Talk to strangers about startups

Describing an idea to someone who cannot steal it, invest in it, or repeat it to anyone you know is genuinely useful. You find out in ninety seconds whether it makes sense out loud — and a stranger will tell you it does not far more readily than a friend will.

• The idea you cannot stop thinking about
• Companies you admire and what they got right
• The part of building nobody warns you about
• Job security against doing your own thing
• Whether funding helps or distorts things

• “An idea you would build with funding?”Use this
• “A startup you genuinely admire?”Use this
• “Hardest part of building something?”Use this
• “Would you quit a stable job to try?”Use this
• “A business that should exist but does not?”Use this
• “What are you working on right now?”Use this

• Ask what problem they would solve if they started something tomorrow. It gets past buzzwords into what frustrates and motivates them.
• Ask about a failure or a pivot. Founders and would-be founders often learn more from what did not work, and they are usually happy to share it.
• Talk about a product they admire and why it works. It is a neutral, interesting topic whether they run a company or simply love good products.

Do not pitch your startup to a stranger or ask them to invest; it turns a conversation into a sales call. Avoid sharing confidential details about your job or company. And be very cautious of anyone offering guaranteed returns, crypto schemes or “exclusive” investment groups, which are among the most common scams on chat apps.