As to the current tools available, in the Mastodon webb interface if you go to /deck/explore/suggestions --> People, it will give you an automated list of suggested users based on popular users that people you follow follow, and i think if you're new it gives you suggestions based on popular accounts followed by local users ( i vaguely remember something like that, but mast has updated these features a few times )
MIsskey variants have a 'recommended users' feature that is curated by the admin, tho this is rarely used, and i don't think it suports categories -- mastodon might already have something similar not sure, either way if starter packs are curated on an instance level than they does limit the dangers of using that as a harassment vector, because then the local instance by hosting a starter pack would be accountable for hosting hate speech etc. there would be immediate feedback within local instance.
as was pointed out by someone else one can just write up a csv file that has a list of users that can be imported and shared around, tho this could be abused, people shouldn't just important random csv's from sources they don't trust, i wrote just such a list for a girlfriend when she joined fedi - I don't think this is particularly a technical problem, it's more just finding a group of active and popular people and getting their permission to put them on a list. Tho if there was some kind of automated process in the interface where people get a notification asking them if they consent to be added and a browseable userlist would be the ideal. allowing someone on the list to 'opt-out' automatically would be ideal also, since the people on the list themselves could be targeted, tho i think if such starter packs are curated locally (rather than globally available) that would help mitigate that risk
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