Introducing PlebTest: Kill Bad Ideas Before They Kill Your Runway
Introducing PlebTest: Kill Bad Ideas Before They Kill Your Runway
January 18, 2026
I'm building PlebTest, and I want to tell you why.
The Problem Nobody Talks About
Here's a stat that should terrify every founder: 42% of startups fail because there's no market need.
Not because of bad code. Not because of funding. Because they built something nobody wanted.
And here's the uncomfortable truth about why: most founders skip customer validation entirely.
Why? Because talking to strangers is painful. Cold-calling potential customers is awkward, scary, and for many of us—especially technical founders—it feels impossible. We'd rather write 10,000 lines of code than make 10 phone calls.
So we don't validate. We build and pray. We ask friends who love us too much to be honest. We ask ChatGPT, which agrees with everything we say.
And then we discover—3 to 6 months and thousands of dollars later—that nobody wants what we built.
I've been there. I've wasted months on ideas the market didn't want because I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone.
Why "PlebTest"?
Here's the thing: you don't need to be a genius to build something great. You just need access to the genius of crowds.
The real intelligence isn't in your head—it's in the collective wisdom of ordinary people. Your future customers. The market. The plebs.
And it turns out AI is exceptionally good at simulating large populations of these ordinary people—with all their quirks, objections, and real-world constraints.
That's PlebTest. The genius of the masses, made accessible. (And yes, I'm a pleb too.)
What I'm Building
PlebTest gives your market a voice—without you having to pick up the phone.
Here's how it works:
- You describe your idea (problem, solution, hypotheses)
- You define your ideal customer profile
- AI generates diverse personas based on your ICP—each with unique demographics, psychographics, and personality traits
- These personas challenge your assumptions through simulated conversations
- You get a clear verdict: Kill, Pivot, or Build
The key difference? Anti-sycophancy by design.
Unlike ChatGPT (which tells you what you want to hear), PlebTest's personas are built to challenge. They find holes. They push back. They tell you the hard truths your friends won't.
Because a killed idea is progress. A pivot insight is gold. And a validated "build" verdict means you can move forward with confidence.
Who This Is For
- Technical solo founders who would rather code than cold-call
- Side-hustle builders who can't schedule calls during business hours
- First-time founders with domain expertise but crippling phone anxiety
If you've ever stared at your phone, knowing you should call potential customers, and just... couldn't—this is for you.
Where I'm At
I'm a solo founder building this in public.
Today: I finished the complete Product Requirements Document—28 features, ~418 acceptance criteria, everything from onboarding to billing.
In ~2 weeks: Basic MVP ready for beta testers.
February: Public launch.
Want Early Access?
If you're tired of guessing whether your idea will work, I'm looking for beta testers.
Sign up at PlebTest.com
Kill duds. Find winners. The genius of crowds—without the phone calls.
Building in public. Follow the journey.