Over a million business ideas, each grounded in a real-world problem and the patents, research, and policy that make solving it possible. Free for the students, founders, and communities you serve.
We want to give great business ideas away, as far and wide as we can.
We want more people, in every country, building companies around real-world problems.
Idealab.ai difference
Ideas your people can actually build on.
A partnership that's truly yours.
Problem-first.
Every idea starts from a problem real people have, then connects it to the patents, research, and policy that make a solution possible now.
Free to use.
The whole idea engine, at no cost to you or the people you serve. We'd rather give good ideas away than sit on them.
Fits your format.
You decide how it shows up for your people, in a class, a cohort, a hackathon, or a regional program.
Proven method.
Built on Bill Gross's 50 years as an entrepreneur and 175+ companies launched at Idealab.
What you get
Every idea comes with a brief to explore.
How much it costs to get off the ground.
How long until you get your first customer.
Yearly revenue if the business succeeds.
Why now: the reason the window is open.
Roadmap for the first 90 days.
A thought partner to chat with to personalize this idea to you.
And more in every full brief: the founder profile, competitors, and the risks to watch.
Who we partner with
A partnership shaped around your people.
Every partnership comes with a curriculum template for universities and adoption guides for accelerators, governments, and investors. Your team also gets onboarding, access to our online community, and Partner Success materials.
Universities
More semesters spent on ideas people need.
In class.Students work from real problems instead of inventing them, so time goes to building and testing.
In hackathons.Teams pick a grounded problem in minutes, and more of their prototypes survive Monday.
For student founders.The same engine is there, free, when they're ready to start something of their own.
Mary RyanVice-Provost, Research and EnterpriseImperial College London
“One of the hardest things for new entrepreneurs is matching real problems to the right solutions. Idealab.ai is a shortcut to product-market fit and I am excited to put it in the hands of our students in classes and hackathons across Imperial.”
Dr. Michael CrowPresidentArizona State University
“As America’s most innovative university with a commitment to principled innovation, we don't use AI to replace human intelligence — we use it to augment it, amplify it, and unlock true human potential at scale. Our partnership with Idealab.ai demonstrates this philosophy in action. By pairing Idealab.ai with the creativity and abilities of the 200,000 degree-seeking students that enroll annually, as well as the 1.5 million engaging in ASU learning around the world, we’re building a global engine for entrepreneurship, job creation, and real-world impact.”
Fred FarinaChief Innovation and Corporate Partnerships OfficerCaltech
“Caltech is expanding its entrepreneurial programs for students with classes, internships, business plan competitions and more, and we look forward to bringing even more ideas to students and graduates with this system.”
Rita Gunther McGrathAcademic Director in Executive Education and professor of management at Columbia Business School
“Bill Gross is masterminding the next level of entrepreneurship, building the foundation for a world in which the creation of new value can be accessible to everyone.”
Accelerators & incubators
Stronger ideas in, stronger companies out.
Before the cohort.Applicants can test their ideas against real-world need, so you're selecting on evidence, not just pitch.
During the program.Founders pressure-test their direction and find a stronger one before demo day, not after.
After graduation.Alumni keep free access for the pivot, or the next company.
Linda RottenbergCo-founder & CEOEndeavor
“Endeavor was built on a simple conviction: talent is everywhere, but capital and opportunity are not. The entrepreneurs in our network pay their success forward by mentoring, training, and investing in the founders who follow. We call that the Multiplier Effect. Idealab.ai brings that same force to the very start of the journey, putting a million ideas in front of the people who will build the next generation of category-defining companies, wherever they are.”
Jeff HoffmanChairmanGlobal Entrepreneurship Network
“At the Global Entrepreneurship Network, we work to make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to start and scale a business. Making business ideas freely available through Idealab.ai gives more people in the communities we serve a starting point for their entrepreneurial journey.”
Ahmed AlfiFounderFlat6Labs
“Idealab.ai is one of those products that leaves you genuinely excited about the possibilities. It will help entrepreneurs and venture builders in our region explore, identify and unlock massive opportunities. Most of all, it will give hope that AI can create opportunities for new companies, not just eliminate jobs.”
Fatoumata BâFounder & Executive ChairJanngo
“Janngo uses technology and capital to leapfrog development in Africa. Entrepreneurship is the engine that creates jobs at scale, especially for women and youth. Idealab.ai puts a real business idea, and the tools to build it, into the hands of many more people. That is exactly the kind of engine Africa needs.”
Cities & governments
Ideas rooted in local need, not just local ambition.
For residents.People, including those between jobs, find businesses that fit their experience, their capital, and where they live.
For your programs.Small-business and workforce programs get a free starting point to hand people on day one.
For your region.More of the businesses that start are built on problems your community actually has.
Investors
Better bets, and better outcomes for the ones you've already made.
Before the check.Pressure-test the idea behind a deal against the engine.
After the check.Give portfolio founders a way to find a stronger direction when the first one stalls.
When you pass.Share it with the founders you say no to, so a no still helps them build.
Want to run our engine on your own research or patents? That's a custom engagement. Talk to us about Corporate Innovation →
FAQ
Common questions
Nothing. A partnership is free, for you and for everyone you serve.
Sharing it with your people, telling us what's working, and logo use, if applicable.
Your organization's policies decide that, not us. You're free to manage ownership however you see fit. Either way, uploads work like a search term to find matching ideas. They're never used to train our models or kept on our side.
Of course! Co-branding is part of every partnership.
That's a custom engagement, separate from the free program. Talk to us about Corporate Innovation.
A partnership can be up and running in just a few business hours.
Every partner gets access to our online community and Partner Success support materials. We'll also provide onboarding for your team.
Become a partner
Bring free access to our idea engine to the people you serve.
Tell us your organization's goals. We'll shape a program around them.
Dr. Michael CrowPresidentArizona State University
Fred FarinaChief Innovation and Corporate Partnerships OfficerCaltech
Rita Gunther McGrathAcademic Director in Executive Education and professor of management at Columbia Business School
