GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), dropping a startup idea that lets you create and control your own AI influencer empire.

NTE Pro – $99/year gets you backstage access to close to 5k business ideas.

Scrolling past million-dollar ideas? Tragic.
NTE Zero to One gives you the spark, system, and shove to bring one to life.

Check out all the past newsletters here

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Clone an influencer.

• Should your kid build this?

Build Your Own AI Influencer

Want to run your own influencer empire? NTE Zero to One can help you.

Before today’s idea even cooled off… I had a v1 live.
I’m not sure if its impressive but i gave myself 15 minutes and got this far.
👉 Click here to play with it

The One Liner

Build an influencer. Be the puppet master.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

Why chase followers when you can manufacture them? This AI tool lets you design, deploy, and grow your own virtual influencer army.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem
The game is rigged.

You grind for years, posting every day, tweaking captions, trying to “build a brand.” Meanwhile, anime-looking avatars are raking in millions in brand deals without ever aging, messing up, or asking for time off.

Influencers are no longer people. They’re products.
And if they’re products… why not build your own?

But creating one today? Good luck. You’ll need a character designer, animator, writer, video editor, PR manager, and a PhD in “what Gen Z thinks is cool this week.”

It’s chaos.

The Solution
This tool gives you a “Start Influencer” button.

Like… literally.

• You pick the vibe: quirky YouTuber? Moody fashionista? Crypto meme lord?

• The AI builds the look, the voice, the backstory.

• It auto-generates posts, image, caption, and even video with voice.

• Followers vote on the content they love, and the character evolves.

• You run the account. Grow it. Monetize it. Or sell it.

It’s like Sims + MrBeast + ElevenLabs had a lovechild and put it on TikTok.

How We’d Build It

Beginner Mode: Launch Weekend MVP

• Product:

  • Use Scenario.gg or Inworld AI to create virtual characters with personality + backstory.

  • Generate video clips using Synthesia or HeyGen.

  • Image + content creation via D-ID, Kaiber, and GPT-4.

• GTM:

  • Run a “Virtual Influencer Tournament” and let users build characters and compete for followers.

  • Plug into communities like Character.AI or Reddit's r/VirtualYoutubers for early fans.

Intermediate Mode: Let It Grow

• Product:

  • Build custom templates in Unreal Engine MetaHuman for higher-fidelity personas.

  • Add follower polling via Typeform API or an in-app voting feed.

  • Add monetization layer: token tipping, creator brand marketplace.

• GTM:

  • Reach out to microbrands with zero influencer budget and pitch them a house-built AI face.

  • Launch a “franchise mode”, one creator builds, others co-manage and grow.

Advanced Mode: Own the Ecosystem

• Product:

  • Full character dashboard: sentiment tracking, follower analysis, multi-platform posting.

  • Use Runway for AI-native video workflows.

  • Custom LLM fine-tuned on creator personas.

• GTM:

  • Drop an invite-only “Virtual Idol Incubator”, think Y Combinator for AI celebs.

  • Partner with media agencies to offer “virtual twins” of top creators for brand deals.

Why It Needs to Exist
There are already fake influencers making real money.

This tool lets you be the one behind the curtain, no filming, no stress, no cancelable scandals.

It's not just for fun. It's a new asset class.

One day, someone will IPO a virtual influencer. Why not you?

Check out my poor man’s 15-minute MVP I slapped together.
It’s janky, but kind of cool
👉 Give it a spin here

CTV Advertising Unlocked

Roku Ads Manager makes TV streaming advertising simple.

You can:
• Start with just $500
• Optimize in real time
• Create interactive experiences with Action Ads

Get your brand on the big screen today and reach engaged viewers on America’s #1 platform.

*By hours streamed, Dec 2023
(Hypothesis Group)

Reach more customers on CTV.

You weren’t chasing a startup

You just had a better way to do it.
The app was clunky. The process was broken.
So you opened a doc and started sketching.

Next thing you know, you’re thinking:
“Wait... could I actually build this?”

That’s where NTE Zero to One comes in.
Not for founders. For starters.
We give you the blueprint, the nudge, and the tools to get something live.

I mean…
Check out my poor man’s 15-minute MVP of today’s idea of the day.
👉 Try the live version here

$49. No BS. No raise. Just momentum.
👉 Let’s go from “someone should” to “I did.”

Would You Let Your Kid Build This?

The Setup:
Your 18-year-old niece just discovered ChatGPT. She’s got 3K TikTok followers, a Canva Pro account, and a little too much free time this summer.

She texts you:

“Should I build a platform where anyone can make their own AI influencer? Like, full-on character, content, voice, fanbase…? Lmk 🫣”

Two startup mentors weigh in:

Uncle Dave (YC alum, tweets like he’s still raising a Series A):

“Absolutely. This thing is sick”

Here’s why:
The creator economy is moving from “be the face” to “own the factory.” Your niece doesn’t want to be famous, she wants to manufacture it.

This is Shopify for clout.
Instead of one Addison Rae, you get thousands of niche characters, VTubers for engineers, meme bots for sneakerheads, AI DJs who only play songs from 2008.

It’s low overhead, infinitely scalable, and weirdly sticky. Nobody’s canceling your virtual influencer. No ego. No burnout. No bad hair days.

If Maya builds even a janky V1 with GPT-4 + Runway + ElevenLabs + a little Webflow glue, she can launch a creator-first tool and start selling AI influencers like NFTs in 2021.

And let’s be honest, the talent agencies and brand managers will love this. No agents. No drama. Just clicks.

TLDR: Low cost. Huge upside. Clout-as-a-service. Let her cook.

Auntie Liv (ex-CMO turned angel investor, allergic to hype):

“Not unless she’s ready for a moral panic.”

Let’s be real.

The minute this thing works, you’ve got 14-year-olds chatting with anime bots who sell them skincare routines they don’t need and calling it “authentic engagement.”

It’s not a tool. It’s a Black Mirror episode starter pack.

Brands are already struggling with deepfakes, fake followers, and trust issues. This just pours gasoline on that fire. Imagine an army of AI influencers that feel real but don’t disclose they’re fake. That’s not “creator empowerment.” That’s the uncanny valley with a marketing budget.

Plus, there’s a chance Maya becomes too good at this. The platform works, it blows up, and suddenly she’s running a digital talent agency of bots with no soul and $10K/month in affiliate links to protein powder.

She wanted to build something cool. Now she’s managing a digital Kardashian named “Lixie” with 400K fans and a crush on an AI Drake.

TLDR: High risk. High ethical baggage. Only greenlight if she’s down to navigate the weirdness.

Final Verdict:
Let her try it, if she knows what she’s building and what she’s unleashing. This one’s not just a product. It’s a mirror. And sometimes? The reflection gets wild.

Choose Your Founder Adventure

You wake up with that itch again.
Not to change the world. Just to build something wild.

You open NTE Pro.

Do you…

🧾 Build “Gig Tax Buddy”
The IRS is coming. Most freelancers are guessing.
This tool makes tax season suck way less for DoorDashers, resellers, and creators.

👶 Launch “Automated Kid Payroll + Roth IRA”
Legally pay your kids $13K tax-free and stack their retirement?
This tool makes it stupid easy to do what the rich already know.

🎤 Create “AI Tool for Writing Obituaries”
Writing about someone you love while grieving is brutal.
This tool turns voice notes, memories, and posts into something beautiful.

NTE Pro has close to 5k ideas like these.
Some genius. Some unhinged. All up for grabs.

👉 $99/year. Start your adventure.

One More Meme