Is There Ever Truly Anything "New"?
Originally published on Substack
During the early years of my career, I was always so impressed by the founders who made the commitment to build an idea. In most cases, they gave up a steady income and a predictable career path for a dream. They say you’ve got to be a little crazy to be an entrepreneur; to believe that the small idea you have is capable of changing the world.
Some people romanticize the founder’s journey, making it seem like it’s all fun and games. In contrast, there are the cynical voices (or as some call them, the “rational” ones) that say things like: “Ideas are a dime a dozen,” or “Anyone can have a great idea, but not everyone can execute.” And then there’s my favorite: “There is no such thing as a new idea; it’s all just old ideas with a new wrapper.”
That one always gets me. On the one hand, it’s a bit sad to think we’ve reached our limit on creation and are now just recycling concepts. But from a different angle, it shows that mankind’s needs have remained the same throughout time. We evolve, and while it looks like our needs evolve too, the “need under the need” stays the same.
As an entrepreneur, I actually like the sound of that. I can work with that.
The Comparison Trap
When you look at the startup world, you see this “recycling” everywhere. Every pitch deck seems to start with: “We’re the Uber for laundry,” or “The Airbnb for power tools.” Maybe the comparison makes it easier for people to understand the vision immediately. Plus, a positive connection to a successful startup doesn’t hurt. In a culture with short attention spans, customers are always looking for the “next” big thing, and positioning yourself that way helps you stand out.
But as a founder, that label feels a bit... incomplete, doesn’t it? When you’ve spent late nights building something that didn’t exist yesterday, you don’t want to be the “next” anything. You want to be the first.
So, who’s right? The cynics who say it’s all been done, or the founders who swear they’ve “found fire” for the first time?
The “New Wrapper” Theory
If we’re being honest, most innovations over the last two decades can be classified as ancient human needs meeting modern technology. For instance:
Instagram? It’s a digital version of the Victorian era’s obsession with travel scrapbooks and pocket portraits.
Airbnb? Travelers have been renting spare rooms in private homes since the Middle Ages. We’ve added a “Book Now” button and a review system to make it accessible.
Duolingo? Humans have used flashcards to learn languages for centuries. The app added a persistent green owl to guilt-trip you into doing it, which I might add, is genius! I have several friends who are absolutely hooked.
In this view, “new” is just a change in delivery. We aren’t changing what we do; we’re just changing how we do it.
The Architecture of a “First”
But when two separate paths cross for the very first time and create a third path that never existed before—that, to me, is “new.”
How about we define “new” not by the ingredients, but by the combination. Hydrogen isn’t new. Oxygen isn’t new. But the first time they bonded? That was water. That was a “first.” It was “new.”
I like to think that’s the space where Endowe lives.
The Modern Gifting Revolution
At Endowe, we say: “We’re building the world’s first-ever investment gift registry… we’re not building the next anything.”
Naturally, I’m forced to ask myself: Is gifting new? No. People have been giving gold coins at weddings since the dawn of currency. Is investing new? No. The Dutch East India Company was selling shares in the 1600s.
But for all of human history, these two things lived in different rooms.
Gifting was “social”: it was about ribbons, wrapping paper, and immediate joy.
Investing was “clinical”: it was about spreadsheets, dry bank offices, and 30-year horizons. Or, it was relegated to the boundaries of family, where wealthy or savvy parents gifted shares to their children.
No one thought to put them in the same room. By combining the social heart of a gift registry with the financial power of a brokerage, we aren’t just making a “better” version of a savings app. We are creating a new category we call “Modern Gifting.”
So, is there anything new under the sun?
Maybe not in the atoms of the idea. But in the arrangement? Absolutely.
Whether you are a founder, an artist, or a person trying to reinvent your own life, don’t be afraid if your “ingredients” look familiar. The magic isn’t in finding a new ingredient; it’s in preparing a dish that no one else saw coming.
With lots of love,
Your godmother Ada
