the fold. Messaging imo was quite clear until I saw the 'See rewards' button. Putting myself in the shoes of a potential buyer, I'm not interested in promoting your service, i want to learn more so i can decide if it's for me. Hope that helps and good luck.

Thanks for sharing. We never had them in the UK (not that I can remember). Remind me of the no-win no-fee legal advice ads, something icky about them!

I'll share progress here, otherwise you can follow me on linkedin (OP) - although it's mostly full of my UK non-profit stuff.

That's cool! Why just a weekend business? Sounds like you have a good product there. Can I also ask, clearly you have some great ideas, skills and experience, why not go it alone full-time without the employer?

Oh really? I'm from UK and never seen infomercials about taking an idea to market - can you please share some examples? I hear there are a few rip-off merchants out there that ask for tens of thousands up front even if your idea is not a good one.

So sorry to hear about your idea getting stolen. Whay are you recording ideas for the future? What's stopping you from acting on them now?

How do you research and evaluate different manufacturing and assembly options? Is that difficult and something AI could perhaps help with?

That's a great idea - interesting to see Slant 3D in this space! What do you make of their offering?

This is neat, congrats on the invention! Did you get patents? Is the plan to supply or license it to some e-bike kit or e-bike manufacturers?

Those LunaKron clocks are so cool! Do you do this as a full-time job or side hustle? Looked into mass-market manufacturing and distribution?

That's really interesting. Congrats on getting a board game licensed, winning contest and releasing other games! What types of challenges or feedback did you encounter when facing difficulties in finding publishers for your other designs?

This poor wee pup spent 14 years guarding his owners grave. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greyfriars_Bobby

5th floor of SF public library ftw. Pretty chill up here :)

Did you not sell the IP with the business/product? Be good to hear more about your creation. Would you want to do it again? If so, would you do anything differently?

Thanks Damon, did you apply for patents and how was the selling journey?

"So, the answer to your question of what's next for you is indeed bright and promising! Embrace the changes, keep your heart open, and trust that you are on the verge of discovering wonderful things. Granny is always here, cheering you on, for you are a precious star shining brightly in this vast universe! Keep shining, dear child!"

Well that's nice! Palmist is also fun for anyone interested in this sort of thing https://apps.apple.com/us/app/palmist/id973861216