Hey everyone, I’m here looking for some advice on what to do next. So, here’s a bit of background: I’m not a tech person but I’ve been working on this idea for a while. Since I don’t have the tech skills or enough money to fully hire an agency, I’ve been trying to find a tech co-founder, but everyone in my circle is more into finance and marketing.
Recently, I found a company that helps you polish your pitch and raise funds. As a uni student, I didn’t have much but I put my 10k into their program because it looked solid with great testimonials and they seemed picky about who they took on. I didn’t find any red flags, so I went for it and shared all my research, ideas, validation, UI/UX, product info, and so on. But then, I discovered they’ve launched a very same startup under a different name. They seemed really into my ideas after a thorough review. Now I’m wondering, is this just a coincidence or a breach of confidentiality? What should I do about this situation with the firm? Also, as a non-technical founder who’s now 10k down, what are my next steps?
Thanks all for positive response. I can’t waste much time on it now. I’d see legal scene but most likely will look for cofounder even more desperately, getting pre-mvp sign ups or validation. I already have couple of accelerators interested but they either require strong technical team or prototype. ( need even stronger pitch for tech cofounder now)
Bygones be bygones, it was half payment and I was supposed to give them my go-to-market strategy, marketing plan , data on audience, niche and related demographics. So yea some silver lining there ig.