ideate.xyz

What do they actually do

ideate.xyz runs a web app that uses generative AI to create editable 3D assets in the browser. Users can start from a text prompt or a reference image; the model is generated in the cloud on GPUs and returned as a textured 3D asset that you can tweak and export as a .glb (glTF) file ideate.xyz homepage demo video.

The workflow is fully browser‑based with no local installs. You can view and paint/edit textures in‑page, then export for use in engines or other tools; the site emphasizes glTF compliance, cloud hosting, and a privacy stance that they won’t use customer data to train models without consent ideate.xyz homepage. Early adopters are 3D artists and designers; the company is an early‑stage YC S24 startup with a very small team (YC lists two people) YC profile.

They’ve signaled plugins for major DCC tools and an API/integrations, but those are not yet shipping and are listed as coming soon ideate.xyz homepage YouTube channel.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Freelance 3D artists and content creators: They need to generate many concepts and variations quickly, but manual modeling/texturing is slow; they want editable browser assets they can quickly tweak and export as .glb.
• Art directors and creative agencies: They face tight deadlines for pitches/campaigns and can’t always commission custom 3D; a quick web tool for generation and texture tweaks helps iterate without staffing a full 3D team.
• Indie game developers and small studios: They lack in‑house art pipelines and need engine‑ready assets on a budget; they want fast, consistent generation and straightforward glTF/.glb export and hosting.
• Product designers and e‑commerce teams: They need realistic 3D mockups and texture variants for catalogs/previews but don’t want heavy desktop tooling; a cloud app with in‑browser texture edits removes setup friction.
• AR/VR prototypers and startups: They need lightweight assets fast for demos and prototypes with minimal engineering overhead; standard glTF output and cloud hosting speed up iteration.

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

• First 10: Directly recruit ten active freelance 3D creators via DMs/email and give free priority access, 1:1 onboarding, and bespoke demo assets to validate in‑browser generation and .glb export ideate.xyz homepage demo.
• First 50: Publish short tutorials and case studies on YouTube and creator forums; add small sponsored placements in creator newsletters/Discords with a simple referral credit and fast support to turn early users into advocates YouTube channel.
• First 100: Target indie studios, small game teams, and product/e‑commerce groups with time‑limited trials, a small team pilot offer, and an API/plugin early‑access invite; drive signups via workshops, LinkedIn outreach, and roadmap announcements ideate.xyz roadmap.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

The most relevant top‑down slice is the 3D digital‑asset market at about USD 26.1B in 2023, projected to exceed USD 60B by 2030 Grand View Research. Broader adjacent markets (3D modeling software, digital content creation) suggest a larger opportunity but with overlap that shouldn’t be double‑counted Market Research Future Fortune Business Insights.

Bottom-up calculation:

As an initial bottom‑up view: assume 150,000 pro/semi‑pro 3D creators paying ~$300/year plus 5,000 small teams paying ~$2,000/year for seats/usage, implying roughly ~$65M in immediately serviceable spend.

Assumptions:

• 150k creators globally would pay for a web‑first 3D generation/editing tool; 5k small teams buy seats.
• Price points of ~$300/creator/year and ~$2,000/team/year are achievable with current functionality.
• glTF‑first export and browser editing meet enough workflows to convert a share of these users.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Luma AI: Turns phone or photo captures into detailed 3D models and exports standard 3D files (including glTF); strong at photogrammetry/capture rather than prompt‑driven, browser texture‑painting workflows.
• Polycam: Phone/web app for object scanning and single‑image 3D generation with GLB/GLTF export; optimized for quick scans and AR/prototype use rather than a full generative 3D art suite.
• Sloyd: Web‑first generator producing game‑ready assets from templates with a browser editor; focuses on parametric/template workflows over freeform image‑to‑3D and texture painting.
• Meshy AI: AI text/image‑to‑3D generation with fast texture generation and exports to industry formats; overlaps on automated 3D generation, with differing depth of in‑browser editing.
• Trellis 3D: Simple image‑to‑3D web tool that converts photos to downloadable GLB/GLTF for quick prototypes; emphasizes speed and easy downloads over deep browser editing or integrations.