스타트업 초기 아이디어 개발 단계에서, 창업자를 김새게 만드는 가장 많은 경우가 해당 아이디어를 누군가가 이미 구현해 놓았을 때다.

Competition

Because a good idea should seem obvious, when you have one you'll tend to feel that you're late. Don't let that deter you. Worrying that you're late is one of the signs of a good idea. Ten minutes of searching the web will usually settle the question. Even if you find someone else working on the same thing, you're probably not too late. It's exceptionally rare for startups to be killed by competitors—so rare that you can almost discount the possibility. So unless you discover a competitor with the sort of lock-in that would prevent users from choosing you, don't discard the idea.

from How to Get Startup Ideas

오래된 글이다만 여기에 대해서 폴그레이엄이 언급했던 부분을 옮겨와 본다. 조금 더 아이디어를 가다듬고, 경쟁자와 비교우위에 서도록 노력해야 하는 부분은 남겠지만, 단지 누군가가 먼저 선수를 쳤다고 해서 아이디어를 폐기할 필요는 없다는 말이다.