The Bulwark Podcast
by The Bulwark
Latest Business Ideas
AI-Driven Adaptive Learning Platform
The podcast discusses the potential for AI-driven platforms that can provide adaptive learning experiences. Entrepreneurs can create a platform where users can learn various subjects through personalized quizzes and interactive content that adapts to their learning pace and style. This platform could leverage AI algorithms to analyze user performance and tailor recommendations, thus enhancing the overall learning process. The target audience would include students, professionals seeking continuous education, and anyone interested in self-improvement. Tactics to implement this include partnerships with educational institutions and content creators to provide diverse learning materials, as well as utilizing subscription-based pricing models for sustained revenue.
From: Jason Calacanis: Anarcho Capitalism
Crypto Regulation Compliance Tool
In response to the growing need for regulatory compliance in the crypto space, entrepreneurs can develop a compliance tool specifically designed for crypto businesses. This tool would assist companies in adhering to the evolving regulations around cryptocurrency, particularly as more states and nations enforce stricter rules. The tool could include features like real-time transaction monitoring, user identity verification, and reporting capabilities to ensure businesses remain compliant. The target audience would be startups and established crypto firms needing to navigate the complex regulatory landscape while maintaining their operations. Specific strategies could involve integrating with existing crypto exchanges and wallets to provide seamless compliance solutions.
From: Jason Calacanis: Anarcho Capitalism
Public Awareness Campaign for Ransomware Risks
A public awareness campaign aimed at educating institutions about the risks associated with ransomware attacks and the importance of collective action is proposed. This campaign could leverage social media, webinars, and partnerships with cybersecurity firms to disseminate best practices and case studies. It would aim to change the perception of ransomware from an isolated incident to a collective threat that can be mitigated through shared knowledge. The target audience would be university administrators, non-profit leaders, and media executives. Specific strategies could include creating informative content, hosting virtual town halls, and forming alliances with cybersecurity organizations that can provide expert insights.
From: Amanda Carpenter: Fake Emergencies
Crisis Management Platform for Institutions
The podcast highlights the current vulnerabilities of institutions like universities and media to shakedowns and crises, emphasizing the need for a crisis management platform. This platform would provide resources, templates, and expert advice for institutions facing similar threats. It could include legal guidance, negotiation tactics, and collective bargaining strategies for dealing with power grabs or shakedowns. The target audience includes educational institutions and media organizations that often find themselves under pressure. Specific strategies might involve partnerships with legal firms specializing in crisis management and developing a subscription-based model for ongoing access to expert consultations and resources.
From: Amanda Carpenter: Fake Emergencies
Collective Defense Against Ransomware Attacks
The podcast discusses the importance of collective action among institutions facing threats similar to ransomware attacks. The idea is to create a network where organizations can share information and strategies to combat shakedown attempts effectively. This could lead to the formation of a cooperative platform or service for universities and media organizations that educates them on cybersecurity best practices and offers tools for sharing intelligence. The target audience would include educational institutions, media companies, and non-profits that are vulnerable to such attacks. Specific tactics may involve creating a shared database of incidents, strategies for negotiation, and collaborative legal support. By working together, these organizations can establish a stronger front against cyber threats.
From: Amanda Carpenter: Fake Emergencies
Live 'People's Town Hall' Event Platform
What it is: A platform and toolkit to plan, promote, and livestream grassroots “people's town halls” for campaigns, civic groups, and party organizations. The product combines event pages, volunteer sign-up management, live-stream orchestration (multistream to YouTube/Twitter/Facebook), media-pitch templates, on-the-ground volunteer coordination (check-in, speaking queue), and post-event analytics to maximize earned media and local engagement. How to implement: Build a web app where organizers can create an event page, register volunteers/attendees, generate localized press lists and pitch templates (based on the DCCC tactic), and schedule multistreams. Integrate with Zoom/StreamYard for production, use Twilio/SMS for attendee reminders (but include donor-protection guidance), and offer turnkey field kits (scripts for spokespeople, signage templates, camera checklists). Monetize via subscription for organizations, or per-event fees plus premium services (press outreach, videography, editing). Early go-to-market could target progressive committees doing “people’s town halls” and local unions/advocacy groups. Problem solved & audience: Many organizers lack the technical chops to run professional live events that generate coverage. This platform reduces friction for dozens of surrogate events like the DCCC’s, enabling consistent messaging, media traction, and volunteer mobilization. Target users: party committees, grassroots orgs, progressive campaigns, and digital-first advocacy groups.
