Chris Dixon

Chris Dixon argues that valuable startup ideas often look bad because they challenge conventional wisdom, seem like toys, or solve only one part of a larger system. Founders can spot these opportunities through direct experience with technology, a problem, or a community. He illustrates this with Google, Airbnb, eBay, Dropbox, Kickstarter, and examples from security, telephony, newspapers, education, and software development. His advice is to build ideas from firsthand experience and look for where it differs from conventional wisdom.