Requests for Startups Refreshed

by Sam Altman9/27/2016

We’ve refreshed the Requests for Startups. Here are the additions:

Food and Farming
An estimated 40% of the world’s workforce works in agriculture.

Better food and farming could increase the world’s health, unlock the potential of numerous workers, and improve living conditions for billions of animals.

We believe economics will dominate – reducing cost while preserving or improving flavor will win the day.

Mass Media
What can we do to bring up the baseline and make the vast majority of our mass media better?

Media outlets that rely on polarization, misinformation, passivity, and fear, are not improving society. We’re looking for ways to bring the average back up and improve mass media.

Updated: Underserved Communities and Social Services
Tens of millions of working poor in America don’t see a path to the middle class.

This population has to navigate a world with substandard services, low quality housing, overcrowded schools, and crime in their neighborhoods. They are often unbanked and living paycheck to paycheck.

The US government alone spends hundreds of billions of dollars per year on social services and safety net programs for these underserved communities.

We believe great non-profits and for-profits can bring technology and strong metrics-driven approaches to this largely ignored, massive market.


You shouldn’t start a company just because it’s on this list. It’s mostly here to help stimulate you to think about ideas.

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Author

  • Sam Altman

    Sam Altman is the CEO of OpenAI. He was the president of YC from 2014-2019. He studied computer science at Stanford, and while there, worked in the AI lab.