Video summary

7 killer startups that the internet has not caught up to yet

Main summary

Key takeaways

Business

Business-focused summary (startups + execution themes)

Core idea: “Good crazy vs bad crazy” as a product bet

  • If everyone nods that your idea is “good and understandable,” it’s likely too safe/expected → it may fail to differentiate and won’t be worth a multi-year bet.
  • Winning companies often start as “slightly absurd” but plausible—and only earn legitimacy later through proof, distribution, and metrics.

Framework / playbook mentioned (implicit)

  • Market differentiation test: if the room thinks it’s normal, expect a weak competitive advantage.
  • Claims validation lens: big measurable claims without clear verification/metrics can become “bad crazy.”
  • Go-to-market via attention: create “shareable” visual moments that trigger social amplification (Instagram/TikTok/TV angles).

The 7 startups (or concepts) discussed

1) PetChat (AI collar translating dog barks)

What it is: A Chinese pet collar claiming to translate barks into what your pet wants (~95% accuracy claim).

Business take (execution + risk):

  • Risk: “Pet wants” is difficult to verify externally; the startup doesn’t clearly explain the ground truth/validation.
  • Market reality check: pet owners already interpret their dogs, so the value may be unclear rather than clearly superior.

Crazy rating from speakers: mixed

  • One says good crazy
  • Another says bad crazy due to the verification gap

Actionable takeaway: If you can’t specify:

  • labeling method / dataset
  • benchmark protocol
  • error types
  • how you measure “what your pet wants” then the adoption story becomes faith-based.

2) Superbrain (device recreating deceased loved ones; “chat” with grandma/grandpa)

What it is: Upload someone’s audio/video/personality and interact with a handheld, “card-like” presence.

Business take:

  • Emotional product-market fit is strong for a niche: grieving.
  • Go-to-market lever: virality through a “this is messed up but amazing” reaction loop.

Crazy rating: good crazy (emotionally compelling, socially shareable)

Actionable takeaway: Build distribution around:

  • memorial events / gifting
  • creator partnerships
  • careful trust/consent + privacy positioning (not discussed explicitly, but crucial for legitimacy)

3) “Strategic OnlyFans tickets” / AAA Locksmith (marketing execution case)

What it is (story): Two creators bought seats positioned behind the Spurs coach. Their bodies were repeatedly framed on broadcast, which boosted their OnlyFans.

Business take:

  • Example of earned attention hacking:
    • identify where viewers’ eyes land (broadcast composition)
    • place your offer where the camera will capture you
    • convert attention with obvious landing mechanics (IG/OF)

Crazy rating: good crazy (brilliant marketing move)

Actionable takeaway (transferable framework):

  • Distribution via “camera adjacency”: if your marketing can repeatedly appear in someone’s attention stream (TV camera, algorithmic feed, search placement), you can outperform normal ads without huge budgets.

4) At-home hyperbaric chambers (wellness flex)

What it is: Consumer hyperbaric oxygen/pressure chambers as a home wellness product—compared to saunas/cold plunges going mainstream.

Business take:

  • Upside: strong visual + ritual potential for Instagram/TikTok “wellness flex.”
  • Downside: likely regulatory/medical-device constraints:
    • safety considerations
    • difficulty making claims without clearance
    • harder to market “sexy” compared to water-based wellness

Crazy rating: good crazy (with feasibility concerns)

Actionable takeaway: For category entrants:

  • design for compliance-first marketing (avoid medical claims unless cleared)
  • create a “ritual UX” that’s shareable even with limited claims

5) VR training for HVAC/blue-collar trades

What it is: VR simulations for diagnosing/repairing HVAC and related trades, replacing slow/dangerous real-equipment training.

Concrete market signal / metrics mentioned:

  • US shortage: ~500,000 unfilled HVAC and plumbing jobs
  • Training on real equipment described as slow, expensive, and dangerous

Companies cited:

  • Interplay Learning (Austin, TX): claims hundreds of training hours; can lead toward certification/associate outcomes via Quest
  • SkillVary: welding/painting simulations

Business take:

  • “Blue collar + nerd tool” is hard to monetize with normal messaging—but VR can win with:
    • repeatability
    • risk-free practice
    • potential certification pathways

Crazy rating: implied good / strong practicality

Actionable recommendation:

  • build toward credentialing outcomes and employer partnerships:
    • apprenticeship pipeline
    • hire-ready signals
    • measurable competency improvements

6) Endpoint Arena (prediction markets for biotech/clinical trials)

What it is: A prediction market (PolyMarket-style) where users bet on clinical trial outcomes / FDA-related events (example mentioned: prostate cancer / lutetium-177, with odds shown like 33% yes / 67% no).

