First-time course creators face a paradox: they need a platform before they prove the concept works, but the platforms charge enterprise prices. Kajabi wants $149/mo before youve sold a single seat. Maven takes 15% of revenue forever. Teachfloor is $59/mo for features you wont use. What a first cohort ACTUALLY needs: a landing page, payment processing, video hosting, a simple scheduler, and a student chat. Thats it. No marketing automation. No complex funnels. No affiliate systems. A $29/mo tool that does those 5 things beautifully—and nothing else. Position as the training wheels before graduating to Kajabi.
💰 Revenue Blueprint
Three-tier value ladder to monetize from day one
1 course, 50 students, video hosting, payments
3 courses, 200 students, custom domain
Unlimited courses, students, analytics, team access
📊 Market Evidence
The Market Gap
Clear pricing gap between free tools (limited) and full platforms ($59-149+/mo). $29/mo cohort-focused simplicity is underserved.
🏆 Competitor Landscape
How existing players stack up in this market
| Competitor | Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kajabi | $149-399/mo | Enterprise-grade, overkill for first-time creators |
| Maven | 15% rev share | Cohort-focused but takes a cut of revenue |
| Teachfloor | $59/mo | Good cohort features but still pricey for beginners |
| Podia | $39/mo | Simple but weak on live/cohort features |
Enterprise-grade, overkill for first-time creators
Cohort-focused but takes a cut of revenue
Good cohort features but still pricey for beginners
Simple but weak on live/cohort features
Launch Strategy
1. Target course creator Twitter/YouTube (Ali Abdaal audience). 2. Build MVP: landing page builder, Stripe checkout, video hosting, student dashboard. 3. Launch at $19/mo lifetime deal to first 100. 4. Iterate based on feedback. 5. Raise price, add features.
🛠️ Recommended Tech Stack
Suggested tools and technologies to build this idea
Why this stack: Standard stack. Video hosting and live streaming add complexity.
Score Breakdown
Good market signals with room for growth
Market (20%) + Revenue (20%) + Trend (15%) + Competition (15%) + Build (15%) + Pricing (15%)
9 — Kajabi ($149), Maven (15%), Teachfloor ($59) validate strong demand
7 — Well-funded players, some indie success
9 — EdTech $375B by 2033, cohort learning exploding
5 — Very crowded, Podia already at $39
5 — Course platform is complex (video, payments, live features)
7 — $29-59/mo is tight margin vs competitors
🚀 Start Building
Copy a prompt into your favorite AI coding tool and start building this idea right now.
Build a SaaS product called "Cohort Course Builder Lite". ## Product Overview Simple, affordable live cohort course platform for creators who find Kajabi/Teachable overkill - $29/mo flat ## Problem Simple, affordable live cohort course platform for creators who find Kajabi/Teachable overkill - $29/mo flat ## Solution Build Cohort Course Builder Lite ## Target Audience indie hackers, small businesses, and solopreneurs ## Tech Stack - Next.js 15 (App Router) with TypeScript - Tailwind CSS v4 for styling - Supabase for auth, database, and storage - Vercel for deployment - shadcn/ui for UI components - Framer Motion for animations ## MVP Features to Build 1. Landing page with clear value proposition 2. User authentication (sign up, sign in, forgot password) 3. Core product functionality based on the solution above 4. Dashboard for users to manage their data 5. Pricing page with at least 2 tiers (free + paid) 6. Basic settings/profile page ## Known Competitors Kajabi, Maven, Teachfloor, Podia ## Key Risks to Address Standard market entry risks ## Deployment 1. Set up Supabase project and configure environment variables 2. Deploy to Vercel with `npx vercel --prod` 3. Set up custom domain 4. Configure Supabase RLS policies for security ## Instructions Start by creating the project structure, then build the landing page first. Use server components where possible. Make it mobile-responsive from the start. Focus on getting the core value loop working before adding polish.