9 Huge Startup Opportunities in the AI Boom

9 Huge Startup Opportunities in the AI Boom

Author: Greg Isenberg May 18, 2026 Duration: 1:08:23
I sit down with my friend Jonathan Courtney, a.k.a. Jicecream, to dig into the 9 biggest startup opportunities I see right now across B2C, AI, mobile, and IRL. We each pick ideas, trade reactions, and pressure-test them live. The conversation ranges from agent-first "action apps" to elder tech, third spaces, hobby retreats, pet health, AI-native media, and the case for selling AI "junior employees" to small businesses. Listeners walk away with a concrete map of where to build in 2026, plus the framing I use to decide which niche is worth marrying. Timestamps: 00:00 – Intro 01:14 – Idea 1: Unscripted Creator Shows (Twitch model for tech) 07:50 – Idea 2: Action Apps: AI Agent Native Apps 16:39 – Idea 3: Loneliness and IRL Communities 26:47 – Idea 4: Elder Tech: Building for 65+ 33:21 – Idea 5: Adult Hobbies 38:17 – Idea 6: AI Employee and AI Agents 45:33 – Idea 7: Personalized Nutrition/Health 53:08 – Idea 8: Pet Health and AI for Animals 57:34 – Idea 9: AI-Native Media Companies Done Right 01:03:18 – Stacking Ideas: Live + Retreats + Entrepreneurs 01:07:22 – Final Thoughts The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends - https://www.ideabrowser.com LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future - from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn 'what if' into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/ The Vibe Marketer - Resources for people into vibe marketing/marketing with AI: https://www.thevibemarketer.com/ FIND ME ON SOCIAL X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/ FIND JONATHAN ON SOCIAL Unscheduled CEO Podcast: https://www.unscheduledceo.com/ X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/Jicecream LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-courtney-4510644b/

Greg Isenberg, the CEO of Late Checkout who has previously advised platforms like Reddit and TikTok, hosts a twice-weekly conversation designed to spark entrepreneurial thinking. The Startup Ideas Podcast is less about dry business theory and more about opening a window into the process of identifying opportunities. Each episode serves as a catalyst, presenting listeners with actionable concepts and the reasoning behind them. You'll hear Greg dissect market gaps, consumer behaviors, and emerging trends, translating them into tangible ideas for potential ventures. The aim is to build a consistent habit of creative exploration, pushing beyond the initial "what if" to consider the "how" and "why." This podcast functions as a regular dose of inspiration for anyone feeling stuck in a rut or simply curious about the mechanics of building something new. It’s a resource for aspiring founders, side-hustlers, and innovators who appreciate seeing the blueprint before the ground is broken. Tuning in means joining a forward-thinking dialogue where the next big idea might just click into place.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

The Startup Ideas Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Building a Software Factory that actually works (Full Course) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:29
Get Your Complete Financial OS at https://startup-ideas-pod.link/brex_SIP I welcome Ras Mic back to the pod to explain the phrase "software factory." Mic shares his screen and walks through the exact system that he runs…
You're using GPT-6 Astra WRONG [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:52
I talk with Ras Mic about GPT-6 Astra. We skip the game demos and the 3D toys, and we focus on use cases to earn money or improve products. I share 9 Astra prompts that I posted publicly, and Greg Brockman reposted. Ras…
Local AI Clearly Explained [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:46
I run this episode solo. I explain local AI in plain terms: the model runs on hardware I control, and a cloud model runs somewhere else. I map the four pieces of the local AI landscape — the model, the warehouse, the sof…
These 5 Github Repos are a goldmine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 24:43
On this solo episode, I review five free, open source GitHub repos that help you build products, make money, or save time: Peter Yang's No AI Slop Skill, the CRM by TryComp AI, Video Use by browser use, SkillSpector by N…
Making $$$ as a Marketing Engineer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:18
In this solo episode I explain a role that I call the marketing engineer. I believe this person becomes one of the most valuable hires in tech in the next 18 to 24 months. I define the job, I show the four eras of market…
WebMCP clearly explained (and how to make $$) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
Vinny is back on the pod, and he explains WebMCP. WebMCP puts MCP tools inside the browser UI, so any agent that you bring can read a page and act on it. Vinny demos an espresso gear store where his agent compares two ma…
Screensharing top takes in AI/startups [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:17
On this week’s SIP Live we dive deep on the X timeline to give each post a sip or a skip, and we answer questions from the chat. This episode covers AI-native operations, a baby food app that earns a million dollars a mo…
Grok Bot: make a 1 person company with agents [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:21
I sit down with Billy Howell for an inside look at a real business that runs on Grok Bot agent teams. Billy tests hundreds of tools for The Rundown, and he uses Grok Bot to run his local newsletter, The Arlington Bagel,…
You need to be skillsmaxxing (10x your Claude/Codex) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:27
Get Your Complete Financial OS at https://startup-ideas-pod.link/brex_SIP I talk with Remy, known online as AI with Remy, about agent skills and how to share them across a whole team. Remy explains that a skill is an SOP…
How to use Claude Code better than 99% of People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:10
Get Claude Code: https://startup-ideas-pod.link/claude-greg In this solo episode I lay out the exact system I use to turn Claude Code into what I call an AI employee. My premise is simple: give Claude the same things you…