Minimum Viable - Nov. 12, 2025

♻️ Recycling: the Norwegian Way
🇮🇳 Entrepreneurship Exploding in India’s Small Cities
🧨 Forbes Top 6 Motivators for Entrepreneurs
📺 TV and Social Media Kill Switch for Sports Blowouts

♻️ Recycling Kiosks aka Reverse Vending Machines

IDEA: The overall recycling rate in the United States is around 32%. That’s frankly embarrassing compared to other countries around the world. Norway, on the other hand, has a container return rate of 92.3%. A stark contrast, but there is a very good reason for it. Norway has made it incredibly easy for citizens to return glass, plastic, and aluminum containers and incentivizes Norwegians to contribute by paying them for participating. Basically, Norway set up tons of recycling return kiosks like the picture above and they work like a reverse vending machine. Instead of putting money in and getting a soda, you insert your empty bottle and it gives you money based on the size and material. And, the best part, it’s profitable. There is no reason why it would not work in the US or elsewhere.

See the full breakdown on how Norway is doing it here.

PRODUCT: Place recycling kiosks or “reverse vending machines” in areas with high foot traffic or local hubs (with permission from property owners, of course). Accept glass, aluminum, and plastics waste and pay participants a small amount for every item based on size and material. Once collected, sell the materials and apply for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) fees from producers.

MVP: Purchase recycling kiosks and partner with property owner in high traffic area.

REVENUE MODEL: Transactional, sell materials and apply for EPR fees from producers.

EXIT STRATEGY: Sell to a large recycling company like Waste Management or bottle manufacturer like Amcor for 5-7x revenue.

Publication: CNBC

Link: CNBC’s Inside India newsletter: How entrepreneurship is rising in India’s small cities

Summary: Entrepreneurship in India is rapidly expanding beyond major metros into Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities thanks to a shift the article dubs the “Shark Tank India effect.” Conventional family business owners are being succeeded by younger inheritors who embrace digital tools and e-commerce, enabling ventures in smaller cities to reach national and global markets. Improved internet access, platform marketplaces and rising local role-models contribute to this surge. While capital, infrastructure, and talent remain challenges, the trend is reshaping India’s economic geography and offering job creation in smaller cities and reducing migration pressure on large urban centers.

Spin: This is incredible. So many small businesses have been run the same way for decades and it is time from them to enter the new age of technology. Thanks to AI, even limited workforces can scale very quickly and have major impact for less money. Tier 2 cities in India have a population between 1 and 5 million inhabitants which dwarf all but 9 cities in the US, but the models being used for the tier 3 cities could be applied to smaller towns in America.

Publication: TechCrunch

Link: A better way of thinking about the AI bubble

Summary: The piece argues that the concept of an AI bubble should be approached less catastrophically and more as a high-stakes mismatch between supply and demand. It points out that while AI software is advancing rapidly, infrastructure like data centers, energy grids, and chip supply are slower and less predictable — making big bets risky. Mega investments (e.g., billions committed by major tech firms) may overshoot actual near-term demand. In other words: even “good” bets can go wrong when timing and real-world usage don’t align.

Spin: It’s a tale as old as time. Supply and demand continue to dictate the success of a company no matter how many billions are put behind it. AI companies are having trouble getting the components they need because there is not a solid supply foundation and infrastructure, meanwhile, the demand for AI is ending up being less than can go around for the thousands of companies sprouting up in the Valley and beyond.

Today’s motivation comes from Forbes’ Top 6 Motivators for Entrepreneurs list. They are (if you don’t feel like clicking on the article, click on an ad if you don’t mind 😀) in order as they appear:
1. Make a difference in the world
2. Find personal meaning from building a business
3. Satisfaction of doing something great
4. Personal growth and accomplishment
5. Seeing the real value of one’s beliefs
6. Helping others achieve their goals

I really like how financial reasons were not included, because for many of us founders, it isn’t all about the money (it’s a little about the money, but not totally). If one of these motivators is what intrinsically motivates you, the money will follow.

IDEA: Every sports fan has experienced their team getting blown out. Whether you love basketball or cricket, some days are just not your squad’s day. For some of us, it’s hard to look away from the train wreck. You want to fight with your team until the bitter end even though we know it would be better for our mental health to turn the tv off and stay far, far away from social media. So, how about a service where you set thresholds for scoring disparities and if your team gets down by a certain amount, the game switches off. And if they go on to lose by a certain amount, then social media gets locked for 24 hours?

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