Tips for Generating Ideas

Criteria That Judges Evaluate

1. Business viability — Ability to generate sustainable profit with a clear business model.
2. Innovation — Leveraging Solana's unique capabilities, such as speed and scalability.
3. Founder-Market Fit — Deep understanding of the target audience and their real needs.
4. Presentation quality — Ability to tell a compelling story that inspires confidence.

Where to Look for Ideas

• Superteam Build — Curated repository with promising ideas
• Previous Solana Hackathon Winners — Proven formulas to iterate on
• Hackathon winners on other blockchains — Perspectives from ecosystems like Ethereum and Polygon
• Solana ecosystem projects — Including payment solutions

Recognizing Ideas with Potential

• "Only possible on Solana" — Requires speed, scalability, and low costs
• Sustainable business model with defined revenue streams
• Specific user base or clear systemic problem
• Feasible execution in 4 to 6 weeks
• Accessible and realistic partnerships
• Alignment with Solana's focus areas (DeFi, NFTs, payments, mobile apps)

Generating New Ideas

The key is "noticing anomalies": identifying gaps, inconsistencies, or unsolved problems. These opportunities frequently exist at the frontiers of knowledge, where experts recognize unmet needs.

Recommended reading:

• How to get startup ideas — Paul Graham
• The top idea on your mind — Paul Graham
• Organic startup ideas — Paul Graham