Launch catalog / Playbook
Trendy Startups
Conditional free route directory
Researched from public pages — no submission was run · sources read 2026-09-26. Rules change — recheck the platform's own pages before submitting.
What the free route requires
- Free submissions join a backlog that 'may take a few months' to review; a paid 'expedited review' skips the queue (reviewed 'in a matter of days')
Requirements
- A decent-looking landing page/website describing the product — the core selection criterion
- NOT accepted: Loan Financing, Gambling, Social Networking, Video tubes, comics
- Account required — register (free) before submitting a startup or blog post
- Blog posts: no pictures of living things, no video, you must own the copyright
Prepare before opening the form
- Polished landing page — weak sites get rejected
- Account (register at /register; submission is tied to 'Members → Your Startup' page)
- Startup details + check the FAQ's banned verticals first
- Note: every featured startup reportedly also goes into the newsletter
Workflow
- Register at http://trendystartups.com/register (or click Submit on the homepage top-right)
- Submit the startup from the members area
- Track status on the 'Your Startup' member page — mention submission ID when emailing [email protected]
- Wait months in the free queue or buy the 'expedited review' for days-level review
- Featured startups appear on /startups (filterable by regions and markets)
Watch for
- Free queue is explicitly months-long — plan around it or pay for expedited
- Rejected startups get no explanation beyond 'did not meet selection criteria'
- 'Promoted Startups' homepage section is paid promotion, separate from free featuring
- You cannot change your account email; only the team can edit published posts
- HTTP (not HTTPS) site; old custom codebase
What counts as live
The startup appears on http://trendystartups.com/startups with its own entry and is included in the newsletter
Not verified
- Expedited-review price (advertise page holds the packages, not checked)
- Current site activity level / whether the queue still moves
- Whether featured entries include a followed link