Business strategy · October 2026
7 app founders on validating, launching and selling fast
Building an app nobody has paid for yet? Founders behind Runify, Pray Screen, NGL and Coconote explain how they tested demand, launched and sold.
You have an app idea, maybe even a build. Nobody has paid for it yet.
These founders from The Superwall Podcast got to revenue fast, and several of them sold. They are solo builders and small teams making consumer apps.
Prove someone will pay
A waitlist feels like progress. Dan Vykhopen collected tens of thousands of signups for Massive, and almost none of them paid.
Caleb Dean asked for $5 before writing any code, and 90 people paid. Roger Chen runs ads on a mockup to learn what people want.
Borrow a crowd that already exists
Hunter Isaacson built NGL on Instagram's audience. Daniel Kwon builds for movements already growing, like Bible study or an anime fan base.
Lotanna Ezeike did both with Pray Screen: a habit from a popular focus app, made for Christians.
Decide early if you want to sell
Coconote sold to Quizlet about 18 months after launch. Ezeike sold Pray Screen within a week of tweeting about it. Dean sold Runify before it had a full month of revenue.
Pick the test you can run this week. Then ask someone to pay.
If the product already has buyers, try the Superwall talks on creator marketing.
In this playlist
Dan Vykhopen: why a 50,000-person waitlist failed Massive
Thinking of a waitlist? Dan Vykhopen collected 40,000 or 50,000 signups for Massive, and about half a percent converted.
9 min read8 min listen
Caleb Dean sold his running app after 26 days of revenue
Caleb Dean had 90 people pay $5 before Runify existed. He sold it after 26 days of revenue and kept 30% of the company.
8 min read7 min listen
Roger Chen on testing a social app with ads before building
Roger Chen runs ads on a mockup before his team builds. In Lobby's best market, 3 times as many new users had 5 friends on day one.
8 min read8 min listen
Daniel Kwon on stitching viral clips into app growth
Daniel Kwon built Shepherd in 2 weeks and stitched viral clips to launch it. He says it broke a ton on the way to $75,000 a month.
6 min read5 min listen
Hunter Isaacson on how NGL grew to 150M monthly users
Hunter Isaacson put NGL on top of Instagram stories. He says it has 150 million monthly users, and only a very small share of downloads pay.
8 min read8 min listen
Coconote got 100M+ views from one feature. It made $25K
Coconote's viral side feature drew 100 million views or more and made about $25,000. Its founders explain what converted better.
8 min read7 min listen
Lotanna Ezeike built a prayer app and sold it in a week
Lotanna Ezeike says most app sales fall through. So when Pray Screen reached $120,000 a year, he sold it within a week.
6 min read7 min listen