GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), delivering you a startup idea that’ll stop gas station fails before they happen.

There are a lot more ideas where that came from. 2,500+ more with NTE Pro.

And all of our past newsletters are here

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Nozzle. Detected. Denied.

• Look for Dumb Mistakes

Drive. Stop. Nozzle still in.

The One Liner

Stops you from driving off with the gas nozzle.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

You pumped the gas. You forgot to take the nozzle out. This sensor stops your car from shifting into drive and saves you from a gas-soaked disaster.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem

It happens more than you’d think.

You’re running late, half-paying attention, maybe even texting your group chat. You fill up your tank, jump back in the car, and—BOOM—you yank the gas nozzle clean off like you’re in Fast & Furious: Suburban Drift.

Besides making you look like a total clown, it’s expensive, dangerous, and spills fuel everywhere.

Gas station owners hate it. Mechanics love it. And the planet loses every time.

Why hasn’t anyone fixed this?

Because no one’s bothered to make your car smart where it actually matters.

The Solution

A dead-simple upgrade: a sensor inside the fuel filler neck that detects if the nozzle is still in.

If it is?

🚫 Your car won’t start.
🚫 If it’s already on, you can’t shift into gear.
🔔 Your dash lights up with a reminder like, “Yo… pump's still in.”

That’s it. No accidents. No damage. No phone call to the gas station manager while holding a detached hose like it’s evidence in a crime scene.

It's like “lane assist” for your brain.

How We’d Build It

Start lean, go smart:

• Sensor Tech: Use a low-cost proximity or capacitive sensor (check TE Connectivity or Texas Instruments’ fuel sensor parts). No WiFi. No BS.

• CAN Bus Integration: Plug directly into the car’s existing Controller Area Network. Use CANedge or Vehicle Spy to test the signaling behavior.

• Microcontroller: Simple Arduino/Teensy can prototype this. For OEM work, go with STM32 chips.

• Retrofit Kit: Design a universal kit with OBD-II compatibility and an override key (just in case your grandma installs it).

• Dashboard Messaging: Integrate into digital dashboards using Android Automotive or Apple CarPlay APIs.

Need to demo it fast? Use Autopi (connected car dev platform) to fake the ignition lockout and dashboard alerts.

Why It Needs to Exist

Because the dumbest mistakes happen when you're on autopilot—and your car shouldn't be.

This isn’t about being a better driver. It’s about giving your car one extra neuron to protect you from that $800 “oops.”

Auto manufacturers win by checking the safety innovation box.
Rental companies win by avoiding claims.
Fleet operators win with fewer fuel disasters.
You win by not becoming a viral video.

Sometimes the best ideas aren’t sexy. They’re obvious. And this one?

It needs to exist.

Needs To Exist Pro

Steal Our Best Startup Ideas for $99/Year

🚀 2,000+ Killer Business Ideas
From solo side hustles to billion-dollar plays—new ones added every week.

🔎 Blazing-Fast Search & Categories
No fluff. Just ideas you can actually build. Sorted by what you care about.

🧠 Sourced from the Smartest Minds
We mine 100s of newsletters, research papers, and founder interviews so you don’t have to.

📋 Step-by-Step Launch Plans
Got an idea? We’ll show you exactly how to start, validate, and launch it.

Startups That Solve Dumb Mistakes

(aka the fastest way to make something people actually want)

Here’s a simple way to come up with startup ideas:

Look for mistakes people make over and over — and just fix them.

Not big, life-altering mistakes.
I’m talking about the small, dumb, “ugh I can’t believe I did that again” moments. The kind that cost $50 to $500 and make you feel like a moron.

Most founders overlook these. They want to reinvent space travel or build the next OpenAI.
But here’s the thing: solving boring problems for forgetful humans prints money.

Use this filter next time you’re idea-hunting:

1. "Oops That Was Expensive"

• Forgot to cancel a free trial?

• Paid a late fee on your credit card?

• Got towed because you didn’t see the sign?

There’s a whole class of small failures that result in high costs. People hate these — and will pay to avoid them.

🛠 Tool tip: Check Twitter for complaints using search terms like “forgot to cancel” or “got charged.” Use those posts as raw user research.

2. "The Human Brain Is Bad at Reminders"
We forget birthdays, groceries, appointments, and deadlines.
We’re overconfident and underprepared.
Which is why:

• Reminder apps exist

• Smart pill bottles exist

• Password managers exist

You don’t have to make something “smart.” Just make it smart enough to stop us from screwing up.

🛠 Tool tip: Prototype reminder flows using Bardeen, Zapier, or IFTTT — automate repetitive “don’t forget” tasks for users with context and timing.

3. "Passive Safety, Please"
The best products work even when you’re not paying attention.

• Car headlights that auto shut off

• Fridges that beep when the door’s left open

• Email clients that say “Do you want to send without an attachment?”

This isn’t convenience. It’s silent protection.
Design guardrails so your users don’t have to be perfect.

🛠 Tool tip: Use Cronitor to trigger actions based on non-events (e.g., “user didn’t do X within Y minutes”). This flips the script from “do this” to “you forgot this.”

4. Socially Embarrassing Errors
Some mistakes don’t cost money — they just make you cringe.

• Walking into the wrong meeting room

• Mispronouncing someone’s name (again)

• Sending “LOL” in a serious Slack thread

People will pay to avoid embarrassment. Maybe not with cash, but with usage, attention, or loyalty.

🛠 Try:

• Tap into NLP tools like Whisper or Namecoach API to help with pronunciation

• Build Slack/Zoom plugins that gently steer people away from awkwardness

Why This Works

When you build to prevent obvious errors, you’re not pitching a dream.
You’re solving a reality.

Your customers already know the pain.
They’ve already felt the consequences.
You don’t have to convince them of anything — just show them there’s a better way.

So if you’re stuck staring at a blank whiteboard trying to dream up the next unicorn…

Start by asking:

“What’s a mistake I keep making that shouldn’t even be possible?”

Then go fix it.

That’s a billion-dollar habit right there.

One More Meme