AI Summary
5 min readIn a world where AI agents can do most of the work, the host of The Startup Ideas Podcast argues that only 13 types of businesses are worth building. He does not believe AI will create a permanent underclass, but he does think that owning assets in these categories will put people in a much better position. The episode walks through each of these 13 opportunities, explaining why they exist, why they matter, and how to start.
AI Native Service Firms and Offline Businesses
The first category is AI native service firms, where agents handle the bulk of delivery while humans review exceptions. The host gives the example of a bookkeeping firm for a specific type of business: agents prepare the books, a human checks for errors, and the firm charges a monthly fee or per-job fee. These businesses are high-margin and require few clients. He also mentions creative agencies offering "logos as a service" or "ads as a service."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:05) **The 13 Businesses Left to Build in the Agentic Era** - The host introduces the core thesis: only 13 types of businesses are worth building in a world of AI agents.
- 2 (01:25) **1. AI Native Service Firms** - Agents handle the bulk of delivery (e.g., 90%), with humans reviewing exceptions and charging for completed jobs.
- 3 (03:01) **2. Offline Businesses** - People still crave real-world, communal experiences, making businesses like neighborhood sauna clubs a strong bet.
- 4 (05:43) **3. Distribution** - The price of reaching people is rising (e.g., Facebook ads went from $0.05 to $3-5/click), making owned organic audiences the most valuable asset.
- 5 (07:42) **4. Proprietary Data Sets** - Data is "the new oil," and companies selling unique data to big labs are seeing billion-dollar valuations.
- 6 (09:12) **5. Domain Specific Harnesses** - A harness is the "body of the car" (tools, workflow rules, memory) around the LLM "engine," turning a general model into an industry-specific system.
- 7 (12:22) **6. Robotics and Physical AI** - Physical AI is closer than people think, with companies like Osmo (window cleaning robots) raising millions and selling a service, not just hardware.
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Show Notes
In this solo episode, I walk through the 13 businesses I think are left to build in the agentic era. I believe that in a world of agents and abundance, owning the right assets puts you in a better position. For each business, I explain what it is, why it holds up in a world of agents, and one or two examples, from Othership's sauna clubs to Osmo's window-cleaning robots. This episode gives you a map of where to build next, at any age.
Timestamps
00:00 – Intro
01:15 – AI-Native Service Firms
02:57 – Offline Businesses
05:41 – Distribution and Organic Audiences
07:34 – Proprietary Data Sets
09:08 – Domain-Specific Harnesses
12:16 – Robotics and Physical AI
14:01 – Physical Products With a Fan Following
16:34 – Compute and Energy
17:31 – Health, Longevity, and Care
19:30 – Marketplaces and Social Networks
21:04 – Real Assets
21:46 – Vertical Agents
22:18 – Security
24:08 – Closing Thoughts
Key Points
- In an AI-native service firm, agents do most of the delivery and a human reviews the exceptions.
- Ad clicks went from about five cents in 2009 to $1–5 today, so I start with organic audiences.
- Proprietary data and domain-specific harnesses are the two gold rushes I see right now.
- Offline businesses, niche hardware, and robotics sell rooms, objects, and labor that agents only support.
- Compute, energy, and security are the scarce inputs every agent depends on.
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