It’s probably true that the only interesting projects come out of a person or group working on something on their own even if nobody cares yet. That way when you approach people with platform with your idea, you can show the work - rather than just say “I’ve got this great idea”. Everyone has a great idea, but a tiny percentage act on them.
When someone has a large platform - a popular podcast, say - they need to protect their reputation by only platforming actual legs-having ideas. the best way to show legs is to actually have them: that is, to be a real product - or the early days of one. In a truly novel space, there won’t be prior art to leverage or re-mix; the work will need to be done from the ground-up. And in that world, you’re unlikely to be compensated or to be among a large, protective pack. When an idea is truly novel and nascent, it hasn’t yet developed the pudding-proof to start attracting early investors. Or it can attract the rare truly visionary investor with whom the project aligns.