Wanna try? Here’s 19 free startup ideas for Asia

Founders Supporting Founders: Iterative is accepting applications for its next batch of founders. Funding is the least important thing it does for you.

The following are a few ideas we’ve brainstormed on in our journey to disrupt Google from Thailand. Below, we’ve outlined those that may inspire you in your startup. Take and use what you want. The domain suggestions in some of the listings are all available as of this writing. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section.

In thinking about new concepts, one important thing we’ve realized is that value can be hiding anywhere. To take some real-world examples, YouTube started out as a video dating site, Twitter was a way to interact with podcasts, Yelp began as an email system, Fab started as a social network for gay men, and Stuart Butterfield discovered the concept for Slack within a game he was developing (as he and his wife did with Flickr with a previous game they were working on). A concept shouldn’t be written off entirely because of how it appears on the surface. So you might come up with an idea for a service that just needs a bit of tweaking to really shine.

Ideas are cheap, of course, and the ability to execute is everything. A good idea, however, can act as a feedback mechanism to inspire the founders and early team to push themselves even further to make it happen. Who doesn’t get excited about a great idea? Here are some of our best ideas that we came up with, with a few not-so-good ideas thrown in to see if anyone can improve upon them.

An event-based startup idea for Hong Kong and Thailand

1) AirBNB for Food and Parties. Among Asian countries, AirBNB is most popular in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. This service would be an extension of the idea of people being able to earn money from what they already have at home, offering a home-cooked meal-as-a-service. These are scheduled, private food events where 2 or more people can sit down and socialize over a freshly-prepared meal. A user would see locations with menus, find out who else will be there during a particular event, and enjoy a social, party-like atmosphere. Perhaps some users could offset the cost of the event by hosting the space, bringing food, drinks, offering entertainment, etc. The cook or host would charge a fee (or not) and they could do weekend breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Parties can also be had. This may work especially well in Thailand, where tourists flock for the food, and cooking courses are popular. (Possible names: socieat.com, TableShares.com, ShareTables.com, socialBLD.com)

Education-based startup ideas for Hong Kong, Singapore, and India

2) Education progress tracker. Parents want their kids to have a good education, and for most of us this starts from an early age. This service would compare a student’s progress throughout their education against others going for similar degrees (in the same country) or areas of interest. It answers the questions, “How do I (or how does my child) compare with other students?” and, “Could they be able to get into a good university?” Classes, grades, honors, extracurricular activities, etc., can all be tracked here. Think Mint for education. (Possible names: eduPilot.com, eduGPS.com, )

3) Study group app for students. A social network based on students and their homework and studying? Perhaps there are already some apps like this, but students really need something compelling that speaks to them. (Possible names – ppstudy, studyh)

Employment-based startup ideas for Hong Kong and Singapore

4) Virtual Boss App / Chore Management App. This is an app for people that work from home, and also for parents that need their children to perform chores around the house. One big problem that some at-home workers have is a lack of discipline. This app would serve as their ‘virtual boss’, making sure tasks are organized properly, time is managed well, and distractions are kept to a minimum (such as personal incoming calls being muted, for example, when one is working). In extreme mode, the app would limit internet access or hide the icon to a favorite app if the user misses an important deadline or spends too much time not working (or kids don’t complete their chores on time). It would also reward users for completed tasks with badges and suggestions for treats, like ‘you can now buy yourself something you like’. (Possible names: workwhip.com, virtuaBoss.com)

5) Employment Trials and Work Barter. This would be a service that kind of re-defines the process of finding a job. It would allow people to offer to work free for 5 days at a company, as a trial to see how they perform as an potential full-time employee. It would also allow people to perform short-term work in exchange for benefits from that company. (Perfect for companies that may not have a lot of cash, but may happen to own a house on the beach where you could holiday for a couple of weeks, unused season tickets, or one whose corporate discounts you could use.)

6) Video Job Interviews. Employers waste a lot of time interviewing potential job candidates. This would be an automated system whereby the applicant would answer a few basic questions and submit to a short 30-second video interview that is passed on to employers that have signed up. A second video interview could include automated, custom questions, with 2-3 minute video replies. The employer can then schedule an in-person interview from the system or ask for more video responses. (Possible names: workseer.com, videointervu.com, hirefact.com)

Social Networking & Relationship-based startup ideas for all of Asia

7) Location-based Social Network. Instead of being connected to others based on your social graph, you’re connected to people, places, and things based on your location. Users can simply take a photo of something and post updates that you’ll see if you’re nearby. It may be a place, an event, a job opening, a lost pet, or whatever. It would be a place for discovering new people, places, and things, not for your existing social network. (Possible names: locag.com, locats.com)