From: Lis Smith: Dems Need to Burn Down the Party Establishment
PAC Transparency & Donor Protection Platform
What it is: A web platform/SaaS that aggregates and verifies political fundraising organizations (PACs, super PACs, fundraising intermediaries) and displays a clear, donor-facing breakdown: percentage of donations going to candidates vs overhead, vendor relationships, fundraising fee structure, and track record of where money actually flows. It would surface warnings about groups described in the episode as “scam PACs” and provide vetted alternatives (frontline candidates, local campaigns, or reputable nonprofits). How to implement: Build a data ingestion pipeline combining public FEC filings, state-level disclosure records, ActBlue/WinRed public APIs (where available), plus scraped fundraising pages and receipts. Create a searchable directory and browser extension or widget that shows donor-impact breakdown on fundraising pages and SMS donation flows. Offer a free donor dashboard and a paid subscription tier for campaigns/organizations that want deeper analytics, white-label reporting, or integration with CRMs (NGP VAN, Action Network) and payment processors. Partnerships with watchdogs, journalists (e.g., Stanford/Adam Bonica research), and payment platforms (ActBlue) can provide credibility and additional data. Problem solved & audience: Solves donor confusion and fraud risk—prevents small-dollar donors from unintentionally funding high-overhead infrastructure rather than candidates. Targets small-dollar political donors, progressive grassroots organizers, campaign managers, journalistic investigators, and platforms (ActBlue) seeking third-party verification. Specific tactics/tools mentioned: integrate ActBlue signals, cite Adam Bonica / Stanford investigations, provide donor education (e.g., “don’t give over text”), and expose fee / pass-through percentages.
From: Lis Smith: Dems Need to Burn Down the Party Establishment
Candidate TikTok & Podcast Growth Service
What it is: A boutique content coaching and production service helping political candidates (state/local) and issue campaigns build authentic short-form video followings (TikTok, Instagram Reels) and long-form podcast appearances (Joe Rogan-style outreach). The service focuses on narrative framing—values-based storytelling, cross-partisan messaging, and repurposing content to reach nontraditional political audiences. How to implement: Offer packages including messaging workshops, scripted story arcs, short-form video production (shoot/edit optimized TikToks), distribution playbooks, and podcast outreach/booking support. Provide training on tactics Liz Smith highlighted: weaving faith/values into stories, non-doctrinal language, and cross-community framing. Early MVP: a coaching + content-production retainer for 2–4 candidates, templates for TikTok formats, and a pitch kit for podcast hosts. Tools: TikTok creator tools, editing suites (CapCut/Descript), media outreach CRM, and analytics dashboards to show follower growth and engagement. Problem solved & audience: Many local/state candidates lack the media skills to reach younger or cross-partisan voters. This service solves the gap between traditional campaign communications and modern creator-first distribution—helping underexposed candidates gain organic reach and opportunistic invites (e.g., podcast placements). Target audience: campaign managers, ambitious state reps, grassroots candidates in competitive or red-leaning areas seeking broader appeal.
From: Lis Smith: Dems Need to Burn Down the Party Establishment
Local Community Journalism Platform
The idea is to build a digital platform that rebuilds and modernizes local community journalism. This venture would create content focused on neighborhood-level news such as local sports, weather micro-forecasts, coupon deals, and community events. The goal is to re-establish trust in media by delivering hyper-local, service-oriented journalism that directly connects with residents and fills the trust gap left by declining traditional local news outlets. Entrepreneurs could use a website or an app to aggregate news and relevant local information, partnering with community influencers to provide authentic and useful content, thereby also offering a viable avenue for targeted local advertising and subscription revenue models. Implementation could start with a lean approach by building a website using off-the-shelf content management tools, recruiting freelance local journalists or community contributors, and establishing partnerships with local businesses for advertising deals. The platform would solve the problem of misinformation and the media trust deficit by providing trustworthy, real-time updates on issues that directly affect local communities. The target audience includes residents in smaller towns and urban neighborhoods who feel disconnected from national media and are seeking reliable news that also offers pragmatic local tips and insights.
From: Chuck Todd: Is the Economy the Biggest Political Threat to Trump?
Digital Personal Data Removal Service
This business idea revolves around offering an online service that helps users remove personal information from data broker websites and prevent unwanted exposure. The core of the service is a SaaS-based platform that continuously monitors the web for the user’s personal data and then automates the removal process where possible. This platform can be marketed to privacy-conscious individuals and professionals who are increasingly concerned about identity theft, phishing, and other digital security risks. Entrepreneurs can implement this by developing algorithms that identify and flag data leaks, integrating with APIs from various data aggregators, and setting up an easy-to-use dashboard that allows users to manage their online data footprint. A subscription model ensures a recurring revenue stream, with customers paying a small monthly fee for ongoing monitoring and removal services. The service addresses the growing need for digital privacy in an era of increasing surveillance and data breaches. It solves the problem of personal data being commoditized without the owner's consent by providing a proactive, automated solution to data removal. The target audience includes individuals from all walks of life, particularly those who are active online and value their privacy. Specific tactics include leveraging content marketing to educate potential customers about the dangers of data breaches, utilizing digital ad platforms to reach tech-savvy users, and forming strategic partnerships with cybersecurity influencers. Using existing cloud infrastructure and automation tools can help keep initial costs low while delivering a scalable solution.
From: Bill Kristol: This Is So Third World
Recent Episodes
Lis Smith: Dems Need to Burn Down the Party Establishment
Host: Tim Miller
3 ideas found
Chuck Todd: Is the Economy the Biggest Political Threat to Trump?
Host: Tim Miller
1 idea found
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