ChatGPT has been blowing people’s minds. I thought I’d give it the challenge of helping to build a startup. Let’s see how it does.

Since you’re all here - why not stop by my YouTube channel for some fun engineering projects?

I asked MidJourney to generate a hero image for this business - I think it’s pretty good.

What’s our product?

I have a vague idea of what the product should do - let’s get ChatGPT to flesh it out.

I’m creating a startup that will allow businesses to easily ask their customers to upload files. The customers should not need to have an account and the business should simply be able to share a link with the customer and then get notified when the customer has uploaded their files. Give me a high level overview of how this system would work.

Sure, here is a high-level overview of how this system could work:

1. The business creates an account on your platform and generates a unique link that they can share with their customers.
2. The customers receive the link and click on it to access a webpage where they can upload their files. They can also provide additional information, such as their name and contact information.
3. The files are uploaded to a secure server, where they are stored and accessible only to the business.
4. The business is notified when a customer uploads their files, and can view and download the files from their account on your platform.
5. The business can also manage and organize their customer’s files, and even share them with other stakeholders or third-party applications.

Overall, the system provides a simple and secure way for businesses to collect and manage files from their customers without requiring them to create an account or install any software. Let me know if you have any other questions.

How do we build it on AWS?

Not bad - let’s see some technical details, how would we build this on AWS?

If I were to implement this solution using AWS what services should I use and how would they interact?

To implement this solution using Amazon Web Services (AWS), you could use the following services and their corresponding features:

1. Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) for storing and managing the files uploaded by customers. S3 provides secure and scalable object storage, and allows you to easily access and retrieve the files using their unique keys.
2. Amazon Cognito for managing the user accounts and authentication. With Cognito, you can easily set up a user pool and define the authentication workflow, allowing your customers to securely upload their files without the need to create an account.
3. Amazon SNS (Simple Notification Service) for sending notifications to the business when a customer uploads their files. SNS allows you to send real-time notifications via email, SMS, or other supported channels, so the business can be alerted as soon as the files are available.
4. Amazon Lambda for running custom backend logic and integrating with other services. With Lambda, you can write custom code to process the uploaded files, trigger notifications, or integrate with other AWS services.

The overall flow would be as follows:

1. The business generates a unique link and shares it with their customers.
2. The customers access the link and are redirected to a webpage hosted in Amazon S3.
3. The customers upload their files using the S3 webpage, and provide their authentication credentials using Amazon Cognito.
4. The files are stored in Amazon S3 and the business is notified via Amazon SNS.
5. The business can access and manage the files from their account on your platform, using the APIs provided by Amazon S3 and Cognito.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need more information.

Pretty good - looks like it’s got a preference for some kind of serverless architecture - how very modern.

What if we wanted it on GCP?

If I wanted to use GCP instead of AWS what would it look like?

Sure, here is how this solution could be implemented using Google Cloud Platform (GCP):

1. Google Cloud Storage for storing and managing the files uploaded by customers. Cloud Storage provides secure and scalable object storage, and allows you to easily access and retrieve the files using their unique URLs.
2. Google Firebase for managing the user accounts and authentication. With Firebase, you can easily set up a user database and define the authentication workflow, allowing your customers to securely upload their files without the need to create an account.
3. Google Cloud Pub/Sub for sending notifications to the business when a customer uploads their files. Pub/Sub allows you to publish and subscribe to real-time messages, so the business can be alerted as soon as the files are available.
4. Google Cloud Functions for running custom backend logic and integrating with other services. With Cloud Functions, you can write custom code to process the uploaded files, trigger notifications, or integrate with other GCP services.

The overall flow would be similar to the AWS implementation, with the following differences:

1. The customers would access the upload webpage hosted in Google Cloud Storage, and provide their authentication credentials using Firebase.
2. The files would be stored in Google Cloud Storage and the business would be notified via Google Cloud Pub/Sub.
3. The business could access and manage the files from their account on your platform, using the APIs provided by Cloud Storage and Firebase.

Let me know if you have any other questions or need more information.

Elevator Pitch

All looks sensible - let’s try and raise some funds - I need to bump into some angle investors.

