Blue

What do they actually do

Blue is building a voice assistant that can operate apps on a phone by simulating taps, typing, and swipes. Today it’s an early‑access product sold in limited “drops,” combining a tiny USB‑C hardware bud that plugs into an iPhone with a companion app and cloud service. The bud enables precise input so Blue can carry out multi‑step actions inside existing apps without per‑app integrations, like reading a message, drafting a reply, attaching a photo, or paying a bill inside the relevant app (YC company page, website).

Early units are marketed as “Founders Edition” and are sold from a waitlist via limited drops. Drop 2 is listed at a promotional $199 and includes a 1‑year subscription the company values at $299/year. Early access requires an iPhone 15 or newer (USB‑C) and U.S. shipping, reflecting the current hardware requirement and staged rollout approach (storefront/API pages, website). The company says early users are already using Blue to clear inboxes, share files, follow up on messages, and complete other routine multi‑step tasks within apps (YC company page, website).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Busy knowledge workers (managers, executives, salespeople): They juggle many messages and meetings and lose time context‑switching across apps. They want to clear inboxes and send timely replies by voice without manual tapping (YC page, website).
• Operations/marketing staff and admins running repetitive cross‑app flows: They do many small, error‑prone taps to move files, pay bills from email, or follow up across apps; there’s no simple way to automate these multi‑step mobile tasks today (website).
• Mobile‑first commuters and drivers: They need to complete tasks hands‑free and can’t safely use touch while in transit. Built‑in assistants generally can’t perform multi‑step actions inside third‑party apps (website, YC page).
• People with motor or accessibility limitations: Touch interfaces can be slow or difficult. A system that simulates taps and typing can let them operate apps without precise finger control (website).
• Early adopters and power iPhone users (iPhone 15+): They’re frustrated that assistants like Siri can’t reliably complete real, multi‑step tasks across apps. They’re willing to buy limited “Founders” hardware plus a subscription to try something that does (storefront/API pages, YC page).

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Select from the waitlist and early Founders buyers, then personally onboard them with live setup and feedback sessions to ensure their core flows work end‑to‑end (website, storefront/API pages).
• First 50: Open a limited Drop 2, offer referral credits to early users, and run targeted outreach to executive assistants, ops/marketing admins, and power iPhone users who do repetitive multi‑step work (website, storefront/API pages).
• First 100: Layer small, targeted ads to iPhone‑15+ productivity audiences, add pilots with assistant agencies/admin tool vendors, and do selective tech‑press demos—while keeping drops limited to protect support and reliability (storefront/API pages, YC page).

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Apple reports 2.35 billion active devices worldwide and has long had more than a billion active iPhones; third‑party trackers estimate 1.4–1.6 billion active iPhone users globally, suggesting a very large long‑term addressable base as Blue expands beyond early iPhone models (MacRumors, Backlinko, Business of Apps).

Bottom-up calculation:

Near‑term wedge (current constraints): focus on U.S. iPhone users with iPhone 15+ who would pay for a subscription voice agent. Using ~150M U.S. iPhone users as a base, if ~20% are on iPhone 15+ and 5% of those buy at ~$299/year, that implies ~1.5M subscribers and ~$450M annual revenue potential for the initial U.S. wedge (Backlinko).

Assumptions:

• Share of U.S. iPhone users on iPhone 15+ is ~20% in this period (assumption; used for sizing).
• 5% of eligible iPhone 15+ users would adopt a $299/year assistant (assumption).
• Hardware revenue is excluded; subscription ARPU approximated at $299/year based on current offer value (assumption; storefront/API pages).

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Apple Siri: Built‑in iPhone assistant that can open apps and trigger Shortcuts, but generally relies on developer integrations/Shortcuts and hasn’t reliably performed arbitrary multi‑step actions inside third‑party apps; Apple has discussed broader app control in newer Siri versions (Apple support, AppleInsider).
• Apple Shortcuts: Power‑user automation for iPhone that can chain steps across apps and be launched by voice, but many automations need explicit user triggers and can’t reliably drive every app flow hands‑free (Apple guide, user discussion).
• Google Assistant (App Actions): Enables deep links and voice‑triggered actions in Android apps when developers add App Actions; it doesn’t autonomously simulate taps across arbitrary apps like Blue.
• Tasker (+ AutoInput): Android automation that can script complex device‑level actions and, with plugins, simulate taps; powerful but manual to configure, Android‑only, and not a consumer voice assistant experience (examples).
• UiPath (enterprise RPA): Enterprise RPA that can automate UI flows on desktop and mobile, but it’s built for IT‑led projects with complex setup/governance rather than a consumer phone‑attached voice controller (docs).