In partnership with

GM. This is Needs to Exist (aka NTE), dropping a startup idea to make your phone calls smarter and your time sacred.

Unlock 4,000+ ideas for $99/year - NTE Pro is your shortcut to building something real.

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This past weekend, we launched a new weekly feature called “It Exists”, real stories from people who had an idea they knew needed to exist… and actually did something about it.

Our first spotlights?

• Jackie Bavaro who built LashTracker to track you Lashify applications.

• Thatcher, who launched Pouched, an iOS app that helps people track and reduce their nicotine pouch usage.

Every weekend, we’ll highlight more of these, from solo side projects to full-on startups.
Think: vibe-coded experiments, creator tools, consumer apps, local businesses, and beyond.

Got something you built because it needed to exist?
Reply to this email - we’d love to feature your story.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today.

• Daily Idea - Call Screened Smart

• Startup Group Chat Leak

Never Miss Important Calls Again

Want to turn this into a reality? NTE Zero to One has your back.

Inspired by this tweet

The One Liner

AI that screens your calls like a personal assistant.

The 140 character tweet (or X) version

Spam calls? Gone. Missed deals? Never again. This AI answers every call, vets it, and only forwards the ones you should take.

The Longer Story Version

The Problem
Your phone rings. Unknown number. Could be spam… or a six-figure opportunity.

So what do most of us do?

Ignore it. Because 9 out of 10 times, it’s a robot offering you an extended car warranty or asking if you “can hear them okay.”

But that one time? It’s a journalist. A new client. A big partnership. And you just let it go to voicemail.

Apple just announced a new spam call feature in iOS 26 that’s a step in the right direction. It answers calls, gives you a summary in real-time, and lets you decide.

But let’s be honest — that’s the floor, not the ceiling.

Filtering isn’t enough anymore. You need something smarter.

The Solution

An AI-powered receptionist that picks up every call, has a conversation, figures out what the caller wants, and then routes the important stuff to you.

Think of it like a hyper-intelligent gatekeeper that works 24/7 and never takes lunch.

Here’s what it does:

1. Answers the call in your voice or a polite assistant tone.

2. Engages the caller: “Hi, may I ask who’s calling and the purpose of the call?”

3. Summarizes the conversation in real-time.

4. Routes the call to you if it’s important or ends it if it’s not.

You get a quick notification:
"This was a cold pitch. Handled."
or
"Potential new customer from your site. Forwarding now."

No spam. No missed ops. All signal, no noise.

How We’d Build It

Level 1 – Hacker Mode

• Use Twilio Voice to receive and route calls.

• Plug into OpenAI Whisper for real-time transcription.

• Use GPT-4o or AssemblyAI to generate summaries and assess intent.

• Route outcome via SMS or Slack to you.

• Bonus: Build with Replit Deployments to keep it cheap and live fast.

Level 2 – Power User Stack

• Add Play.ht or ElevenLabs for custom voice cloning.

• Let users choose: Default polite AI voice or a replica of their voice.

• Build an interface with Softr or Plasmic for call logs and control panel.

• Add CRM tagging with Clay or Zapier Paths for lead vs. spam routing.

• Integrate with Calendly or HubSpot if it’s a qualified lead.

Level 3 – Go-To-Market SaaS

• Fully managed mobile and desktop app.

• Build phone number provisioning in-app, offer custom voicemail fallback.

• Add learning: AI improves who it lets through based on your past behavior.

• GTM:

  • Target solopreneurs, consultants, founders — people who lose money by answering dumb calls.

  • Run a “never miss the call that matters” campaign.

  • Drop a side-by-side demo of Apple’s new feature vs. this, call it “Not just filtering. Thinking.”

  • Let users read transcripts or listen back to vetted calls.

Why It Needs to Exist
Apple raised the bar. This jumps over it.

This is not just spam detection. This is call triage.
It’s AI that thinks like an assistant, speaks like a human, and acts like a chief of staff.

If you’re busy, high-leverage, or just hate picking up unknown calls, this gives you back time, energy, and opportunity.

Your phone becomes smart again, but this time, on your terms.

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With Attio, AI isn’t just a feature—it’s the foundation.

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You picked the perfect name

Mocked up a sleek landing page (in your head)
Even wrote the “coming soon” tweet… six weeks ago.

But nothing’s actually live.

That’s where NTE Zero to One comes in.

We help you stop pretending you’re launching and actually do it.
One clear plan. Real progress from day one.

$49 to start the convo. Build mode: activated. Sign Up Now.

Startup Group Chat Leak

Thread name: idea-dump-4-realz

Rob:
AI that answers every phone call, talks to the person, figures out what they want, and only forwards it to you if it’s worth your time.
Spam? Gone.
Sales guy? Filtered.
Investor calling from a new number? Straight through.
Your own mom?…Up to you.

Danny:
So… a personal receptionist? But it’s AI?

Tasha:
I love this. I’m sick of dodging spam calls just to miss a real one from FedEx.

Eric (a realist):
Sounds cool until you realize people HATE talking to robots.

Rob:
They already are talking to robots. Ever called a bank lately?

Danny:
What makes this different from Apple’s new call screening? iOS 26 has that thing now where it picks up and gives you a live transcript.

Rob:
Apple gave you the microwave.
This is a private chef.

Their version filters.
This version thinks. Asks questions. Summarizes. Decides.
It’s basically your Chief of Staff for calls.

Tasha:
Can I clone my voice so it sounds like I picked up?
“Hey, this is Rob… what’s up?”
🤯

Eric:
What about legal stuff? Like it’s recording and analyzing real convos. Isn’t that dicey?

Rob:
Just add “This call may be recorded for quality purposes.” Boom. Covered.
Also, don’t sell it to banks. Sell it to creators, founders, consultants. People who lose money every time they pick up a call they shouldn’t.

Danny:
Imagine it routes investor calls straight to your AirPods, but sends spam into a black hole with a passive aggressive message.

Tasha:
“Hi there! Your message has been forwarded to... absolutely no one.”
😂

Eric:
Okay but what if the AI misjudges? Sends a big opp to voicemail?

Rob:
Add a real-time summary.
“You just missed: ‘Hi, I’m Sarah from Sequoia, calling about your recent demo…’”
You hit “Call Back.” No harm done.

Danny:
Alright I’m sold. How do we build this?

Rob:
Level 1:
– Twilio to pick up the call
– Whisper to transcribe
– GPT-4 to summarize
– SMS you a verdict

Level 2:
– Clone your voice with ElevenLabs
– Add a dashboard with call history + tags
– Let the AI book a meeting if it’s a yes

Level 3:
– Mobile app
– CRM integration
– Press launch: “Your AI Secretary Just Replaced the Voicemail”

Tasha:
Domain idea: dontpickitup.ai
😈

Eric:
If someone doesn’t build this soon, I will.
I’m tired of talking to robots and people.

Rob:
Exactly. Time is your most valuable asset.
Let AI guard the front door.

Got a take on this? Want to build it?
Sign Up for NTE Zero To One. Or better yet… call me. Let’s see who picks up 😉

Ideas People Can’t Stop Talking About

The kind of ideas people flex about building.
The ones your smartest friend screenshots and sends with “yo.”

Here are 3 straight from inside NTE Pro

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A sensory bridge between you and nature and an absolute conversation starter.

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There are 4,000+ more inside.
Each one tagged, monetized, and ready to build.

👉 $99. Full access. NTE Pro.
You won’t just launch. You’ll launch something people talk about.

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