Let's plan a robbery (aka stepfounder.org)

[Nate Baker]

My idea: Stepfounder.org.

Basically it's a craigslist for startup ideas and projects. As you serial entrepreneurs know, it's often hard to abandon a great project, but you only have so much time.

This is a way for you to share your project you've been working on and find a replacement. You are the founder. They become the step-founder. You basically hand off the project to someone you trust and can advise.

People can post projects or apply to be step-founders. The goal is to connect great ideas to people passionate about the ideas.

The domains are so registered. Anyone know of something similar or have thoughts?

[Nicholas Holland]

Haha... cool idea! I'm actually step founder of a project right now, so this concept is actually happening in our every day lives. The site could become an online business incubation & a QA/R&D arm for new ideas.

Love it!

[Darrin Dickey]

I was just thinking about something sort of like this the other day. If a business is failing, struggling, or you've just lost interest in it, most people just shut it down. There should be some place to list those businesses where someone who wants to take them over at little or no cost can do so. It beats just shutting them down and I would think there is an audience of people who would revel at the chance to take on the challenge of taking on a turnaround.

[Chad Upjohn]

There's a site similar to your idea.
http://whynot.net/

[Ed Dodds]

ideablob and halfbakery as well

[Nate Baker]

Chad and Ed, thanks for the links! I hadn't seen whynot or halfbakery. I'm familiar with ideablob.

At first glance it still looks like all these focus on cultivating ideas. The niche of stepfounder would not be to cultivate ideas, but to exchange them to the correct people.

The focus would be connecting specific people to specific ideas, rather than cultivating ideas for one person's benefit. The ideas and projects here would already be tested to some level past conception. They just need a new leader or group as the next action step to take them forward.

Know of anything in this niche? I see some connections to elance.com, as far as how the process of filtering through people and connecting with them might occur.

[Travis Robertson]

I'm w/ Nate on this. The site would be more about candidate screening than idea sharing. I like it! I'm in the process of looking for a stepfounder for an idea so I can definitely see the potential.

[Justin Davis]

Definitely a cool idea, I love it. A couple questions:

1. How does it make money? Charge to let the founder post? Charge to let the potential step-founder reply? Some value-add services (background screening for potential step-founders, etc.)?

2. How does the exchange between founder and step-founder happen? Is it a sale, stock exchange, equity deal? I assume that'd be up to the founder, and highly dependent on the particular company. Is it worthwhile for potential step-founders to be able to search through companies based on this criteria?

[Nathan Ketsdever]

This may sound odd--and rather simple--but given there are so many crowd sourcing websites. I believe there are 200+ (which I'm sure is just scratching the surface). It would be interesting to aggregate all the cool ideas in one spot so you didn't have to hop from one to the other.

[Jake Robinson]

I have a friend that became a 'stepfounder' of a flooring business.. he was the manager and the owner had funding come through for some big exciting startup with some partners.. he was just gonna close the biz down and my friend asked "if you're gonna shut it anyway why not let me take it over?" He did, and my friend took possession of tools, inventory, client list ect and now has made it successful.. it may not fit the mold but there must be busiensses out there where people shutdown because of health, get tired, want to retire - don't know how to sell a business...

there is a niche out there in "Business Succession Planning" but mostly targeting professional biz like Investment, CPAs, Tax Service, Insurance Agencies etc... but they typically help vet new purchasers or even hire stepfounder and groom them to take over... so both ends of the spectrum are covered - cultivating ideas, transferring going biz's - but sounds like 'sprouted idea to fruition still needs help...

[Jake Robinson]

How about this... develop the site to connect founders to stepfounders but add a fundraising element... like the micro-loans for Kiva - you aggregate start-up money with many passive investors to help launch the business... (I pitched this as a Twitter/FB social media type network)

When new plans come available to 'bid on' it would go out through twitte to the thousands of investors... maybe once it grows legs it could actually attract banks in the micro-loan niche, VC and maybe even develop some sort of mentoring and a splash of 'Shark's Tank'...

The winners would develop credibility...

'Think Tanks' could be developed where someone with an idea wants it vetted, tested and enhanced etc could request a private webinar with experienced 'winners' - those who have gone through the entire process and can help trouble shoot an idea before it is 'put out for adoption'...

the site could mature with following areas:

1. Matchmaking with founder/stepfounders
2. Raising capital and aggregated passive partners
3. "Workout Room" - vetting, consulting, evaluation,
4. Brainstorming - Pitch Night - open forum like the pitch camp for plain ole fun and profit

[Nathan Ketsdever]

>>>>He did, and my friend took possession of tools, inventory, client list ect and now has made it successful.. it may not fit the mold but there must be busiensses out there where people shutdown because of health, get tired, want to retire - don't know how to sell a business...

Fantastic idea. Very cool.

[Nate Baker]

I've got pneumonia so I won't make it tonight, likely all weekend.

But in the spirit of the concept of stepfounder, someone feel free to be stepfounder to the pitch and run with it. I can jump in later where I can.

I'm so sad to miss startup weekend but everyone enjoy making bidnezes!