What are solo founders actually building?
71 ideas keep coming up in what the builders wrote, in 12 areas. 652 of their 1,284 projects fit one of them; each idea lists its projects and the words that put them there.
Make & publish
- Keep social publishing movingA steady public presence requires turning ideas into approved, scheduled posts.36 projects
- Explain a product with a demoBuilders create shareable product demonstrations through editing tools, reusable clips or a production service.9 projects
- Generate and transform visual assetsCreators turn photos, prompts, references and brand material into images and video.18 projects
- Close the loop from brief to published contentDrafting, asset production and distribution are packaged into one workflow.23 projects
- The business behind a creator’s audienceCreators need to turn audience attention into managed commercial relationships.5 projects
- Merchandising without a photo studioOnline sellers need a stream of product visuals and commercial content for every channel.8 projects
- From manuscript or track to audienceIndependent authors and musicians have to finish the work and make it findable.4 projects
- Carry one brand into product and marketing surfacesA coordinated design engagement spans the identity and where customers encounter it.7 projects
The whole landscape
Every project on one board, placed by the waves it belongs to, or the September 2026 map as an image to keep.
How we found these waves
- The starting point
- Founder networking threads, quote posts and related posts, followed by project websites. The September 18 research reviewed 854 records: 851 unique projects and three duplicates.
- What we could learn
- 485 projects had enough evidence for the offering, audience and approach; 177 had a meaningful description with gaps; 189 lacked enough information. 440 projects fit the 70 recurring ideas in this edition.
- What a wave means
- A shared task, audience need or approach, checked against each project’s sources. It describes a pattern in this catalogue, not measured market growth. Some projects fit several waves; others have a distinct idea or need more information.
- Follow the evidence
- Open a wave for its criteria and source excerpts, then a project for the original sources and its builders. Counts above reflect the current published catalogue; the downloadable map records the research edition.