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It's impossible to determine if the startup area solves a real world problem without talking to people who you think have the problem. And it helps if you can show them your potential solution, even if it's just a hand-drawn mockup. Go talk to the people who have the problem, and get their take.

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The obvious issue for me is how to arrive to that list of potential problems in order to be able to later benchmark a solution/product idea. Randomly brainstorm? Focus on areas i am passionate about? Professional domain? All of the above?

Maybe a new term should be coined akin to writer's block: The entrepreneur's block!

1) Try thinking of things that happen during your day that piss you off and/or that you think could be easier to do. 2) Stop to think if they could be resolved by means of a computer. 3) Think of how a computer could help you resolve it. 4) Examine if your idea has any potential problems that could explain why no one has tried (and succeeded on) doing this before. 5) Start talking to your friends

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