Marketplaces
The Startup Signal Feed
Koan delivers verified business opportunities pulled from real user pain-before they become mainstream.
Each signal is a Deep Research report: uncover demand, validate urgency, and get a head start on underserved niches.
Just $39/month for 3 exclusive reports (replaces hours/days of research). Unlock any idea forever starting at $99.
Shopify App: Reliable Digital File Delivery
Shopify’s built-in digital downloads app is falling apart — 2.6★ rating, broken functionality, and no roadmap for fixes. Merchants are losing sales, sending angry emails, and watching files disappear into the void. The official app hasn’t kept up with modern workflows, leaving a gaping hole for a trustworthy, developer-led alternative that just works. This isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s core infrastructure for thousands of digital product sellers.
- App rated 2.6★ with 495+ reviews calling it broken and unsupported
- Merchants report missing files, no confirmation downloads, and angry customers
- Email delivery frequently fails — no fallback or tracking available
- No secure links, no analytics, no compatibility with modern Shopify accounts
Cybersecurity Toolkit for Students in Unsafe Workplaces
Students and interns in SMBs see scary security flaws — but feel powerless to speak up. This toolkit helps them raise the flag without getting burned.
Offline Hiking Map App: Real-Time Trail Safety
Hikers on Reddit keep getting lost due to unreliable signal and clunky offline map apps. There's a clear call for a user-friendly, safety-focused alternative.
How It Works
Every month, you get 3 high-signal credits to unlock startup ideas that aren't just "cool" — they're real, raw, and backed by frustration. We mine forums, reviews, and support threads to find what people are begging to be solved.
Want first-mover advantage? Buy a report outright and pull it off the platform permanently. No one else gets it. It's yours to build on.
Koan helps you move before the market wakes up.
Where Signals Are Born
Koan constantly scans platforms like Reddit, Shopify, YouTube, and beyond—looking for user pain that's loud, repeated, and still unsolved.
through multiple layers of validation. Our system cross-references patterns, verifies trends, and triangulates insights to uncover unmet needs, filter noise, and identify valuable market gaps—so you don't have to.
Subscribe & Get Credits
Join Koan for a simple monthly fee of $39. Every month, you receive 5 fresh credits to unlock exclusive signal reports—no hidden costs.
Unlock Your Reports
Use your monthly credits to unlock up to 5 new reports. Unlocked reports are yours to read and revisit unless someone else buys the same report.
Buy & Own Reports Outright
Want exclusive ownership of a report? Purchase it outright to get the complete, extended analysis. The report will be removed from the site and you'll receive the full, detailed version that's not available through regular unlocks.
For Builders Who Move Before the Hype
You're not looking for permission. You're looking for proof. This is for the early, the obsessive, the ones who turn friction into fuel.
You're done building in a sandbox—
No more toy problems. No more fake projects. You want tension, validation, and velocity. Koan gives you friction-filled, user-sourced signals to sharpen your skills and build for the real world.
You read between the lines—
You don't chase headlines. You catch the quiet. You act on instinct before others wait for trends. Koan takes scattered noise and shapes it into signals you can actually use.
You ship while others are still thinking—
You test while others theorize. You learn by launching. Koan gives you a shortcut to traction: concentrated insight from actual user pain, ready for execution.
You're over the hype machine—
You've seen enough VC-thirst and Twitter clones. You build in silence. Koan delivers early signals before they become noise—so you stay ahead while staying calm.
You want untouched markets—
You're not interested in the 50th SaaS template. You want fresh terrain, underserved niches, and user frustrations nobody's solved yet. Koan maps what others haven't.
You build leverage, not just features—
You design ecosystems. You think in loops. Koan surfaces signals that fit into longer games—so you're not just building, you're compounding.
Koan is for the ones who go first. Indie hackers, technical founders, system thinkers—if that's you, you're already home.
Build What People Are Already Asking For
Stop guessing. Start building with signals rooted in real user pain.
Premium Insights
Each market insight is meticulously researched and validated through our proprietary analysis process. When you secure an opportunity, you're gaining exclusive access to a validated market signal.
What You Actually Get When You Unlock a Signal
You don’t need more noise—you need real signals. Every Koan idea is backed by internet-native proof: real people, real frustration, real demand. We do the deep digging so you don’t waste time chasing shadows.
Each signal unlock gives you a no-fluff blueprint, with:
“Money follows insight. That’s why we built Koan—to hand you the kind of signals VCs wish they found first.”
We Only Email When It's Worth It
We send emails rarely, and only when there's something genuinely useful, weird, or too good not to share. No corporate fluff. No "monthly digest." Just the signal.
Unsubscribe anytime. No hard feelings, no weird guilt trip.