Give me an elevator pitch for this idea that I could use to raise investment.

Sure, here is a potential elevator pitch for your idea:

“Our platform enables businesses to easily and securely collect files from their customers, without requiring them to create an account or install any software. The businesses can simply share a unique link with their customers, who can then upload their files and provide additional information. The files are stored securely in the cloud and the business is notified when they are available. Our platform provides a simple and cost-effective solution for businesses to manage their customer’s files, and offers seamless integration with other applications and services. With our platform, businesses can save time, improve their customer experience, and drive more value from their data.”

This pitch highlights the key benefits of your platform, including its simplicity, security, and cost-effectiveness. It also emphasizes the potential value it can provide to businesses, such as saving time and improving their customer experience. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

An Executive Overview

Not sure if I could get all of that out in a elevator ride - but maybe with a bit of practice I could. What if we’ve got a bit more time?

Give me a high level executive overview that I can use if someone asks for more details

Sure, here is a high-level executive overview of your platform:

“Our platform is a cloud-based solution that enables businesses to easily and securely collect files from their customers. The businesses can generate a unique link and share it with their customers, who can then access a webpage and upload their files. The files are stored securely in the cloud and the business is notified when they are available. The platform offers various features and benefits, such as user authentication, real-time notifications, and integration with other applications and services.

The platform is designed to be simple and intuitive, so the businesses can set it up quickly and start collecting files from their customers within minutes. It also provides a secure and scalable infrastructure, ensuring that the customer’s files are always protected and accessible. The platform also offers cost-effective pricing and flexible plans, so businesses can choose the right option for their needs and budget.

Overall, our platform provides a valuable solution for businesses that need to collect and manage files from their customers. It offers a simple, secure, and cost-effective way to improve their customer experience and drive more value from their data.”

This overview provides a more detailed description of your platform and its key features and benefits. It also emphasizes the simplicity, security, and cost-effectiveness of the platform, and highlights its potential value for businesses. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

What’s our ICP?

What kind of customers are we looking for?

What is the ideal customer profile for this product?

The ideal customer profile for this product would be businesses that need to collect and manage files from their customers, such as documents, images, videos, or other types of digital assets. These businesses may operate in various industries, such as healthcare, finance, education, or government.

Some examples of businesses that could benefit from this product are:

• Hospitals that need to collect medical records and other documents from their patients.
• Banks that need to collect financial statements and other documents from their clients.
• Schools that need to collect student applications and other documents from their applicants.
• Government agencies that need to collect tax forms and other documents from their citizens.

These businesses typically face challenges in collecting and managing large volumes of files from their customers, such as inefficient processes, security risks, and high costs. Our platform offers a simple and secure solution that can help them overcome these challenges and improve their customer experience.

In general, the ideal customer profile for this product would be businesses that need to collect and manage files from their customers, and are looking for a simple, secure, and cost-effective solution. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

We need a business plan

The investors are asking for a business plan…

Give me a business plan that scales the business from 0USD ARR to 1m USD ARR

Sure, here is a potential business plan to scale your business from 0 USD to 1 USD million in annual recurring revenue (ARR):

1. Start by building a minimum viable product (MVP) that includes the core features of your platform and allows businesses to collect and manage files from their customers. You can use this MVP to validate your concept and gather feedback from potential customers.
2. Launch your MVP and start acquiring customers through various channels, such as online marketing, content marketing, social media, and search engine optimization (SEO). You can also use word-of-mouth and referrals to attract more customers.
3. Offer a free trial period and provide excellent customer support to encourage customers to try your platform and become paying users. You can also offer discounts and promotions to incentivize customers to upgrade to paid plans.
4. As you acquire more customers, use their feedback to improve and enhance your platform. You can add new features, integrate with other applications and services, and optimize the user experience to make your platform more valuable and competitive.
5. Expand your customer base by targeting new markets and industries. You can also offer customized plans and pricing to attract larger and more complex customers, such as enterprises and organizations.
6. As you grow your customer base and revenue, invest in marketing and sales efforts to increase your brand awareness and customer acquisition. You can also hire more staff and expand your team to support your growth and maintain high-quality services.

