How to Find and Validate a Shipaton Idea in Three Days

The App Store has seen an explosion of releases, primarily due to the good tooling available. However, deciding what to build has become expensive. Rik Haandrikman from RevenueCat warned during a Shipathon live stream that AI can help create the wrong thing at an unprecedented speed, potentially wasting many tokens.

Shipathon, an event running from August 1 to September 30, offers cash prizes across categories like Build & Grow, Best Game, #BuildInPublic, and five influencer awards. While two months may seem short, focusing on building the right thing during these three days can be the most valuable investment for those just starting out.

RevenueCat's livestream highlighted a three-day plan to find and validate a Shipathon idea. Start by identifying your unfair advantage, which can come from your unique perspective, audience, or specialized knowledge. Then, find a problem that nobody else has solved and that you can solve better.

Next, simplify your idea by answering four key questions: for whom, when they need it, what outcome they get, and how. This helps avoid overcomplicating your concept. Establish a clear differentiation by deciding who your app is not for and defining the problem, solution, edge, and market reach.

To validate your idea, create a trailer using minimal effort and ask for feedback. Show three screens of your prototype to potential users and observe where they hesitate. Run a fake front door by launching a store page or landing page for the app that doesn't exist yet, and see who clicks. Use paid ads to test the demand before investing time in building anything.

Finally, focus on the magic moment - the core functionality that solves the problem without requiring any login, settings, or onboarding. The goal is to build this prototype quickly and efficiently to avoid falling into the trap of building the complex app before validating the idea.