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This is my first question on here, so please excuse me if I haven't got used to any cultural norms this stack site has.

I have an idea, a great idea. An idea that I truly believe, with maybe a little naivity, that could revolutionise a multi-billion pound industry. It has potential to succeed on it's own, and if successful would likely field large take over bids from established industry players to buy the technology. It is something that is a achievable, conceptually simple for consumers, greatly needed and does not currently exist.

But there are, as with everything, a few hitches.

  • I don't have any money
  • I don't quite have the skills to create the technology. I understand the principles deeply, but I would at present struggle with implementation
  • I don't currently have the time needed to get it off the ground quick enough to avoid someone else thinking of it. I work full time to support a family, and with no savings I can't dive into the project without financial backing.

What, if any, do I have as options? Are their people I can speak to? I really think if I speak to the right people, this idea could really take off in a huge way, and make me and at least a few other people a lot of money.

And also, how best do I go about talking to potential investors/collaborators/partners whilst minimising risk of being Zuckerberged?

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3 Answers

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Your question is essentially the mirror image of this question that was asked by someone who is technically skilled but is looking for the right idea to dive into. The answer is the same for both questions. Both of you should meet and discuss your ideas with other prospective entrepreneurs, by getting out there and attending forums, meetups, open-houses, dev-days, etc.

These interactions will allow you to come into contact with potential collaborators who will a. help vet your idea and b. allow you to build a core team. Use your judgment in deciding how much to tell someone about the idea in a conversation, based on how much value you think they can add, their track-record and reputation as a person. At the end of the day, if you don't share your ideas with others, you will not know how powerful or how realizable it is.

You can then figure out how much time and money it would take to build some basic proof of principle of your idea and test reactions and responses from target users.

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Where are some good places to find these sort of events? – Mild Fuzz Mar 11 '11 at 12:10
There are literally dozens of them. Look at: events366.com/Events-Group/Entrepreneurs-Events-in-London.aspx for example. – zippy Mar 11 '11 at 12:27
up vote 0 down vote

If the idea is good enough, I will develop it for free as your partner. Ideas are a dime a dozen as I have millions of them. It's the follow through work that counts, so don't worry about people stealing your idea.

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up vote 0 down vote

Plug for Jason Cohen... just heard a podcast of his that talks about this... "Real Unfair Advantages"

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