More than 230 new code repositories were created every minute on GitHub, according to its 2025 Octoverse report. They aren’t all startups—but they illustrate how much building happens beyond the headlines.
For investors and founders, the challenge is finding useful signals in that activity. These five resources offer a practical starting point.
1. Product Hunt
Browse new products and study their positioning. Which problems keep appearing? How are competing teams promising to solve them?
2. Y Combinator’s Company Directory
Explore startups by industry and batch. Look for clusters of companies tackling similar workflows—and where their approaches differ.
3. GitHub Trending
Watch open-source projects attracting developer attention, particularly in AI and infrastructure. Then look beyond popularity: documentation, contributors, and ongoing development deserve a closer read.
4. Hacker News: Show HN
Read product introductions alongside community feedback. Questions and objections can reveal practical limitations that a polished launch announcement leaves out.
5. Google Trends
Check whether a recurring idea also attracts search interest. Treat it as a measure of curiosity, rather than evidence of paying customers.
A 20-minute research habit
Choose one narrow problem—such as automating insurance paperwork—and compare what appears across these sources.
Ask: Who is building, what keeps repeating, and what evidence suggests users actually care?
Repeated launches can indicate opportunity, crowding, or both. I’d keep an eye on the problems people keep trying to solve—and whether anyone is actually paying for a solution.
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