Brian Jay

Editorial Lead @ RoundsInsights | Writing on Mobile App Exits, Founder Stories & Acquisition Markets

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@agilelabspl This is so good to see. Three iOS apps live before the 9 to 5, and the first $60 is a real start.
Cheering you on to that first $100 MRR!

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@diu_vladimir Five apps at 25 and still building with a win-win mindset, that's a great way to grow here.
Rooting for you on the way past 200 MRR!

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@migowrites Congrats Dan! April to iOS in August to Android this Saturday is a lovely pace. Wishing migo a great launch on the 14th 🦊

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@lazyjakee Love this reminder. $400k in year one as a solo founder is huge, congrats! What do you think made the biggest difference in those first months?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Ujjawal Kasera sold Mausam AI to https://t.co/gW6XfEfwtx with real users and real revenue, so it could grow while he focused on his studies.
#SellMyApp

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@Ali_Homsi @X Building solo while freelancing and being a new dad takes real grit. A lot of the founders I interview started exactly like this, client work on one side and their app on the other.

What are you building?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@demianturner Congrats on getting MinkNote onto iPhone and iPad! Months of testing finally showing up on real devices is such a good feeling.

What was the trickiest part of going cross-device?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@prottushx Such an honest question. Something I hear from founders often: the ones who kept going usually had a few users who'd be upset if the app disappeared, even with tiny revenue...

That signal tends to matter more than the calendar.

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@TerekhinIvan Same pace as your best month ever, plus 14 updates shipped in one week. That kind of steady consistency is so fun to watch.

Which of the 11 paywall redesigns surprised you most?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Eren Atli sold Secret Calculator to https://t.co/gW6XfEfwtx, and the capital fueled growth across his other apps. "You spend one dollar, then you earn two dollars, then double it down." Watch his story: https://t.co/ZgMUF10n3F

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@simranlockapp From the founders I've talked to, the first 100 users often come from one small, specific place: a niche Facebook group, one subreddit, or a single App Store keyword.

Find where your people already gather and show up there daily. Rooting for you!

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@ndhabarde11 Love that you're sharing the full growth story after the sale. Android carrying 150K of those downloads is such a helpful reminder for iOS-first devs.
What surprised you most once it sold?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Hi all, I'm Brian. I write app founder stories at Rounds Insights, by Rounds.

Two favorites began in school.
Jayod grew Sleepy Sounds to nearly 400k users with $0 on ads, and Ujjawal built and sold his weather app Mausam AI as a student.

Who else started building in school?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

A question I ask every app founder I interview:
when did you first know your app was really worth something?

It's rarely a revenue number. Eren Atli put it simply:
"I felt that this is getting a snowball effect."

What was that moment for you, or are you still waiting for it?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Something I keep hearing from founders who later sold their apps: few had a big launch.

Zsolt and his co-founders grew VIMAGE over 8+ years to 10M+ users. Süleyman ER's Coordinator spread through word of mouth and a few Facebook groups.

What's your slow but steady channel?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Anas Kayssi sold MatchIQ to https://t.co/gW6XfEfwtx, and it wasn't his first sale. "An exit can be a great way to turn the work you've put into an app into capital." What repeat app sellers know: https://t.co/ZgMUF10n3F

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

What do founders do after selling their app to https://t.co/gW6XfEfwtx? Hire a team, start a company, build new AI apps. Five real next chapters on Rounds Insights: https://t.co/ZgMUF10n3F

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Ujjawal Kasera sold his weather app Mausam AI to https://t.co/gW6XfEfwtx as a student. He never expected to earn from an app, let alone sell one.
#SellMyApp

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

Hey all, I'm Brian Jay the editorial lead at Rounds Insights and a pattern I love from my interviews with app founders so far is: the first channel that works is often free and very specific.

Jayod Kavinda grew Sleepy Sounds to nearly 400,000 users as a student, with $0 on ads, purely through ASO.

What first moved the needle for your app?

[Brian Jay @BrianJay0rou]

@trust_mrr @thegokhankinay @marclou Love seeing these come through. Congrats to the seller and the buyer! 33 days from listing to a brand new chapter is such a great feeling for any founder.