Overall, this business plan focuses on building a strong product and acquiring customers through various channels and tactics. It also emphasizes the importance of gathering customer feedback and improving the platform, as well as expanding to new markets and offering customized solutions. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

And a logo!

Hmm, a bit vague and generic. How about a logo - let’s get a bit meta and ask it what we should ask an image generation AI.

Tell me what a good prompt that I can feed into a AI art generator such as DALL-E 2 to get a logo for the business.

A good prompt for a AI art generator such as DALL-E 2 to create a logo for your business could be: “Create a simple and modern logo for a cloud-based platform that enables businesses to collect and manage files from their customers. The logo should convey security, reliability, and ease of use, and it should be suitable for use on various online and offline materials, such as websites, business cards, and marketing materials.”

This prompt provides the AI art generator with the necessary information to create a logo that matches the characteristics and requirements of your business. It specifies the main elements of the logo, such as the concept, style, and purpose, and it also provides some guidance on how the logo should look and feel.

You can also provide additional information and constraints to the AI art generator, such as the color scheme, font, and other design elements that you prefer. This can help the AI art generator create a logo that better fits your brand and preferences.

Overall, a well-crafted prompt can help the AI art generator create a logo that effectively represents your business and meets your needs. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

Not great results - the prompt is really a bit too verbose and wordy and doesn’t really give enough style hints, but we’ve got the start of a logo:

Along with a team to build this

How about the team - I need some minions to build this business.

I need to hire a team to build the business what should it look like?

To build and scale your business, you will need to hire a team with the necessary skills and expertise. The ideal team structure will depend on the specific needs and goals of your business, but it could look like this:

A product manager who will be responsible for defining the product roadmap and prioritizing the development of new features and enhancements. The product manager will work closely with the engineering team and the other stakeholders to ensure that the product delivers value to the customers and meets their needs.

A software engineer who will be responsible for developing the core features and functionality of the platform. The software engineer will work with the product manager and the rest of the engineering team to design, implement, test, and deploy the code that powers the platform.

A user experience (UX) designer who will be responsible for creating the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of the platform. The UX designer will work with the product manager and the engineering team to ensure that the platform is intuitive, easy to use, and visually appealing.

A customer success manager who will be responsible for managing the relationships with the customers and ensuring their satisfaction and success. The customer success manager will work with the customers to understand their needs, provide support and guidance, and help them get the most value from the platform.

A marketing manager who will be responsible for promoting the platform and acquiring new customers. The marketing manager will develop and execute marketing campaigns, create and distribute content, and leverage various channels and tactics to attract and engage potential customers.

This team structure provides a balanced mix of skills and expertise that are necessary to build and grow your business. The product manager, software engineer, and UX designer will focus on building and improving the platform, while the customer success manager and marketing manager will focus on customer acquisition and retention. You can adjust this structure and add more roles as needed, depending on the specific needs and goals of your business. Let me know if you have any other questions or need further clarification.

It’s pretty cool

It’s pretty impressive stuff, some of it is a bit overly verbose and a bit generic, but I could probably drill into the answers and get more detail. It would probably generate most of the code for the backend if I wanted it to:

Give me the code for the lambda function that would notify users when a file is uploaded to S3

const AWS = require('aws-sdk');
const SNS = new AWS.SNS();

exports.handler = async (event) => {
    const bucket = event.Records[0].s3.bucket.name;
    const key = event.Records[0].s3.object.key;

    // Retrieve the user's email address from the file metadata
    const s3 = new AWS.S3();
    const metadata = await s3.headObject({ Bucket: bucket, Key: key }).promise();
    const email = metadata.Metadata.email;

    // Send a notification to the user via Amazon SNS
    const params = {
        Message: `Your file "${key}" has been uploaded to S3.`,
        Subject: 'File Upload Notification',
        TargetArn: `arn:aws:sns:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:<TOPIC>`,
        TopicArn: `arn:aws:sns:<REGION>:<ACCOUNT>:<TOPIC>`,
    };
    await SNS.publish(params).promise();

    return;
};

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