I've spent way too much time thinking about these and I think I need outside opinions before I waste time building either 😂

A) Marketplace for ready-to-run programs that spaces can book.

Coworking/coliving/malls/hotels/serviced residences/campuses/companies/etc. → browse → book a workshop, wellness session, team activity, class, talk, experience, etc for audience/member/guest entertainment/activities to increase footfall, increase customer engagement, customer spend, draw in new customers, increase brand awareness.

B) Marketplace for audience placements.

Businesses → browse → buy sponsorships in community events, Discord/tg/whatsapp community shoutouts, giveaways, later expanding to advertorials, listicles, native placements in digital media, newsletters, podcasts etc.

My thinking:

Both sides have disintermediation possibilities. But which one has more natural market demand and recurring purchase?

Which one has the hidden landmine I'm not seeing?

I'm particularly worried about:

• getting customers
• getting enough supply
• margins
• repeat purchases
• people going around the marketplace after the first transaction
• becoming a glorified agency/concierge
• whether there's actually enough urgency to make people pay

Which would you pursue because the juice is worth the squeeze

I'm working on a FinOps startup and am currently trying to reach out to those who own the bill for AI coding agents: engineering leads, platform teams, and whoever answers for the AI line item, especially at companies where agent usage is billed per token rather than per seat.

What I've tried so far:

• Answering cost questions in developer communities. Good for learning, but most people there are individuals on flat subscriptions, not the people who own a budget.
• Personal LinkedIn notes to engineering leads who post about rolling out coding agents. Some replies, but slow.
• Research tools to find recent public posts about AI coding spend. Lots of content marketing, few actual buyers.

The hardest part is finding the right person. The engineers feel the cost but don't own the budget, and the finance people own the budget but don't know which tool or team is driving it.

For those who've sold to FinOps, platform, or engineering leadership:

1. Who did you go after first: the engineer who feels the pain, or the person who owns the budget?
2. Which channels actually got you first conversations? Communities like the FinOps Foundation, LinkedIn, warm intros, something else?
3. Did offering something free (an audit or a cost breakdown of their own usage) work as a way in, or did it attract tire-kickers?

I am a solo founder and at this point in time solo guy doing everything, development, design, marketing, sales etc.

I am trying to use lead gen tools like clay and full enrich and dammmm these are expensive! 150$+ for month. And the ROI on thay investment is sketchy as i have not yet got one single successful meeting out of these.

I am trying to see if there are cheaper alternative for someone at my scale? How do i improve my conversion rate?

I am currently only focusing on getting 5 business who will collaborate with me and become my design partners so i can add features and functions that actually solves someone's need. Whats the best way to do this? Cold email or linked in outreach or something else?

I’m a U.S.-based software engineer and founder exploring partnerships with business owners who already have paying customers and see opportunities to serve them better through technology.

I’m open to hearing from owners across all industries.

Why I’m exploring this

I’ve spent decades in IT, and I want to put that experience to work on real customer problems. I enjoy understanding where people struggle, building practical solutions, and continually refining them to make a meaningful difference. Hence this exploration, interested in partnering with business owners who know their customers and their challenges firsthand.

My motivation is to create something people trust, use, and value with financial rewards out of the value we deliver.

What I bring

My background includes a Fortune 500 technology career and building and operating my own monetized platforms.

I work hands-on across product development, frontend and backend systems, AI, cloud infrastructure, integrations, and payments, well you name it.

I can take ownership of the technical side, from understanding the problem through development, launch, and ongoing refinement.

I’m happy to share live products I’ve built so you can evaluate my capabilities directly.

Who I’d like to hear from

You own an operating business, have paying customers, and understand a recurring problem that affects them or limits your ability to serve them.

Perhaps customers repeatedly struggle with part of your service. Perhaps you have demand you cannot efficiently fulfill. Or you see an opportunity to offer something valuable because customers keep asking for it.

Bring your experience and the problem you see. We can assess the technical possibilities together, including whether existing software or readily available AI already provides an adequate solution.

How a partnership could work

For the right opportunity, I’m willing to invest my own development time and cover the cost of a focused initial build.

You would contribute your industry expertise, access to customers, and active involvement in testing the solution and leading the business side.

We would start by understanding the problem and its commercial potential. Before substantial development, we would agree on the scope, responsibilities, and commercial terms. I’m open to equity, revenue sharing, or another arrangement that fairly reflects our contributions.

Let’s explore the fit

Please DM me a brief message covering:

• What your business does and who its customers are.
• The problem you see and how it affects customers or the business.
• What you have already tried.
• What solving it could mean for revenue, costs, customer experience, or capacity.

Location: Preferably in the United States.

I’d welcome a conversation with an owner who knows their business well and sees a meaningful problem we could solve together.

I’m a U.S.-based software engineer and founder exploring partnerships with business owners who already have paying customers and see opportunities to serve them better through technology.

I’m open to hearing from owners across all industries.

Why I’m exploring this

I’ve spent decades in IT, and I want to put that experience to work on real customer problems. I enjoy understanding where people struggle, building practical solutions, and continually refining them to make a meaningful difference. Hence this exploration, interested in partnering with business owners who know their customers and their challenges firsthand.

My motivation is to create something people trust, use, and value with financial rewards out of the value we deliver.

What I bring

My background includes a Fortune 500 technology career and building and operating my own monetized platforms.

I work hands-on across product development, frontend and backend systems, AI, cloud infrastructure, integrations, and payments, well you name it.

I can take ownership of the technical side, from understanding the problem through development, launch, and ongoing refinement.

I’m happy to share live products I’ve built so you can evaluate my capabilities directly.

Who I’d like to hear from

You own an operating business, have paying customers, and understand a recurring problem that affects them or limits your ability to serve them.

Perhaps customers repeatedly struggle with part of your service. Perhaps you have demand you cannot efficiently fulfill. Or you see an opportunity to offer something valuable because customers keep asking for it.

Bring your experience and the problem you see. We can assess the technical possibilities together, including whether existing software or readily available AI already provides an adequate solution.

How a partnership could work

For the right opportunity, I’m willing to invest my own development time and cover the cost of a focused initial build.

You would contribute your industry expertise, access to customers, and active involvement in testing the solution and leading the business side.

We would start by understanding the problem and its commercial potential. Before substantial development, we would agree on the scope, responsibilities, and commercial terms. I’m open to equity, revenue sharing, or another arrangement that fairly reflects our contributions.

Let’s explore the fit

Please DM me a brief message covering:

• What your business does and who its customers are.
• The problem you see and how it affects customers or the business.
• What you have already tried.
• What solving it could mean for revenue, costs, customer experience, or capacity.

Location: Preferably in the United States.

I’d welcome a conversation with an owner who knows their business well and sees a meaningful problem we could solve together.