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Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Love this. Trying to build a presence on a few places like LI, PH and possibly reddit. Will be interesting to see where this goes for you.
Can a large Product Hunt community help you with a product launch?
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Sam knows the runway is coming to an end and if he doesn't show some path to profitability, he's toast. OpenAI and Anthrophic have the challenge that AI is their only game. Unlike Google, Meta, Microsoft that have numerous revenue engines, these two have to prove that people will pay purely for AI tools. I think (hope) Anthropic has a winning plan to be profitable by 2030 but they are in a...
OpenAI announces testing ads within the results
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Ha, hadn't thought of that. While I'd love a badge, the goal is eyeballs on the product. Doing the work of notifying people on LI, X, Bluesky, etc is best I think.
Launching product during a "lower-traffic" weekend? Maybe 3 things would help.
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Thanks for this post. I'm at the point of my product where it's time to get busy with acquisition.
My tool reached $300 MRR! Here's how I did it (no audience, no ads)
Filip PanoskiJoin the discussion
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Very helpful. I'm an introverted founder and I have been working hard for the past 6 months to post daily on a few of my favorite places. I won't let AI write my posts but I do use AI to surface articles and concepts that gives me ideas and considerations. I like the "last" things idea. That will help "unstick" me.
How do you create discussion topics for Product Hunt forums? + (My approach)
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
This will have to be a major hit to OpenAI. As a consumer brand, Apple would have been a great fit for OpenAI.
Apple confirms Gemini-powered future for Apple Intelligence
Rohan ChaubeyJoin the discussion
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
There must be an incredible sense of loyalty to the people in order to endure that schedule. When I was younger I was happy to put my head down on a project but the people that were around me was the glue. Hopefully for anyone in this cycle, they are building some life-long friendships that will persist after the grind.
Do you think the 9-9-6 work culture is right?
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
This is really important for all makers to read. Speaking as an "ideas person", my kryptonite is the last 10% of a project. But, this is where it separates projects and their success IMO. I needed this reminder so my launch/re-launch is more complete. If I want to know why I have no views, look at the launch and materials.
Things that make a good difference at a launch on Product Hunt
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
For me, some of my failed projects were due to lack of marketing skills. I'm a lousy promoter. If sharing a failed project got someone to perk up and say "whoa, you just need some awareness and I can help." it might save a failed project and create revenue for more people.
Do you think founders should talk more openly about projects that didn’t work?
Alex CloudstarJoin the discussion
Matthew @ Saplingstarted a discussion
Spent 12 months building a fundraising tool that doesn't bully charities. Looking for my first user.
Hello, I’ve been working on a passion project I called Sapling (use.sapling.mobi) on and off since 2016. I have spent the last 12 months improving it because I kept seeing small charities lose huge chunks of their donations to complex platforms that take high fees or guilt-trip donors into "tipping" the software. It felt wrong, so I decided to build a cleaner, simpler alternative. It’s been a...
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
I bet it happens. It would be a small gain for OpenAI and their need for more data to digest into their LLMs. Unlike Google that powers so many data generators, OpenAI needs to find new outlets. That said, it would probably hurt the Pinterest user base because how could you trust an AI company to keep content on the platform human generated?
OpenAI is considering buying Pinterest. Do you see this acquisition as promising?
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
More updates to Sapling. We now offer Veo generated content based on prompts and a style chooser. To keep things from getting weird, we limit generated video to animation - non photorealistic formats. Coming soon, push notices for new content and multiple campaign manager. Sapling has been a fully vibed project based on a legacy platform created in 2012. It has been a year-long learning...
Sapling - Free Online Fundraising + AISimple, free Giving Grid + AI for nonprofits
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Huge update at Sapling.mobi. We are now focused on the use of video to promote fundraising. Just like swiping through an Instagram feed, you can add as many videos as you like to promote your charity. Less text and much more video! Looking for feedback for Sapling. It feels like with all the consolidation of platforms, nonprofits need something simple and quick to raise money.
Sapling - Free Online Fundraising + AISimple, free Giving Grid + AI for nonprofits
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
This is a great question. So many free tiers that you build up a workflow from a template in n8n that has perplexity and you just get the free license. But, if you build something substantial then you're into a paid account. TL;DR too many options and licenses. I use the following tools consistently: OpenAI (API and Chat) Claude Gemini n8n Pinecone Google Search API Google Workplace Descript...
How many and what type of subscriptions do you have?
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Hey Product Hunt! 👋 I’m Matt, founder of Sapling. I built this for the small but mighty nonprofits that often get overlooked by complex or expensive fundraising platforms. After 20+ years in nonprofit tech (I also run ClickBid), I kept seeing the same problem: early-stage 501(c)(3)s — sometimes with zero staff — struggling to run basic fundraisers without hiring help or battling software. So I...
Sapling - Free Online Fundraising + AISimple, free Giving Grid + AI for nonprofits
Sapling is a free, simple fundraising tool for small nonprofits. With a visual “Giving Grid,” built-in AI tools, and zero setup hassle, it helps 501(c)(3)s raise money fast—no staff required. Perfect for tiny teams doing mighty work.
Sapling - Free Online Fundraising + AISimple, free Giving Grid + AI for nonprofits
Matthew @ Saplingstarted a discussion
Small Nonprofit Tech Builder
Hi Product Hunt! I’m Matt, founder of ClickBid and now Sapling — a free fundraising platform built specifically for small or brand-new nonprofits (especially 501(c)(3)s with no staff). I started ClickBid 23 years ago as a freelance gig and have worked with thousands of charities across the world. I've learned that tech provides opportunity but success is helping charities feel comfortable and...
Matthew @ Saplingleft a comment
Riskiest IMO would be offshore dev teams. AI is making developer's lives a bit crazy with the daily release of new and improved tools and models. Flourishing IMO would be AI for sure. Lots of opportunities to invent something new, improve on something current and even use AI to find a new opportunity.
which industry do you think is the riskiest to start a business, and which is flourishing?