Interesting idea. A marketplace for AI agents... Shopify for AI, as you put it. Let's break this down, drawing on some principles I've observed.

First, is this something people really want? Not just a "that's cool" reaction, but a genuine need? Are you solving a real pain point for a specific group of users? Who are your initial users going to be? How do you know they want this? "Because we and our friends want it" is the most convincing answer. Have you built a prototype? Are people using it, even though it's crude? Is it spreading by word of mouth?

Consider the "muck and brass" principle. Is this something that might be considered unsexy or involve a lot of "schlepping"? If so, that could be a good sign. It means fewer people will be drawn to it initially, leaving room for you to establish a foothold. What are the tedious, unglamorous parts of building and running this marketplace? Are you prepared to embrace those?

Now, let's talk about growth. How will you get this off the ground? Marketplaces are notoriously difficult to bootstrap. What unscalable things will you do initially to recruit both agent creators and users? Think Airbnb going door-to-door. What's the equivalent for Agent Vendor?

What about the market size? Is there a path to a huge market? Or is this a larval market - small now, but with the potential to grow rapidly? What trends will you ride? The increasing interest in AI is obvious, but what specific trends within AI will drive Agent Vendor's growth?

Finally, what about you and your team? Are you deeply knowledgeable about AI, prompt engineering, and the needs of both creators and users of AI agents? Are you "living in the future" in some sense? Are you prepared to be relentlessly resourceful?

In short, I'd ask yourself:

1. Who are the initial users, and how do you know they desperately want this?
2. What unscalable things will you do to get the marketplace going?
3. What's the path to a huge market?
4. Are you and your team the right people to build this?

If you can answer those questions convincingly, you might be onto something. If not, keep digging. The best startup ideas often come from solving problems you deeply understand and personally experience.

Okay, let's brainstorm some initial user segments for Agent Vendor – people who would desperately want this, not just find it mildly interesting. We need to think about specific needs and pain points.

Here are a few ideas, playing on different potential motivations:

1. The "AI-Powered Side Hustler":

• Description: Individuals looking to generate income through AI but lacking deep technical skills. They understand the potential of AI agents but need a platform to easily create, customize, and monetize them.
• Desperate Need: A streamlined way to build and deploy AI agents for specific tasks (e.g., content creation, social media management, data analysis) without extensive coding knowledge, and a built-in monetization system.
• Why they'd be early adopters: They're highly motivated by potential income and are willing to experiment with new platforms to achieve it. They're also likely to provide valuable feedback on usability and monetization strategies.

2. The "Hyper-Specific Tool Creator":

• Description: Individuals or small teams with deep expertise in a niche area (e.g., a specific industry, a particular type of data analysis, a unique creative style) who want to codify their knowledge into an AI agent and share it with others.
• Desperate Need: A platform that allows them to translate their expertise into a customizable and easily distributable AI agent. They might not be motivated by money as much as by sharing their knowledge and building a reputation.
• Why they'd be early adopters: They're passionate about their niche and see Agent Vendor as a way to amplify their impact and reach a wider audience.

3. The "No-Code Automation Enthusiast":

• Description: Individuals who are already using no-code tools to automate various tasks and workflows but are looking for more advanced capabilities through AI.
• Desperate Need: A way to integrate AI-powered agents into their existing no-code workflows, enabling more complex and intelligent automation.
• Why they'd be early adopters: They're already comfortable with the concept of building custom solutions without code and are eager to explore the potential of AI.

4. The "Community-Driven Tool Builder:"

• Description: Open-source communities or online forums centered around a specific task or interest (e.g., game development, data science, writing). They want to create and share AI agents tailored to their community's needs.
• Desperate Need: A collaborative platform to build, test, and refine AI agents as a community, leveraging collective knowledge and resources.
• Why they'd be early adopters: They are driven by the desire to improve their community's workflow and are likely to contribute actively to the platform's development.

To refine this further, consider:

• What are the specific tasks these users are trying to accomplish? (e.g., writing blog posts, generating social media content, analyzing financial data, creating music, etc.)
• What are the limitations of existing tools that AI agents could overcome? (e.g., lack of customization, inability to adapt to specific needs, time-consuming manual processes, etc.)
• What are the biggest pain points in their current workflows? (e.g., repetitive tasks, lack of creative inspiration, difficulty finding relevant information, etc.)

Once you have a clearer picture of your initial users, you can start thinking about how to reach them and what unscalable things you can do to get them on board.