This app allows investors and community members to find, analyse, invest and control early-stage startups. Developers may sell their startups here.
This startupMarketplace app is designed for traditional investors and community members owning funds available for investments. It presents very early-stage startups which are suitable for evaluation and if opportune for investment.
The start-ups presented here are typically very early-stage self-funded projects such as stealth startups, bootstrapped startups, indie hacker startups, lifestyle startups, or community-funded startups. The start-ups are typically owned by a founder or a small group of founders. Some, usually a bit more mature, are governed by Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) with ownership reflected by using blockchain technology. For these reasons these startups are very easy to be fully taken over by traditional investors (in 100%) and for example incorporated into their ongoing business activity or even by richer community members and hence these entities can fully control startups future development. DAO governed startups are suitable for both traditional investors and community members which might be interested in owning only a small portion of a startup and have impact on its future development through proposing and voting on proposals.
Startups do not necessarily have to be focused on generating financial revenue. For a startup to have value, it is enough that they do something that contributes to the better functioning of other entities, and even not necessarily financial ones. An example would be some bots, which, despite not generating financial revenue, have a large impact on the efficiency of many organizations, and hence have a real market value and could be a takeover target on this startup marketplace.
Developers may sell their startups here.
1. Stealth Startup
A stealth startup operates in secrecy during its early phase. The company may hide its product idea, team, or even existence to avoid competitors or media attention. This allows for undistracted development and controlled launch strategy.
Examples: xAI, Neuralink (early), Color, Gemini (Google AI platform)
2. Bootstrapped Startup
Bootstrapped startups are self-funded by their founders and often grow using revenue from early customers. These companies prioritize profitability and control, avoiding venture capital and investor pressure.
Examples: Basecamp, Mailchimp, Notion (early), Fathom Analytics, Buffer
3. Indie Hackers / Solo Founders
These startups are usually built and operated by a single developer or a small team. Their goal is independence, profit, and fast development cycles. They often use a “build in public” approach and launch MVPs quickly.
Examples: Nomad List, Remote OK, Buttondown, Read.cv
4. Lifestyle Startups
These startups are designed to support the founder’s ideal lifestyle rather than pursue rapid growth. They focus on niche markets and long-term revenue stability, often with minimal teams and automation.
Examples: ConvertKit, Plausible Analytics, Transistor.fm
5. Community-Funded Startups
These startups raise funds through pre-sales, crowdfunding, or community support instead of traditional investors. This model often includes Kickstarter campaigns or membership-based funding.
Examples: Ghost (via Kickstarter), Obsidian.md, Standard Notes, Tana.ai
| Type | Funding Style | Key Traits | Typical Sectors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bootstrapped | Self-funded | Early profitability, full founder control | SaaS, Web apps, Analytics |
| Stealth | Private or hidden operations | Operates in secrecy, often well-funded later | AI, DeepTech, Platforms |
| Indie Hacker | Solo or small team, self-funded | Fast MVPs, lean operations, profit-first | Productivity, AI tools, Micro-SaaS |
| Lifestyle | Founder-financed, low-scale | Niche focus, sustainable, founder-friendly | Digital marketing, SEO tools, Creators |
| Community-funded | Pre-sales, crowdfunding, memberships | User-supported, grassroots growth | Blogging tools, Note apps, Open-source SaaS |
| Startup Name | Type | Funding Style | Governance | Key Traits | Business Model | Typical Sectors | Required human assistance intensity | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Social media portal. | Receives a commission from advertisers. | Social media | High human assistance itensity is required. Staff is required to provide services online, develop and monitor content, develop bots, etc. | wall |
| Direct messenger | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Helps people in private communication. | Receives a commission from advertisers. | Communication | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | directMessenger |
| Broadcast messenger | Indie hacker | Single owner | Owner | Helps people in open communication. | Receives a commission from advertisers. | Communication | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | broadcastMessenger |
| NextEdge College | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Provides educational services. | Receives a fee from students. | Education | High human assistance itensity is required. Staff is required to provide lectures. | NextEdgeCollege |
| Whiteboard | Indie hacker | Single owner | Owner | Whiteboard services. | Attracts traffic to websites. | Education, Collaboration | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | whiteboard |
| IQ calculator | Indie hacker | Single owner | Owner | IQ calculator | Geerates website traffic | Education | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | IQcalculator |
| Swift Picks online shop | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Webshop services. | Distribution of goods and services. | Trade | High human assistance itensity is required. Staff is required to assist sales and customers. | SwiftPicksOnlineShop |
| Startup marketplace | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Commission | Buying/selling startups | Business | High human assistance itensity is required. | startupMarketplace |
| Think together | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Non-profit | Decentralized think tank | Implements think tank projects | Human assistance itensity is relatively high. | thinkTogether |
| Freelance marketplace | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Fee for supporting freelance services. | Distribution of freelance services. | Services | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | freelanceMarketplace |
| Advertise | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Fee from advetisers. | Classified adds. | Advertising | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | advetise |
| Generate service page | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Man per hour services. | Fee from advertisers. | Services | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | generateServicePage |
| Togetherly | Indie hacker | Community-funded | DAO | Dating web application. | Paid gold membership. | Services | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | togetherly |
| Cooking recipes | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Cooking recipies. | Generates traffic. | Services | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | cookingRecipes |
| Gifts to give | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Voting for the best gifts. | Generates traffic. | Services | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | giftsToGive |
| Jokes | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Voting on the best jokes. | Generates traffic. | Entertainment | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | jokes |
| Body mass control | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Allows to investigate how one can control body mass. | Calculates body mass index. | Lifestyle | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | bodyMassControl |
| Diet planning | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Diet plannig. | Generates traffic. | Lifestyle | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | dietPlanning |
| Activity planning | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Plannig of physical activity. | Generates traffic for websites. | Lifestyle | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | activityPlanning |
| Cure Alzheimer's disease | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | A browser game which can deliver training supportive in the curation of the Alzheimer disease. | Generates traffic. | Entertainment | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | cureAlzheimersDisease |
| Crypto giveaway | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Allows everyone to receive small amounts of free cryptocurrencies. | Generates traffic. | Entertainment | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | cryptoGiveaway |
| Saketo wallet | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | wallet | Generates traffic. | Entertainment | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | SaketoWallet |
| Budget planner | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Budget planning. | Generates traffic. | Finance | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | budgetPlanner |
| Retire abroad` | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Helps people to retire abroad. | Receives a commission for services provided. | Tourism | High human assistance itensity is required. Staff is required to provide services online and in each country in which accomodation is provided for customers. | retireAbroad |
| Find fellow participants for the trip | Community-funded | Community-funded | Owner | Allows to organise a trip | Generates traffic. | Tourism | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | findFellowParticipantsForTheTrip |
| Service feedback | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Receive feedback on provided service. | Generates traffic. | Marketing | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | serviceFeedback |
| Rent a property | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Renting a property | Commission | Marketing | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | rentProperty |
| Micropayment service | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Allows to pays small amounts. | Commission | Finance | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | microPaymentService |
| Voting system for DAO | Community-funded | Community-funded | DAO | Voting no DAO proposals | Support for DAOs | Management | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | votingSystemForDAO |
| Cryptographic encryption | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Data encryption | Cybersecurity | Information and Communication Technology | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | cryptographicEncryption |
| Network optimisation | Indie hacker | Community-funded | Owner | Optimizes networks | Generates traffic. | Business | No or limited human assistance itensity is required. | networkOptimisation |
Contact startupMarketplace for any questions Email us office@umbrellapps.ovh