3 crypto startup ideas: dating app, luxury watch marketplace, tutoring platform
July 22, 2024
AI Summary
5 min read3 Crypto Startup Ideas: Dating App, Luxury Watch Marketplace, Tutoring Platform
Ben Rubin, who sold a company to Epic Games and started Meerkat before IG Live existed, now builds in crypto — but not for the reasons most people assume. "The job of what we're building is to build intimacy on the internet without making it smaller," he says. "Blockchain is just a technology." His core thesis: the internet needs a way to verify that the person on the other side of the screen has the same things to lose and gain by the information they share. That trust layer, he argues, is what's missing from most online marketplaces and social spaces.
Rubin sees crypto and AI as opposing forces that will eventually need each other. AI is centralized, self-reproducing, and will soon generate infinite copies of any person's voice, image, and writing. "When do I know this is the real Greg that I'm talking to?" he asks. Crypto, by contrast, is about enumerating identities and making proofs. He believes that as derivative AI content explodes, the original asset — real human connection — becomes exponentially more valuable. "Two friends holding hands looking at sunset having coffee" becomes the scarce thing. Blockchain provides a way to verify which interactions are real.
Dating App with a Reputation Backend
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Crypto as a Trust Layer for the Internet** - Ben frames blockchain as a way to enumerate and verify value online, creating accountability and better products.
- 2 (01:42) **Introducing Ben Rubin** - Greg introduces Ben, a serial entrepreneur (sold House Party to Epic Games, founded Meerkat), now building community infrastructure in crypto.
- 3 (03:11) **Crypto vs. AI: A Balancing Act** - Ben contrasts the centralization of AI with the decentralization of crypto, arguing blockchain is essential for verifying identity and authenticity in an AI-saturated world.
- 4 (13:16) **Idea #1: Reputation-Based Dating Protocol** - Ben proposes a blockchain backend for dating that tracks user behavior (response rates, date follow-through) to improve match quality.
- 5 (27:34) **Idea #2: Luxury Watch Marketplace with On-Chain Verification** - Ben proposes a trust layer for luxury watch trading, using blockchain to verify ownership and transaction history.
- 6 (46:10) **Idea #3: Tutoring & Coaching Reputation Platform** - Ben combines the dating and watch ideas: use on-chain recurrence data to match students with teachers they are likely to retain with.
- 7 (54:02) **Summary: Four Steps to Build a Product People Want** - Greg synthesizes the conversation into a framework: find inefficient markets, add a trust layer, build social, and don't lead with "crypto."
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Show Notes
Join us for an engaging conversation with Ben Rubin, Co-Founder and CEO of Here Not There Labs, as we explore a wide range of startup ideas and business opportunities
1) Dating app with on-chain reputation:
• Track user behavior (response time, follow-through on dates)
• Use data to predict compatibility
• Reward good actors, discourage bad behavior
2) Luxury watch marketplace:
• Use RFID & blockchain to verify authenticity
• Create NFTs tied to physical watches
• Enable trusted P2P transactions
• Build exclusive communities for watch enthusiasts
3) Tutoring/coaching platform:
• Match students with teachers based on "fit" not just reputation
• Track engagement & retention to measure success
• Create efficient markets for education
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Episode Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
02:32 Crypto and Blockchain’s value proposition
12:53 Startup Idea 1: Dating app with on-chain reputation
27:28 Startup Idea 2: Luxury watch marketplace
46:10 Startup Idea 3: Tutoring/coaching platform
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