🧭Nouveau Nihilism, Becoming Stupider & Bento Grids (Founder's Compass)
Hello there and welcome to Founder's Compass, a good way to get oriented around the labyrinthian world of startups.
Tool of the week: Bento Grids
The hottest trend in Web Design right now, Bento Grids are hard to get right and super easy to make them look generic :) So here’s a great website to inspire your next bento grid.
Video of the week: Becoming stupider
Yes. We’re getting more stupid every single second. Anything we can do about it? Watch this quick video from “How Money Works” to understand what drives the current enshittification of our populace.
Top 5 stories of the week
“July 2027:
A week before release, OpenBrain gave Agent-3-mini to a set of external evaluators for safety testing. Preliminary results suggest that it’s extremely dangerous. A third-party evaluator finetunes it on publicly available biological weapons data68 and sets it to provide detailed instructions for human amateurs designing a bioweapon—it looks to be scarily effective at doing so. If the model weights fell into terrorist hands, the government believes there is a significant chance it could succeed at destroying civilization.”
“Can’t you just generate an image of a face, animate it, and add a voiceover? Not quite. The challenge isn’t just nailing the lip sync — it’s making facial expressions and body language move in tandem. It would be weird if your mouth opened in surprise, but your cheeks and chin didn’t budge! And if a voice sounds excited but the corresponding face doesn’t react, the human-like illusion falls apart.”
With that in mind, before I go any further, here are a few stats to help you understand who is using Reddit:
101.7 million people use Reddit daily, and 379.4 million use it weekly. (Reddit)
The platform is growing rapidly, with 39% year-over-year growth reported in 2024. (Reddit)
1.2 million posts and 9.7 million comments were created daily, on average in 2024. (Reddit)
100,000 active subreddits, 500 of which have over 1 million subscribers. (Reddit)
“A lot of what you learn in school is about being comprehensive and objective. The idea is to create these 100-page usability reports that correctly identify every issue from only a UX perspective.
I’ve seen those 100-page usability reports being door-stops as a result.
While thinking deeply about UX is a valuable skill, nothing will get done if you can’t prioritize which issues are most critical.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you become a Product Manager or order people around. It just means that you have a strong opinion on what needs to be done and think about what is most critical for the project.”
“The "YOLO economy" and "revenge spending" have been media buzzwords for years, but recent findings from the 2024 Ipsos Global Trends reveal a deeper trend we've termed "Nouveau Nihilism." “Nouveau Nihilism” is the prioritization of present enjoyment over future planning, driven by the increasing unattainability of traditional milestones, leading to a “live for today” mentality amid economic uncertainties.”
Updates from Creative Motion & ReaktorX:
We’re hosting our first San-Francisco-based event!
We're bringing together CEE founders, investors, and startup enthusiasts for a night of networking, debates over the best rakia/palinka, and general startup roasting over drinks.
Know anyone in SF that should join us? Send them this link: https://lu.ma/n347t4yp
Startup idea of the week: AngelList for Boring Businesses
Problem:
For decades, investors have chased high-growth, high-risk startups in hopes of striking unicorn gold. Meanwhile, an overlooked asset class—Main Street businesses like laundromats, HVAC companies, and auto shops—has been steadily generating consistent, cash-flowing returns.
These businesses are incredibly hard for individual investors to find, evaluate, and invest in. Most capital stays locked in public markets or risky tech plays, while Main Street remains underfunded and inaccessible.
Solution:
A platform that democratizes access to “boring,” high-yield small businesses. It enables accredited and non-accredited investors (via SPVs) to discover, analyze, and invest in cash-flowing small businesses alongside experienced operators.
How It Works:
1️⃣ Sourcing
A syndicate lead identifies a small, profitable business (e.g., laundromat, HVAC, cleaning service) and lists it.
2️⃣ Investment
Investors review the deal, commit capital (typically $10K–$100K), and join the syndicate.
3️⃣ SPV Setup
Form an SPV to pool investor funds and acquire equity (typically 10–20%) in the business. The remaining purchase is financed through debt (e.g., SBA loan).
4️⃣ Returns
Investors earn quarterly passive income from profits. The syndicate lead manages the deal and earns carry, while you earn setup fees and a small slice of the carry.
Benefits:
✔️ Diversification: Offers an alternative to volatile public markets and high-risk tech plays
✔️ Accessibility: Opens up private investing to a broader audience, even non-accredited investors via SPVs
✔️ Passive Income: Investors receive regular cash distributions without operational involvement
Go-to-market:
Partner with niche influencers in the “boring business” and alternative investing space to drive awareness and build initial trust and deal flow.
Challenges:
⚠️ Complex Operations: Setting up compliant SPVs, sourcing quality operators, and vetting deals takes legal, financial, and operational expertise
⚠️ Investor Trust: Building credibility with investors and ensuring deal transparency is critical
⚠️ Liquidity: These investments are not easily tradable—investors must understand the long-term nature of the asset
Stick close for the next one.