By Richard D. Harroch and Dominique A. Harroch
AI can help you think creatively and test market viability to come up with a viable business idea.
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The spark of a great startup often begins with a simple idea—but coming up with a truly viable and innovative business idea can be daunting. Fortunately, tools like ChatGPT are now changing how aspiring entrepreneurs can explore new business opportunities, validate concepts, and generate startup ideas across a range of industries.
Instead of staring at a blank notebook, you can now use AI to help you think creatively, test market viability, and refine your thinking across sectors like healthcare, tech, education, logistics, hospitality, apps, software, and more. The key is learning how to prompt ChatGPT in a way that gives you not only creative ideas, but ideas grounded in trends, consumer demand, and operational feasibility.
Here are five strategic ChatGPT prompts—and several variations—that can help you use generative AI to come up with high-potential startup ideas. We used ChatGPT as a starting point to help with these ideas. These are tailored for entrepreneurs who are looking to build full-time ventures, not just side hustles, and they span a variety of industries to fuel your imagination.
Naturally, we used AI for research assistance and insights for this article.
How to Use ChatGPT to Brainstorm Startup Ideas
1. Prompt ChatGPT to Explore Industry Gaps or Inefficiencies
One of the best ways to discover a viable business idea is to identify problems in industries that are ripe for disruption. ChatGPT can help you uncover these gaps by analyzing pain points across sectors and suggesting solutions you could build a startup around.
Example Prompt:
“What are five major inefficiencies in the U.S. healthcare system that could be solved with a tech startup?”
Additional Sample Prompts:
- “List problems faced by small law firms that a software solution could address.”
- “What pain points exist in the moving and storage industry for consumers?”
- “What are inefficiencies in supply chain logistics that a startup could solve?”
- “What common complaints do restaurant owners have that are not well addressed by current solutions?”
- “How could startups help reduce administrative burdens in K-12 public schools?”
By asking the right questions, you can discover ideas grounded in real problems, often the best foundation for scalable, sustainable businesses.
2. Prompt ChatGPT to Suggest Startups Based on Emerging Technologies
Emerging technologies—from AI and blockchain to synthetic biology and quantum computing—are opening the door to entirely new industries. ChatGPT can help you think through how these technologies could be harnessed for new ventures.
Example Prompt:
“Give me 10 startup ideas using generative AI that could improve marketing for small businesses.”
Additional Sample Prompts:
- “What business opportunities could come from advances in vertical farming technology?”
- “How could startups use blockchain in the travel or tourism industry?”
- “List startup ideas that leverage the Internet of Things in remote health monitoring.”
- “Suggest startup concepts that apply robotics in agriculture.”
- “What types of SaaS businesses could be built using AI-powered legal research?”
These prompts help focus your ideation on what’s next, not just what exists now—ideal for entrepreneurs looking to build category-defining companies.
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3. Prompt ChatGPT to Personalize Based on Your Skills and Interests
If you’re building a startup, it should align with your personal passions and skill set. ChatGPT can help you brainstorm ideas based on your own background—whether you’re a software engineer, a graphic designer, a nurse, or a former teacher.
Example Prompt:
“I’m a former high school math teacher with some coding experience. What startup ideas could I realistically build and scale?”
Additional Sample Prompts:
- “As someone with experience in logistics and warehouse management, what startup opportunities should I consider?”
- “I’m a nurse practitioner with a passion for wellness and preventative care. Suggest startup ideas.”
- “I have a background in data analytics and machine learning. What startup concepts would suit me best?”
- “I’m a former hotel manager who wants to build a travel-related tech company. What should I explore?”
- “I’ve worked in nonprofit fundraising for 10 years. What for-profit startup opportunities align with that expertise?”
Tailoring your ideation process to your own strengths increases the likelihood of execution—and can help you get to market faster with real credibility.
4. Prompt ChatGPT to Analyze Trends and Customer Behavior
Great startups often tap into changing consumer behavior or societal shifts. With the right prompt, ChatGPT can surface trends and behavioral data points that suggest opportunities for new products or services.
Example Prompt:
“What consumer trends in wellness and mental health are underserved by current startups?”
Additional Sample Prompts:
- “What are the fastest-growing needs of pet owners in the U.S.?”
- “Which trends in Gen Z spending habits point to possible startup ideas?”
- “What are people over 60 spending more money on today than a decade ago?”
- “Which aspects of remote work still cause pain for employees and companies?”
- “What new consumer habits were formed during the pandemic that remain strong today?”
Pairing trend awareness with startup thinking is a powerful way to stay ahead of the curve and enter markets before they’re saturated.
5. Prompt ChatGPT to Compare Business Models Across Industries
Not all great ideas are brand new—some are borrowed from one industry and applied to another. ChatGPT can help you explore how successful models (like Uber, Airbnb, Coursera, or Canva) could be adapted elsewhere.
Example Prompt:
“What are 5 ‘Uber for X’ startup ideas that haven’t been done excessively and could still work?”
Additional Sample Prompts:
- “What types of B2B marketplaces still don’t exist and could be modeled after Alibaba or Faire?”
- “Suggest ways to create a subscription-based business in industries where it’s not common yet.”
- “What ‘Airbnb-style’ peer-to-peer business models could work in childcare or eldercare?”
- “What could a ‘Khan Academy’-type company for tradespeople look like, including certifications?”
- “What would a Canva-style design platform look like for industrial manufacturers?”
Sometimes, simply shifting a proven model to a new sector can unlock major value—and ChatGPT can help you do that quickly and creatively.
Conclusion on How ChatGPT Can Help with Great Startup Business Ideas
Startup ideation doesn’t have to be a solitary, slow, or aimless process. With the help of ChatGPT and carefully crafted prompts, you can accelerate your thinking, broaden your scope, and discover startup opportunities in places you might never have considered. Whether you’re drawn to solving big societal problems or building the next breakout consumer brand, the AI-powered brainstorming process can be a valuable co-pilot.
Of course, idea generation is only the first step. Every startup idea should be tested, validated, and developed thoughtfully. But when used effectively, ChatGPT can be a game-changer for serious entrepreneurs ready to build full-time ventures with lasting impact.
Copyright (c) by Richard D. Harroch. All rights reserved.
Dominique A. Harroch is the Chief of Staff at AllBusiness.com. She has been the Chief of Staff or Operations Leader for multiple companies where she leveraged her extensive experience in operations management, strategic planning, and team leadership to drive organizational success. With a background that spans over two decades in operations leadership, event planning at her own start-up and marketing at various financial and retail companies. Dominique is known for her ability to optimize processes, manage complex projects and lead high-performing teams. She holds a BA in English and Psychology from U.C. Berkeley and an MBA from the University of San Francisco. She can be reached via LinkedIn.
Richard D. Harroch is a Senior Advisor to CEOs, management teams, and Boards of Directors. He is an expert on M&A, venture capital, startups, and business contracts. He was the Managing Director and Global Head of M&A at VantagePoint Capital Partners, a venture capital fund in the San Francisco area. His focus is on internet, digital media, AI and technology companies. He was the founder of several Internet companies. His articles have appeared online in Forbes, Fortune, TIME, MSN, Yahoo, Fox Business and AllBusiness.com. Richard is the author of several books on startups and entrepreneurship as well as the co-author of Poker for Dummies and a Wall Street Journal-bestselling book on small business. He is the co-author of a 1,500-page book published by Bloomberg on mergers and acquisitions of privately held companies. He was also a corporate and M&A partner at the international law firm of Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. He has been involved in over 200 M&A transactions and 250 startup financings. He can be reached through LinkedIn.