Altitut — Ikigai Worksheet — WeTeach_CS Summit 2026 · Print @ 100%

WeTeach_CS Summit 2026 · San Antonio, TX

# Ikigai Startup Idea Generator 生き甲斐

Discover the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what someone will pay for — your entrepreneurial sweet spot.

altitut Purpose · Passion · Profit

Activity I (Ikigai Worksheet)
Altitut / UC Davis

What is Ikigai?

Before turning on any AI tool, the best startup ideas start with honest self-reflection. Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "reason for being" — the intersection of what you love, what you're skilled at, what the world genuinely needs, and what has real market value.

This framework cuts through the blank-page paralysis of "just think of an idea." Your answers here become the seed material that the Altitut AI coach develops into a full business concept, pitch, and validation plan.

This framework is especially powerful for K–12 students still discovering who they are. It removes the pressure of "just come up with something" and replaces it with guided self-discovery.

Use this as a pre-activity before students open the Altitut platform at game.altitut.ai. Their ikigai responses feed directly into the AI entrepreneurship coach, which guides them from idea → pitch → competition in 5 structured steps.

Step 1 — Fill In Your Four Circles

What do I LOVE?

What activities make you lose track of time? What would you do even without pay?

Examples: gaming, helping others, music, solving puzzles, animals, sports, storytelling, technology

What am I GOOD AT?

What skills or knowledge come naturally to you or have you developed?

Examples: coding, drawing, explaining, organizing, public speaking, research, writing, math, listening

What does the WORLD NEED?

What problems in your school, neighborhood, or community bother you?

Examples: mental health support, food access, tutoring, language barriers, job skills, senior loneliness, safety

What could I be PAID FOR?

Who would benefit enough from your solution to pay for it, fund it, or support it?

Examples: schools, parents, small businesses, nonprofits, local government, other students, healthcare, artists

Step 2 — Find the Intersections

Passion

Love + Good At

What you love doing and do well. Fuels motivation through hard days.

Mission

Love + World Needs

What drives you to make a difference. Your "why" as a founder.

Vocation

World Needs + Paid For

A real problem with a real market. Someone will pay to solve this.

Profession

Good At + Paid For

Your competitive edge. What makes you the right person to build this.

Step 3 — Your Ikigai Startup Idea

Where all four circles overlap. Write your first raw idea below — it doesn't have to be perfect. It just has to be yours.

My startup idea in one sentence

Who I am building it for

Tip: "I want to help [who] do/feel/achieve [what] by [how]."

The problem it solves

Why I'm the right person to build it

Tip: Connect this to your "Good At" circle. Your unfair advantage matters.