Founder stories
Founder stories
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15 stories found
Eran Galperin
After failed VC startup, bootstrapped gym software to $3M ARR and 8-figure exit
After a failed VC-backed startup, I bootstrapped Gymdesk while working a day job. 4 years to $12K MRR, then accelerated to $3M ARR. Learning from F...
$100K ARR in 5 years·Solo
SaaSHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
Alex Tew
From Million Dollar Homepage to $2B Meditation Empire
Alex Tew started meditating as a teenager, built the viral Million Dollar Homepage, then channeled that success into co-founding Calm.
$10K MRR in 1 year·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
Andy Puddicombe
Buddhist Monk Builds $250M+ Meditation App Empire
Andy Puddicombe spent 10 years as a Buddhist monk, then co-founded Headspace with Rich Pierson to bring meditation to millions.
$10K MRR in 2 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇬🇧 GB
Martin Moravek
Software Engineer Builds $20K MRR App to Fight His Own Phone Addiction
After nearly a decade in automotive/aerospace, Martin Moravek built Minimalist Phone to solve his own screen addiction problem.
$10K MRR in 1 year·Solo
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇩🇪 DE
Ania Wysocka
How I Built a 2M+ User Anxiety App With Zero Employees
Ania started having panic attacks in her final year of university. She built the app she wished existed.
$100K ARR in 5 years·Solo
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇨🇦 CA
Joseph Mambwe
How I Bootstrapped a $2.5M/Year Fitness App With Zero Employees
Joseph taught himself to code while at Cambridge and built a fitness app empire with just contractors.
$100K ARR in 3 years·Solo
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇬🇧 GB
Guillem Ros & Desmond McNamee
Hevy: 10M+ Downloads With Just $15K in Ad Spend
Guillem and Desmond built a Strava for weightlifting that grew almost entirely through word of mouth.
$100K ARR in 4 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🌍 Remote
ML
Mike Lee
MyFitnessPal: From Personal Diet Tracker to $475M Acquisition
Mike Lee built a calorie counter to lose weight for his wedding, then bootstrapped it to 80M+ users.
$100K ARR in 7 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
Steve Kamb
Nerd Fitness: Building a 7-Figure Business for Fitness Misfits
Steve Kamb turned his nerdy approach to fitness into a 7-figure business with 300K+ email subscribers.
$10K MRR in 2 years·Solo
Info ProductHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
AD
Aaron Davidson
Cronometer: A Nerdy Side Project That Became the Most Accurate Nutrition Tracker
Aaron Davidson built Cronometer as a personal tool for CRON dieting, now used by millions for precise nutrition tracking.
$10K MRR in 12 years·Solo
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇨🇦 CA
Kayla Itsines & Tobi Pearce
From Training Women in Parents Backyard to a $400M Fitness Empire
Kayla Itsines started at 18 training women in her parents backyard in Adelaide, created a PDF workout guide that went viral on Instagram, and sold her Sweat app for $400M.
$100K ARR in 3 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇦🇺 AU
Cassey Ho
How a Farewell YouTube Video for 40 Students Became a Multi-Million Dollar Fitness Empire
Cassey Ho posted one Pilates video for her 40 students before moving cross-country. It accidentally became the #1 female fitness channel on YouTube with 500M+ views.
$100K ARR in 6 years·Solo
OtherHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
Andy Puddicombe & Richard Pierson
From Buddhist Monk to $3B Meditation Empire: The Headspace Story
Andy Puddicombe spent 10 years as a Buddhist monk before co-founding Headspace, now valued at over $3 billion.
$100K ARR in 3 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇬🇧 GB
Saeju Jeong & Artem Petakov
800 Rejections, 8 Years No Revenue, Then a $3.7B Valuation: The Noom Story
Saeju Jeong pitched 800+ times over 4 years with zero funding before building Noom to $3.7B valuation.
$100K ARR in 8 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
Alex Tew & Michael Acton Smith
From Million Dollar Homepage to $2B Meditation App: The Calm Story
Alex Tew, creator of the Million Dollar Homepage, teamed up with Michael Acton Smith to build Calm to $2B valuation.
$100K ARR in 4 years·Team
Mobile AppHealth & Wellness🇺🇸 US
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A note on these stories: The founders featured here represent those who publicly shared their success. Not every startup succeeds, and timelines vary widely. These stories are meant to inspire and educate, not to set expectations.
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