I hate to tell you, but this isn't a good way to go about looking for ideas. Either: A.) The people who have ideas don't want to share them, especially for a n

I hate to tell you, but this isn't a good way to go about looking for ideas. Either: A.) The people who have ideas don't want to share them, especially for a nebulous offer to compensate them a "good amount at [your] discretion". Is that $100 or $100,000? It's a worse gamble than the lottery, especially if nothing is in writing beforehand. B.) The idea should be the least of your concerns. You're looking in the wrong place for the wrong thing. Now that I've said the harsh words, let me try to help you out. You seem like you have your head on your shoulders with respect to tech. That's a good thing. Who you need to partner with, then, is a salesman or marketing guru. This needs to be someone with business connections or the tenacity to pound the pavement until sales start rolling in. This must be a partnership, and not one entered into lightly. Think of it as a marriage: if you join to the wrong person, it will be painful for a very long time. I'm a good programmer. I've built a lot of websites and tools across many different technologies, and I am currently in my 3rd year of PhD studies in CS. My first business failed because I had a "If I build it, they will come" mindset. Nobody came, and I lost $12,000. Another project of mine failed because, although the idea was ahead of its time, I did not have the business contacts in that field necessary to reach critical mass. A startup that I worked for also folded because they did not have a valid monetization strategy. What I am trying to say is that the idea is a very small part of the equation. Execution, marketing, and networking are just as important as the technology, but you haven't mentioned those at all. A good idea will not get you where you want to go, just as tires will not move you across town. It is a part of the solution, and an important part, but there are other important parts, too. My unsolicited advice to you is this: spend more time looking for business partners that you can trust with your future, both in terms of skill set, business acumen, and financial integrity. Then, together with them, develop the idea that you want to pursue. With the right team, you can be very successful. By yourself, you might as well try playing the lottery. In fact, the lottery will be quicker and will probably cost a lot less.