11 Knockoff Startups We Like Better Than The Originals

When it comes to startup success, it's not always about being original.

In many cases, success is about finding a niche and working to do the very best job possible within that space.

Back in June, Valleywag had an article about the "Stupid Startup Clone War." In it, the writer laments that so many companies in the tech startup scene are merely "half-baked" takes on other startups.

In particular, he points out the many startups are simply "X company but for Y," such as Vine, the "Instagram for video."

He then proceeds to list the many examples of such startups on AngelList, a site that aims to bring together startup teams and potential investors.

While the point of the post is that many of the ideas are silly at best, a closer look reveals that some of his examples are actually quite clever.