GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), dropping daily startup ideas to help you build the next big thing (or small thing)

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Collect. Trade. Flex.

• The Flops - Movies Unlimited….Until Bankrupt.

Collectors Unite: Build Their Hub

The One Liner

You know those collectors hoarding coins, Hot Wheels, comics, and stamps? Build their LinkedIn. But with NFTs and trading baked in.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

A "LinkedIn for collectors." Show off collections, trade securely with NFTs, and create the go-to hub for collectible nerds.

The Longer Story Version - That Maybe You Will Read

Alright, here’s an idea you can steal: Build Collectiverse—a platform for people who collect everything. Coins, Hot Wheels, Pokémon cards, stamps—whatever sparks joy.

The play? These communities already exist, scattered across dusty forums and awkward Facebook groups. They need one place to live. You’re gonna give them their HQ—a sleek digital home where they can:

1. Show off their collections with a portfolio that looks sexier than their Instagram grid.

2. Trade safely by turning collectibles into NFTs. Blockchain takes care of trust, and you take care of the fees (hello, business model).

3. Stay in the loop with expert-led content. Each category gets its own moderator to drop insights, market trends, and upcoming releases.

Why this works: Collectors aren’t just casual buyers—they’re obsessed. They spend hours researching, trading, and flexing. Give them tools to make it easy, fun, and profitable. And by adding a blockchain twist, you future-proof the whole operation and bring in the next-gen collectors too.

Execution tips:

• Start small. Pick one category (e.g., sports cards or comics) and nail it. Then expand.

• Add social elements: Comments, likes, trades—build those dopamine loops.

• Monetize through trading fees, premium memberships, or even direct partnerships with collectible brands.

This idea sits at the crossroads of passion, community, and commerce. It’s nostalgic, futuristic, and scalable. Build this, and collectors won’t just thank you—they’ll live on your platform.

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The Flops

Not all startup ideas are winners, and not all flops were bad ideas.

Here we dive into the stories behind the misses and the lessons learned.

MoviePass

MoviePass was like that friend who says, 'Trust me, this is totally sustainable,' while buying everyone shots with a maxed-out credit card

The Quick Remark

MoviePass made unlimited movies sound like a blockbuster deal, but it flopped harder than a direct-to-DVD sequel thanks to an unsustainable business model and burning cash faster than an action movie explosion.

In a Nutshell

MoviePass offered unlimited movie tickets for just $10 a month—a dream for movie buffs. It became a cultural phenomenon, but the hype couldn’t hide the math problem. Paying full price for tickets while charging users a fraction of the cost? Spoiler alert: it didn’t end well. The company ran out of money, and users ran out of patience.

The Big Scoop

Launched in 2011, MoviePass initially started as a niche subscription service. But things got wild in 2017 when new CEO Mitch Lowe (formerly of Netflix and Redbox) dropped the price to $10/month for unlimited movies. It was a movie lover's fantasy come true. The subscriber base skyrocketed from 20,000 to over 3 million in less than a year, and MoviePass was suddenly the talk of Hollywood.

Behind the scenes, though, it was a financial horror story. MoviePass was footing the bill for every ticket its subscribers used, and with customers binging movies like a Marvel marathon, the company was hemorrhaging cash. Meanwhile, theaters like AMC weren’t thrilled and launched competing programs.

By mid-2018, the cracks were showing. Glitches, blackouts, and unpopular restrictions frustrated users. Investors bailed, and MoviePass’s parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, saw its stock price drop from $32 to mere pennies. In September 2019, MoviePass officially went dark, leaving behind a legacy of memes, outrage, and lessons on the dangers of overpromising and underdelivering.

MoviePass was a cautionary tale of a big idea undone by bad math—a case of ambition outpacing reality. It proved you can’t just buy customer loyalty; you have to afford it too.

One More Meme