When to use this combo
You don't want to build yet another incremental improvement. You want to find an idea that's genuinely different — something that challenges the status quo. You believe the best startups come from questioning what everyone else takes for granted.
Is this combo right for you?
Use this combo if you're a contrarian thinker who questions everything. You get excited when someone says "that's just how it's done" because you see it as an opportunity. You'd rather build something that 10 people love than something 1,000 people find okay. If you admire founders like Peter Thiel ("What valuable company is nobody building?"), this combo is for you.
Step-by-step walkthrough
Start with First Principles — pick an industry or problem area and strip away all conventions. What are the fundamental truths? What would you build if nothing existed yet?
Apply Inversion — ask "What makes existing solutions terrible?" or "How would you guarantee failure in this market?" The answers reveal gaps and opportunities.
Run the idea through SCAMPER — Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to other uses, Eliminate, Reverse. Each lens generates new angles on your concept.