u/Just_Blackberry3530

I'm 17 and exploring a startup idea in PQC/cybersecurity. I am still in the research stage and want to avoid spending months building something that already exists.

My original concept was a platform that would detect quantum-vulnerable cryptography, generate a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM), assess PQC risk and return a Quantum-Health Score (QHS), provide security-lead dashboards, and eventually support crypto-agility and migration.

After spending some time researching this field, I saw that around 10-12 exceptionally established companies have already done this. So I do not want to build another scanner or compete head-on with enterprise platforms. I am trying to find a specific painful workflow: for example, issues around legacy systems, third-party dependencies, compatibility testing, migration ownership, reporting, and deployment constraints.

Since I cannot do calls, I am planning to getting feedback through Reddit discussions, outreach emails/messages to researchers and practitioners.

My questions are:

1. Is this the right time to stop competitor research and begin customer/problem discovery?
2. How should I find an initial niche in a complex B2B market like cybersecurity?
3. Is written outreach enough to start validating a problem if calls are not possible?

I'm trying to learn the right process before I start building, and I would appreciate honest feedback, especially from people who have validated B2B, developer-tool, or cybersecurity ideas.

Thank you!

I'm 17 and exploring a startup idea in PQC/cybersecurity. I am still in the research stage and want to avoid spending months building something that already exists.

My original concept was a platform that would detect quantum-vulnerable cryptography, generate a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM), assess PQC risk and return a Quantum-Health Score (QHS), provide security-lead dashboards, and eventually support crypto-agility and migration.

After spending some time researching this field, I saw that around 10-12 exceptionally established companies have already done this. So I do not want to build another scanner or compete head-on with enterprise platforms. I am trying to find a specific painful workflow: for example, issues around legacy systems, third-party dependencies, compatibility testing, migration ownership, reporting, and deployment constraints.

Since I cannot do calls, I am planning to getting feedback through Reddit discussions, outreach emails/messages to researchers and practitioners.

My questions are:

1. Is this the right time to stop competitor research and begin customer/problem discovery?
2. How should I find an initial niche in a complex B2B market like cybersecurity?
3. Is written outreach enough to start validating a problem if calls are not possible?

I'm trying to learn the right process before I start building, and I would appreciate honest feedback, especially from people who have validated B2B, developer-tool, or cybersecurity ideas.

Thank you!

Hello,

I'm a student researching PQC migration problems to understand migration workflows. I understand that prominent platforms already handle crypto discovery, CBOM generation, risk assessment, dashboards, and in some cases remediation.

After an organization identifies quantum-vulnerable cryptography, what is the hardest part of migration?

For example, is it typically:

• Legacy systems and unsupported applications
• Hybrid deployment and backward compatibility
• Third-party dependencies or vendor-managed systems
• Performance, key/signature sizes, or bandwidth impact
• Testing and verifying that changes do not break applications or integrations
• Deployment constraints

What approaches are organizations using today to handle these problems?

I'd really appreciate it if you could reference concrete examples, case studies, or references.

Thank you!

https://preview.redd.it/99imts627k9h1.png?width=1720&format=png&auto=webp&s=cbe1ce00b275f0a2b7ab08a19c1717ef031a0c7e

I'm researching why students feel disconnected from what they learn in school. An emerging theme I've observed is that students often understand the concepts better when they connect them to real-world situations. I made this simple slide on canva to test this hypothesis for the concept of trigonometry, which is a common topic many students say feels abstract.
Would seeing something like this prior to learning formulas have made trigonometry feel more relevant to you?

https://preview.redd.it/hkj43irw6k9h1.png?width=1720&format=png&auto=webp&s=82cbafc94d758b52483c0d5b09cdddbe175a1c12

I'm researching why students feel disconnected from what they learn in school. An emerging theme I've observed is that students often understand the concepts better when they connect them to real-world situations. I made this simple slide on canva to test this hypothesis for the concept of trigonometry, which is a common topic many students say feels abstract.
Would seeing something like this prior to learning formulas have made trigonometry feel more relevant to you?

https://preview.redd.it/slqojdx61k9h1.png?width=1720&format=png&auto=webp&s=72e7f364c9c97b90bf0b10a6a7e842f6524f9876

I'm researching why students feel disconnected from what they learn in school. An emerging theme I've observed is that students often understand the concepts better when they connect them to real-world situations. I made this simple slide on canva to test this hypothesis for the concept of trigonometry, which is a common topic many students say feels abstract.
Would seeing something like this prior to learning formulas have made trigonometry feel more relevant to you?

I'm trying to better understand what students feel is missing from their educational experience.

If you could change one thing about school tomorrow, what would it be and why?

I'd love to hear specific examples of things that frustrate you, feel ineffective, or leave you feeling unprepared for the future.

Have you ever learned something in school that felt pointless at first, but later clicked when you saw it in action in the real world?

What was the concept, and what experience changed your perspective?

I'm especially interested in hearing specific examples.

Have you ever learned something in school that felt pointless at first, but later clicked when you saw it in action in the real world?

What was the concept, and what experience changed your perspective?

I'm especially interested in hearing specific examples.

Have you ever learned something in school that felt pointless at first, but later clicked when you saw it in action in the real world?

What was the concept, and what experience changed your perspective?

I'm especially interested in hearing specific examples.

I'm trying to better understand what students feel is missing from their educational experience.

If you could change one thing about school tomorrow, what would it be and why?

I'd love to hear specific examples of things that frustrate you, feel ineffective, or leave you feeling unprepared for the future.

I'm trying to better understand what students feel is missing from their educational experience.

If you could change one thing about school tomorrow, what would it be and why?

I'd love to hear specific examples of things that frustrate you, feel ineffective, or leave you feeling unprepared for the future.

I'm trying to better understand what students feel is missing from their educational experience.

If you could change one thing about school tomorrow, what would it be and why?

I'd love to hear specific examples of things that frustrate you, feel ineffective, or leave you feeling unprepared for the future.