Pain Point #1: “We require a photo ID or SSN for registration… the majority of readers said they will not join a social networking site requiring private information.” And: “Please tell me, should I use photo or SSN verification options or should I stick with the tried and true email and password methods?” (Post 2) Opportunity: Zero-PII Age-Gate (ZK AgeCheck) — a drop-in age verification widget that proves “18+” without storing IDs or SSNs. Uses multi-path verification: privacy-preserving face age-estimation, one-cent card auth + AVS as a fallback, and carrier/IDV checks routed through providers with immediate data deletion and attestations. You get a signed “18+ pass” token; no raw PII ever touches your servers. First 10 Customers: - Founder/Head of Trust & Safety at new adult or NSFW communities launching in 2025 - Product Manager at dating apps expanding into stricter age-gated geos (US states with new age laws) - CTO at indie adult creator platforms avoiding KYC drop-offs - GM/Digital at alcohol/cannabis e-commerce sites needing low-friction age gates - Compliance lead at adult livestream apps MVP in 48 Hours: - Webflow landing + Loom demo + Calendly - Build a “fake-automated” flow: Typeform (collects user consent) → Persona/Stripe Identity/Yoti age-only flow configured for no retention → serverless function issues a short-lived JWT “18+ pass” → JavaScript snippet unlocks signup - Offer both methods at checkout (face age-estimate OR $0.01 card-age check) and delete artifacts via API immediately; document data deletion in a public “verif ledger” Google Sheet Justification: - Demand: Raw resistance to ID/SSN is explicit: “the majority… will not join a social networking site requiring private information.” - ROI: If a new social app loses 50–70% of signups at an ID wall, switching to Zero-PII can recover 30–50%+ of lost conversions. For a 10k monthly signup funnel, at $3 LTV/signup, that’s $9k–$15k/mo regained. - Scalable: Verification is API-driven. Marginal cost per check is low; expand via partner rails (Stripe Identity/Yoti/Persona). Sell per verification ($0.45–$1.20) + $299–$999/mo. - Purple Cow/Controversial: “Prove age without collecting ID.” In a moment of sweeping age-verification laws and user privacy backlash, a zero-retention, attestations-first approach is a contrarian wedge that boosts conversion while de-risking compliance. --- Pain Point #2: “I got tired of watching good sellers lose money to fake chargebacks…” “They were… losing hundreds each month… didn’t even know how to respond to chargebacks properly.” “Once we tightened those… losses dropped to almost zero in three months.” (Post 21) Opportunity: CE 3.0 Chargeback Kill Switch — a pre-dispute and evidence orchestration layer for Shopify/WooCommerce that auto-qualifies orders for Visa Compelling Evidence 3.0, injects “dispute deterrence” messages post-purchase, and compiles bank-grade evidence packets on your behalf within SLA. Includes delivery-confirmation SMS, device fingerprint, recurring usage logs, and policy snapshots tied to order metadata. First 10 Customers: - COO/Head of Ops at Shopify Plus brands doing $200k–$3M/mo with >0.6% disputes - VP Ecom at subscription boxes/meal kits with repeat purchasers (eligible for CE 3.0) - Director of Finance at high AOV DTC (electronics, collectibles) fighting “item not received” - Fraud/Payments lead at marketplaces with seller-buyer disputes - CFO at info/product/course businesses with “friendly fraud” refunds MVP in 48 Hours: - Shopify app proxy or Zapier flows hooking: Orders + Klaviyo/Twilio SMS + Google Drive evidence map + templated dispute responses - Add a post-purchase “Are you having any issues?” SMS + delivery confirmation CTA - Build evidence templates aligned to CE 3.0: login/use logs, prior transactions, device/IP consistency, policy acceptance timestamps - Manually assemble first 20 disputes and report win-rate/time-to-resolution Justification: - Demand: “lose money to fake chargebacks… didn’t even know how to respond… losses dropped to almost zero” demonstrates both pain and solvability. - ROI: Typical SMB at $500k/mo GMV with 0.8% disputes at $120 AOV = ~33 disputes/mo; even a 40% improvement recovers ~$1.6k–$4k/mo plus avoids processor fines and reserve risk. - Scalable: Evidence mapping/templates + LLM-assisted drafting → near-zero marginal labor. Add native integrations (Shopify, Stripe, Woo, Recharge). Revenue model: 1% of protected GMV + 10% of recovered funds, or $499–$1,999/mo tiered. - Purple Cow/Controversial: Most “anti-fraud” tools stop at risk scores. This product weaponizes the brand-new CE 3.0 rules and proactively engineers out disputes (deterrence SMS + proof trails), which incumbents often ignore. --- Pain Point #3: "I'm looking to migrate our startup off of Carta because their fees do not make sense to us anymore... I ideally want to make migration as easy as possible for everyone, so painless migration process is a big consideration!" and "They are issuing me options @ $1/share and I feel I am being cheated." Opportunity: The Carta Escape Hatch + Equity Copilot. A white-glove, fixed-fee migration service that: - Moves cap tables, option grants, and documents off Carta in 7 days with zero stakeholder friction - Bundles a fresh 409A via partnered providers, QSBS audit, and an “Offer Explainer” tool that auto-generates individualized PDFs for employees showing true value, vesting, taxes, and dilution scenarios - Includes a Slack “Equity Copilot” that answers employees’ option questions instantly, and a founder console to simulate rounds, SAFEs, pro-ratas, and refresh grants Pricing: $3,500–$9,500 one-time migration (tiered by complexity) + $149–$399/month ongoing First 10 Customers: - Head of Finance/CFO at venture-backed startups (10–200 employees, Seed–Series B) - COO/Head of Operations at early-stage companies with employee option plans - Startup-focused law firms/GCs who want a migration partner for clients - VC platform/portfolio ops teams seeking a negotiated bulk migration path MVP in 48 Hours: - Webflow landing page “Quit Carta in 7 Days (or we pay you $1,000)” + Calendly - Intake Typeform to collect current cap table exports and entity details - Back-office: use existing platforms (Pulley/AngelList/Capbase) and partner 409A providers; do the migration manually - Generate one “Offer Explainer” PDF per employee with a simple script + doc template; run a Slack bot via a rules engine/LLM on a curated equity FAQ Justification: - Demand: Direct quotes show cost pain and migration fear; multiple posts reflect equity confusion (“I feel I am being cheated” on strike price; early contributor unsure cash vs equity). - ROI: Immediate fee savings vs Carta (often $5k–$20k/yr), fewer support tickets, reduced legal hours on equity Q&A, and higher employee trust in offers; 409A/QSBS handled. - Scalable: Playbook-based migrations, partner network for 409A/legal, repeatable “Offer Explainer” generation; channel partnerships with startup law firms and VCs drive $1M+ throughput. - Purple Cow/Controversial: Money-back and time-bound guarantee in a legal-heavy domain; “we pay if we miss 7 days.” Employee-facing Slack equity bot is a trust-builder Carta won’t ship.