StarPlex

An AI-powered startup intelligence platform that helps entrepreneurs validate their business ideas and find the right resources to succeed. Powered primarily by Perplexity Sonar Pro.

User Experience

StarPlex features an interactive 3D globe interface as its main UI. Simply enter your startup idea, and watch as the AI engine analyzes and visualizes insights directly on the globe - mapping out competitors, markets, demographics, VCs, and potential co-founders across the world in real-time.

Features

TEXT-BASED Analysis

• Market Validation - Is there a need for this startup?
• Market Cap Analysis - Market capitalization of the input sector
• Geographic Usage - Which geographic areas are most active in this market
• Historical Growth - Growth trends over the last 5 years in the market
• Projected Growth - Future market size projections

MAP-BASED Filters

• Competitor Research - Who's doing a similar startup? (Interactive map filter)
• Demographic Research - Where is the market? (Interactive map filter)
• VC Research - Who's the best fit VC for your startup? (Interactive map filter)
• Co-Founder Scanner - Who could be a potentially good co-founder? (Interactive map filter with matching)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• Python 3.8+
• Perplexity API Key

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

npm i

3. Start the development server:

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 with your browser to see the application.

Frontend Dependencies

• Next.js 15.5.6 (React 19)
• Cobe (3D Globe visualization)
• Mapbox GL (Interactive maps and geospatial data visualization)
• Recharts (Charts and data visualization)
• Radix UI (Component library)
• Framer Motion (Animations)

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

2. Install Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Set up your environment variables (create a .env file):

PERPLEXITY_API_KEY=your_api_key_here
MAPBOX_TOKEN = your_api_key_here
SERPAPI_KEY = your_api_key_here

4. Start the backend server:

python3 main.py

The backend API will start running on http://localhost:8000 and handle all AI-powered analysis requests.

Backend Dependencies

• FastAPI (REST API framework)
• perplexityai (Official Perplexity SDK)
• httpx (Async HTTP client)
• geopy (Geocoding and location services)
• pandas (Data processing and analysis)
• pytrends (Google Trends integration for market data)
• python-pptx (Pitch deck generation)

Perplexity API Integration

StarPlex leverages the Perplexity API (primarily Sonar Pro model) as its core intelligence engine. Here's how it's integrated:

Architecture

1. Perplexity Client (backend/perplexity_client.py):

   • Centralized client using the official perplexityai Python SDK
   • Implements intelligent caching to optimize API usage
   • Structured prompts for consistent JSON responses

2. Multiple Analysis Modules:

   • Market Analyzer (comprehensive_market_analyzer.py): Uses Sonar Pro to analyze market validation, cap, growth trends
   • Competitor Research (competitors.py): Queries Perplexity for similar startups and competitive landscape
   • VC Research (vc.py): Finds best-fit venture capital firms using AI-powered matching
   • Co-Founder Scanner (cofounder.py): Identifies potential co-founders based on skills and location
   • Demographics (perplexity_client.py): Maps target audience locations globally

Key Integration Features

• Streaming Responses: Real-time data streaming for immediate user feedback
• Structured Outputs: JSON-formatted responses for easy parsing and visualization
• Error Handling: Graceful fallbacks with cached or default data
• Rate Limiting: Smart caching prevents redundant API calls
• Multi-Model Strategy: Primarily uses Sonar Pro, with model selection based on query complexity

Example API Usage

from perplexity import Perplexity

client = Perplexity()
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="sonar",
    messages=[
        {"role": "system", "content": "You are a market analysis expert..."},
        {"role": "user", "content": "Analyze the market for [startup idea]"}
    ],
    temperature=0.7
)

All geographic data, market insights, competitor intelligence, and demographic analysis are powered by Perplexity's real-time web knowledge, ensuring users get the most current and accurate startup intelligence.

Technology Stack

• Frontend: Next.js, React 19, TypeScript, TailwindCSS
• Backend: Python, FastAPI
• AI Engine: Perplexity Sonar Pro
• Mapping & Geospatial: Mapbox GL (interactive maps)
• Data Visualization & Graphing:
  • MapBox (3D interactive globe)
  • Recharts (Market growth charts, trend analysis, pie charts, radar charts)
  • Custom visualizations for market cap, demographic heatmaps, and competitive landscape
• Market Data: Google Trends API, Perplexity real-time web data

Powered By

All features are powered by Perplexity, mainly using Sonar Pro for advanced AI-driven market intelligence and analysis.