Kyle
It all started when Pete, the founder of Bucketlistly went to Beijing for a Mobile Monday event. While at the event he was intrigued by everything going on around him. He was speaking at the event and wanted to figure out a way to share his own achievements and help others share their achievements as well.
Of course with that and seeing the movie starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson, Pete had an idea.
He calls Bucketlistly a social bucket list. The platform allows users to list all the things they want to do in their lives, crowd source ideas on how to achieve those goals, do the impossible and share all of that.
When it’s time to conquer those life long goals users can write stories about them and even include pictures. The website than chronicles the achievements and archives them so the user can reference them later and inspire others.
We got the entire skinny from Pete, check out the interview below.
What is Bucketlistly?
Bucketlistly is a social bucket list that helps you complete your long life goals through collaboration.
In layman’s terms, how does it work? (In other words how would you explain it to your grandmother)
We help people to achieve more in life, to pursue their dreams more.
Who are the founders and what are their backgrounds?
I’m (Pete R.) the solo founder of Bucketlistly. My background are from computer science but I have always been a big fan of design. I do design freelance work as a hobby, that’s why most of my startups are design-driven.
My previous startup was MyColorscreen.com (solo as well), a place for Android/iOS users to share their homescreens/themes with one another and Bucketlistly is my second so I have some startup experiences before launching Bucketlistly.
Where are you based?
I’m based in Bangkok, Thailand (born and raised).
What’s the startup scene/culture like where you’re based?
It’s starting up. Last year there were only 1 main event related to Startup but this year there were 5 – 6 main events so I believe the industry is getting a kick start by foreigners wanting access to the South East Asian market. Meetups are also everywhere now but most of these meetups and events are organized by foreigners or foreign companies. Co-working space is also getting a lot of attention by the local media.
That said, we still have no idol that we can look up to. There are no big exits from Thailand that are globally renown and local investors that are interested in technology are no where to be seen. Most venture capitalists in Thailand are initiated by foreigners that focuses on a bigger mobile market such as Indonesia and Philippines. We still have a long way to go.
How did you come up with the idea for Bucketlistly?
A few months back, I was invited to speak at a public event in Beijing (Mobile Monday Beijing). This is my first time coming to China and speaking at public events and so the idea came to me. How do I share these acheivements to my friends to encourage/inspire them the pursue their lives like I just did.
Bucketlistly is built to become the platform that allows high achievers to share their secret sauces easily and get appreciated by people who are interested in similar goals.
How did you come up with the name?
I wanted a name that isn’t too alienated to its core value and bucketlist is the right name that expresses excitements and accomplishments. It’s also riding on a popular movie called “The Bucket List” staring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson as well. Since Bucketlist domain has long been taken, I’ve decided to settle with the name Bucketlistly.
What problem does Bucketlistly solve?
People’s accomplishments going unnoticed is common. High achievers have tips and tricks to share but they have no place to share it and get appreciated by. People who are willing to improve are lost and don’t know where to begin their journey. Bucketlistly provide a platform for people to ask questions, getting tips from people who’ve done it before, keep track of their friends life and help foster a better community of high achievers. We also automate the process of sharing your achievements so completing goals is much more faster and rewarding.
What’s your secret sauce?
Most bucket list web apps out there are built on top of a web 1.0 technology. Bucketlistly is built on top of a social infrastructure that I’ve laid out as a fundamental of the app. All aspect of the app are social, for example Cheering people up, asking questions/getting answers, completing goals adding photos and tagging locations etc.
Are you bootstrapped or funded?
Bootstrapped. My previous startup was bootstrapped as well and everything went by just fine. :)
What is your goto market strategy?
We will target mainly traveling blogs and communities since travelers are likely to accomplish more goals than other types of people. If you know any traveling communities or blog that might be interested in Bucketlistly, please let me know. :)
What’s one challenge you’ve overcome in the startup process?
Listening and reacting to our initial feedback from our early adopters. It’s important to listen to the users and since we installed out feedback system, we’re getting a lot of constructive feedback and creative idea from our users.
Who are some of your mentors and business role models?
It’s mostly from my entrepreneur friends who also had their own struggles. We shared experiences and I learned mostly from them. For a role model, I would say Kevin Systrom, Instagram co-founder. I believe in lean startup and he took his ~10 people team to an exit of this generation. He also care both about design and development. Not many people can balance between design and development and I respect that.
What’s next for Bucketlistly?
Mobile will be our first priority after ironing all the features on our web app. Android and iOS apps are coming soon
Linkage:
Find out more about Bucketlistly here
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