Market-proof plus founder-fit idea checklist

Short personal checklists for judging an idea, which recur in the same shape: is there proof people want/pay for it (competitors, traction, frequency), and can I build, maintain and distribute it (would I use it, can I sell it)? Criteria vary by speaker.

Components

• Demand proof: people value/pay for it, competitors exist, it already works
• Frequency and scale of the problem
• I would use it myself / I like it
• I can build and maintain it simply
• I can distribute and monetise it

Who describes it

• Samuel Rondot — Four-key idea filter: Samuel’s filter for whether to build an idea. (Samuel Rondot · Samuel Rondot (Jul 2025) ▶ 03:26)
• Nico — Four idea criteria: Nico’s filter for app ideas: two about the market and two about himself. (Nico · Nico (Mar 2025) ▶ 04:22)
• Thomas Sanlis — Good-idea test: Two criteria for a good online business idea. (Thomas Sanlis · Thomas Sanlis (Aug 2025) ▶ 07:50)
• Pauline — Pauline’s idea-screening questions: Questions she asks about a problem before building. (Pauline · Pauline (Oct 2024) ▶ 03:04)
• Jack Friks — Idea value questions: Questions he asks instead of ‘is this a good idea?’. (Jack Friks · Jack Friks (Aug 2026) ▶ 06:41)
• Erikas Malisauskas — Three criteria for a Shopify app idea: Erikas’s filter for good vs bad app ideas. (Erikas Malisauskas · Erikas Malisauskas (Apr 2025) ▶ 04:54)
• Ben Bozzay — Ben’s side-project idea playbook: Three criteria for choosing a side project idea. (Ben Bozzay · Ben Bozzay (Jul 2025) ▶ 08:23)