Business model mechanics discussed:

  • Event contracts: Yes and No prices move based on market activity
  • “No bookie” framing: odds driven by the market, not a fixed intermediary

Claim & rationale (from CEO story):

  • prediction markets could speed up science and democratize participation by incentivizing expertise

Skepticism:

  • speakers don’t fully buy the scientific benefit narrative
  • they dislike the “sounds like we just want to gamble” vibe

Crazy rating: bad crazy (alignment/validity concerns), though “super fascinating” technically

Actionable takeaway:

  • to earn credibility, emphasize:
    • how predictions are validated vs actual outcomes
    • what experimental decisions are improved (design, sample size, targeting)
    • governance around conflicts and manipulation risks

7) The Cleveland “Schvitz” (bathhouse + steakhouse social club; reboot-style experience)

What it is: Russian-style steam + cold plunge + massages + giant steaks/cocktails, priced like an event outing.

Concrete pricing + traction:

  • $165 per person: includes drinks, steam, cold plunge, meal
  • reported demand: “phones ringing off the hook” / quickly growing
  • new offerings: “ladies days” and “co-ed days” after male-only history
  • positioning: more like SoulCycle/Boutique experience than a passive spa (a recurring appointment)

Business take:

  • strong experience bundling + social media flywheel
  • premium pricing supported by reservation culture

Crazy rating: spectacular (not truly “crazy”)

Actionable takeaway:

  • win by building a complete outing:
    • ritual + ambience + food + social permission + scarcity (“hottest reservation”)
  • replicate cautiously: avoid becoming a commodity like a “Subway sandwich”

Additional concepts and “anti-phone-addiction” hardware (high-level business themes)

Dumb.co / “dumb phones” + focus-forward positioning

What it is: A low-cost flip/dumb phone used as a forwarding device to reduce dopamine loops; includes app toggles like “smart vs dumb mode.”

Key go-to-market tactics discussed:

  • intentionally old-school, playful branding
  • customer service and founder storytelling as a trust signal (called CTO directly)
  • an ad example: CNN ran a campaign measuring short-term memory/focus pre vs post (two-week improvement)
  • a one-month challenge concept

Noted traction & validation:

  • subreddit growth implied: ~200,000 subscribers
  • very early company stage: ~4 months old at the time

Business takeaway: success comes from problem clarity + habit change + brand, not just tech.

“CatGPT” rotary/landline revival (physical phone as anti-distraction brand)

What it is: A Bluetooth rotary/corded-looking device marketed as bringing back “the physical.”

Concrete business outcomes:

  • $800,000 in ~5 months
  • 2026 goal: ~$5M/year revenue (stated tracking)
  • plans for multiple SKUs (“cat labs”)

Marketing mechanics emphasized:

  • viral TikTok: “I brought back landlines” visual hook
  • differentiation via “return to the real” narrative

Actionable takeaway: likely moat = brand + community narrative, not the gadget alone.

Zach Yadagari / Flow alarm clock (stop snoozing + doomscrolling)

What it is: An alarm clock “brick” that stops beeping only when you physically tap your phone to it, forcing you out of bed.

Business take:

  • converts a habit problem into a mechanical constraint
  • uses simple UX + a compelling TikTok-era story for distribution

Key KPIs / metrics explicitly mentioned (or implied)

  • PetChat: 95% accuracy claim (verification not disclosed)
  • VR trades: workforce gap ~500,000 unfilled jobs (US HVAC/plumbing)
  • Endpoint Arena: example odds 33% yes / 67% no on a drug event contract
  • Cleveland Schvitz: $165/person all-in event pricing; “reservation demand” (no conversion rate given)
  • Dumb.co / community: related subreddit ~200,000 subscribers
  • CatGPT rotary phone:
    • $800,000 sales in 5 months
    • ~$5M/year revenue goal (2026)
  • No explicit CAC/LTV/churn/revenue totals provided for most (except the above figures)

Presenters / sources (as mentioned)

  • Sam (main host)
  • HubSpot team (sponsor; referenced a resource about “unsexy business ideas”)

Startup/company references cited:

  • Pet Chat (Chinese AI dog-collar)
  • Superbrain (memorial “chat with grandma/grandpa” device)
  • OnlyFans creators (unnamed; Spurs broadcast story)
  • Hyperbaric chamber at-home companies (not named)
  • Meta Quest + VR training companies Interplay Learning and SkillVary
  • Endpoint Arena (CEO Michael Fischer)
  • The Cleveland Schvitz (bathhouse/steakhouse in Cleveland)
  • OtherShip (sauna/breathwork experience; mentions Dana White trying it)
  • The Funday Press (project maker referenced as a board game designer; name not given)
  • Dumb.co (flip phone product; founder/CTO not named)
  • CatGPT (Instagram handle; entrepreneur not named)
  • Flow alarm clock / flowalarmclock.com (Zach Yadagari referenced)

Original video