Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
What are the best online communities/websites for getting some feedback on a new startup idea?
1. The Entrepreneur Subreddit
For immediate feedback from other entrepreneurs, post your idea and ask for feedback to the Entrepreneur Subreddit. With over 150,000 entrepreneurs as part of the community — and Reddit’s uncanny ability to be blunt — you’ll get immediate and honest feedback for a new startup idea. Here’s an example conversation.
– Brett Farmiloe, Marketing Auditors
2. Startup Grind
Startup Grind is the largest startup organization from around the world where you have discussions about your startup, ask questions and get un-biased feedback. I’ve gotten some of the best feedback in the world from this site.
– John Rampton, Due
3. Ashoka Changemakers and Unreasonable Institute
For social entrepreneurs wanting to build businesses that literally change the world, Ashoka Changemakers and Unreasonable Institute are great for collaborating with other like-minded folks.
4. Medium
Medium is an amazing place to get feedback on a new idea. There’s a fantastic post on The Next Web on a project called “Read This Thing” which started entirely through Medium. The author used the platform as a place to get feedback, built a list and saw if the idea had potential.
5. Startup Nation
Startup Nation is a community of more than 90,000 members. Not only do their forums take you through every step of the process of starting your own business, but they also have great resources for entrepreneurs, including the ability to join specific industry groups to better connect with like-minded people.
6. The #AskGaryVee Show
The #AskGaryVee Show is hosted on YouTube and has spread throughout the social cosmos, generating hundreds of thousands of loyal fans and views. Hosted by serial entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk, the show focuses on providing tips and answering questions about building successful businesses. Over 125 shows, available here, are focused on everything from raising capital to not making the same mistake twice.
7. ATT&T Small Business Circles
ATT&T Small Business has a bit of everything for a new or growing entrepreneur. You can submit questions, read and comment on other posts. The comments are always insightful and helpful. The site has an entrepreneur-in-residence each week as well who responds to questions and posts.
– Nick Friedman, College Hunks Hauling Junk
8. Quora
Quora is such a great community full of very smart, passionate people, including many experienced, successful startup CEOs, serial entrepreneurs and investors. You can ask for direct feedback from specific people, like Jimmy Wales or David Rose. I don’t know any other place like that.
9. Ivy Pitch
The best online community that I turn to is IvyPitch.com. It allows entrepreneurs to receive immediate feedback from accredited investors and venture capitalists on their startup ideas. The platform also helps entrepreneurs get funded and build an advisory board for their ventures.
– Jason Thanh La, Merchant Service Group, LLC & K5 Ventures
10. Product Hunt
Product Hunt has quickly grown into the ultimate destination for new and updated product launches (whether it be an app, website or physical good). The way the community has been curated and grown (invite-only) has led to extremely high-quality feedback and conversation about the posted products. Product Hunt is fantastic for both marketing and feedback for any new startup idea — MVP’s included.
– James Simpson, GoldFire Studios
11. Valid8or
Valid8or is an online community where entrepreneurs can trade feedback on their ideas for free. Knowing that the community is composed of other entrepreneurs means that I can trust they understand my perspective.
12. Indiegogo
Don’t think of crowdfunding as just a way to raise enough money for a one-year runway — think of it as a market validation tool with many early adopters willing to provide feedback. If you’re feeling good about your idea, and it’s easy enough to get the ball rolling, go ahead and do an Indiegogo campaign to validate the idea. If people are willing to invest in it, then you might actually be in business.
13. Inbound.org
Inbound.org is a fantastic community of entrepreneurs and marketers here who go above and beyond to provide feedback, advice and insights. This is especially valuable for startups in the tech, media and marketing spaces. — Richard Lorenzen, Fifth Avenue Brands
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CATEGORY: Entrepreneurship