I recently launched AITrustList — a curated directory for AI tools and startups.

Not because the world needed “another AI directory,” but because I kept running into the same problem:

Most AI directories are either:

As someone constantly exploring new AI products, I wanted something cleaner, faster, and actually useful.

So I started building AITrustList:

One thing I underestimated:
Running a directory is less about “building pages” and more about designing incentives.

Why should founders submit?
Why should users return?
How do you maintain quality as submissions grow?
How do you avoid becoming a link farm?

Those questions turned out to be harder than the technical side.

Right now I’m experimenting with:

Still early, but I’m learning a lot.

Curious to hear from other founders:
If you’ve built a directory, marketplace, or discovery platform before — what worked for you long term?