01 / 15
YC
Ernie
Startup pitch

Ernie

Compliance-safe marketplace, w którym vendorzy B2B płacą za ustrukturyzowany feedback od zweryfikowanych profili decyzyjnych — zamiast za spam, kliknięcia i puste leady.

B2B feedbackexpert network × ABM30-day concierge MVP
02 / 15
Ernie
One-liner
The fastest way to learn if your B2B offer is worth a buyer’s time.

YC-style thesis: start narrow, charge from day one, manually match supply and demand, build software only after repeated paid demand.

03 / 15
Ernie
Problem

B2B outbound is turning into an AI-generated landfill.

Każda firma może wysłać 10 000 “personalized” wiadomości. Decydenci ignorują inbox. Vendorzy nie wiedzą, czy oferta jest słaba, czy kanał jest martwy.

0 trust

Cold email i LinkedIn zaczynają wyglądać jak automatyczny noise.

high CAC

Płacisz platformom, bazom i SDR-om — nie osobie, która ma realny kontekst decyzyjny.

no signal

Open rate, klik i MQL nie mówią, czy problem jest ważny i budżetowy.

04 / 15
Ernie
Insight

The scarce thing is not data.
It is trusted judgment from the right buyer profile.

Ernie nie sprzedaje “dostępu do CEO”. Sprzedaje audytowalny feedback ekspercki: fit, obiekcje, timing, obecne rozwiązanie, warunki bezpiecznego follow-upu.

05 / 15
Ernie
Solution
ernie/review-request
Founder, SaaS 50–200 FTEFeedback scope: HR tech, sales ops, AI workflows
1 499 PLN
Head of Sales, B2BFeedback scope: CRM, enablement, coaching
999 PLN

Output

Fit score, strongest objection, current workaround, buying committee context, “what would need to be true”.

A paid feedback loop for B2B vendors.

  • Vendor submits a concise pitch and target profile.
  • Ernie screens for fit, spam and compliance risk.
  • Expert accepts, rejects or asks for context.
  • Vendor gets structured feedback in 72h.
  • Follow-up only with explicit consent and no purchase incentive.
06 / 15
Ernie
Why now

AI makes outbound cheaper. That makes human judgment more expensive.

AI spam

Wolumen wiadomości rośnie szybciej niż jakość. Filtry uwagi będą premium.

ABM pressure

Zespoły revenue dalej potrzebują insightu z ICP, ale nie chcą kolejnego “lead list”.

expert rails

Expert networks i research panels udowodniły, że firmy płacą za wiedzę — Ernie zawęża to do konkretnej oferty.

07 / 15
Ernie
Product flow

Simple enough to run manually. Valuable enough to become software.

01

Request

Vendor defines offer, ICP and questions.

02

Screen

AI + ops check fit, claims and compliance.

03

Match

Ernie recommends expert profiles, not named pay-for-access targets.

04

Review

Expert completes structured review; payment via escrow.

05

Signal

Vendor receives reusable buyer intelligence and next-step recommendation.

08 / 15
Ernie
MVP

YC version: don’t build the marketplace first.

Week 1

Recruit supply

50 vetted founders/operators. Profile, expertise, conflicts, payout preference, availability.

Week 2

Sell demand

20 vendors with ACV 20k+ PLN. Sell 10 paid reviews before writing product code.

Week 3

Concierge ops

Manual matching, Stripe/escrow substitute, template report, 72h SLA.

Week 4

Decide

Repeat purchase, NPS of feedback, compliance friction, expert quality. Scale or kill.

09 / 15
Ernie
Beachhead

Start where compliance is solvable and pain is obvious.

Supply: who gives feedback

  • Founders / owners of private companies
  • C-level and heads of function in SMB/mid-market
  • Operators with budget ownership, not public procurement
  • Default payout: company invoice or charity

Demand: who pays

  • B2B SaaS and AI tools
  • Premium agencies and software houses
  • Sales/HR/marketing/ops tools with high ACV
  • Teams already spending on ABM, SDRs or research
10 / 15
Ernie
Market map

Existing categories prove willingness to pay. The wedge is narrower.

Category
What they sell
Ernie wedge
Expert networks
Paid calls with experts
Specific review of a B2B offer + ABM signal
User research panels
Interviews and surveys
Decision-maker feedback with business context
Leadgen / ABM
Lists, ads, sequences
Less volume, more qualified judgment
Earn.com style
Paid email / paid attention
Compliance-safe research output, not inbox access
11 / 15
Ernie
Business model

Charge per review first. Subscriptions later.

20–30%

Take rate

Commission on completed reviews. Payout defaults to company/foundation rails.

999+ PLN

Vendor plan

Shortlists, CRM sync, lower take rate, reports, compliance workflows.

data

Moat

Aggregated, consent-based benchmarks on objections, timing, use cases and buying triggers.

Upside example: 1 000 reviews/month × 1 500 PLN × 25% = 375k PLN/month revenue before CAC, ops, disputes, tax and verification costs.

12 / 15
Ernie
Pricing

Price for signal, not for meetings.

Quick Review

499–999 PLN

Fast offer critique, one expert profile, short report.

Structured Review

1 499 PLN

Fit score, objections, buying context, next-step recommendation.

Panel Review

5–15k PLN

3–7 expert profiles for high-ACV vendors. No success fee.

13 / 15
Ernie
Compliance

If this is not compliance-first, it dies.

No incentive to buy

Never pay for purchase, recommendation, positive sentiment, ranking or intro.

Conflict check

Employer approval, recusal, no public procurement, clear role boundaries.

Audit trail

Disclosure, KYC/KYB, tax docs, escrow, review rubric, dispute handling.

Right to reject

Experts can reject any request; Ernie blocks spam and risky pitches.

14 / 15
Ernie
60-day success metrics

The only question: do vendors buy again?

50+

Paid reviews completed without major compliance incidents.

30%

Vendors purchase more than one review.

8/10

Average vendor score for usefulness of feedback.

20%

Safe follow-up allowed after conflict check — not as a sales guarantee.

15 / 15
Ernie
Founder verdict

Build it like a YC company: narrow, manual, paid.

Start with 100 paid reviews for B2B SaaS vendors. If repeat purchase is real, turn the manual workflow into software. If not, kill it fast.

First milestone: 10 paid reviewsNo platform before demand