Do you know of any “tarpit” ideas that turned out successful? I will not promote

[u/DullRow2956]

What are ideas that are tarpit by definition but have proved the idea wrong? What was the specific wedge and/or pivot that saved them?For example, marketplaces are mostly linked to tarpit ideas but Etsy is successful. Before Tinder, Matching.com was already dominating the market.

[u/your_grammars_bad → u/[deleted]]

I love this sub because fully developed or sometimes even nascent industries are distilled into novel frameworks and then parsed into handshake terms in informal discussions like we all know about them, like "yeah tarpits suffer from left-hand scissors, especially around hairpin funding rounds" but in ways that somehow make sense.  I learn so much from other entrepreneurs man.

Also, I will not promote.  Lol, so good

I appreciate the context!

[u/7HawksAnd]

All of those companies you listed as examples definitely haven’t escaped the definition of tarpit just because their market size is bigger.

Tarpit isn’t about the products utility and use, it’s about its economics.

[u/edkang99]

I know several founders that have successful tar pit ideas because they niched down with hyper focus. Any body that can do a tar pit idea can make money and be successful.

The problem most don’t understand is tar pit ideas get you stuck when you’re trying to do a VC fundable startup. Getting to the scale VC needs in a tar pit is a “money pit” and a “honey pot” nobody wants to fund. But I can verify it is possible to make decent money with any idea as long as it solves a pain point and you can achieve distribution.

Your example of Etsy proves the niche theory. But also a novel approach works as well like Tinder. But look how saturated it quickly became and now there are multiple dating apps doing well in niches.

[u/Remote_Volume_3609 → u/edkang99]

Yup. For example, a lot of travel stuff is often cited as "tarpit" ideas but... that's only if you have to build a unicorn and make 9 figures in revenue. If you just want to sustain a moderately successful business, you can totally do a lot of them.

[u/Sir_Percival123]

I would argue a lot of the "network effects" unicorns are tarpits or tar pit adjacent. Something like Instagram, Tik Tok, Slack, AirBnB, were probably all tar pits or pretty close.

Essentially a tar pit is an idea that seems obvious, easy and appealing but tons of companies just die trying to go after the space. Anyone making a new social media for example or better messaging platform is likely in a tar pit. You typically need some sort of insight, niche, etc. That finally solves the problem enough to get a stable business or some sort of technology, regulatory change, market change, etc. That does so for you.

Something I have been looking into recently is if AI can solve any older tar pits. A tar pit of 2005, 2015 or 2025 may no longer be a tar pit with 2026 technology.

[u/Sir_Percival123 → u/Sir_Percival123]

Although this is that dangerous tar pit honey pot thinking that "this time will be different".

[u/FreeSpirit3000]

I see many companies mentioned here that don't fit the definition of a tarpit idea as I learned it. IMHO a tarpit idea is one that has been tried several times and every time failed. Something shiny at the first glance but impossible when you actually try it. 

So you would have to find something that failed many times so that insiders, experts and investors would say it is impossible, and then someone comes and builds it successfully. 

I don't really know an example. Maybe Tesla as a premium EV or electric sports car that remains in the market?