23 Ai Based Business Success Stories [2024]
AI-based business ideas hold the potential to revolutionize traditional sectors. Imagine harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to solve real-world problems. In simple terms, this involves creating software or platforms that use AI to optimize processes, provide insights, or automate tasks.
The appeal is evident: businesses can operate more efficiently, reduce costs, and drive innovation. From developing AI-driven customer service bots to predictive analytics tools for healthcare, the possibilities are vast.
For anyone with a tech-savvy mindset and an interest in emerging technologies, the AI landscape offers a burgeoning field poised for growth. Dive in, and you could be at the forefront of the next major technological advancement.
In this list, you'll find real-world AI-based business success stories and very profitable examples of starting a AI-based business that makes money.
1. Framer ($2.4M/year)
Jorn came up with the idea of Framer after working with his co-founder at a company called Sofa, which they founded in 2006. Initially, they focused on building Mac apps but had to rely on agency work for major clients to fund their projects.
After gaining valuable experience, including working on the first native Facebook mobile app for iPhone, Jorn and his co-founder decided to leverage their combined expertise from Sofa and Silicon Valley to create a new startup. This led to the founding of Framer, aimed at building a lasting company for the next two decades.
How much money it makes: $2.4M/year
Learn how Framer evolved from a JavaScript library into a full-fledged, no-code website design tool, generating an impressive $2.4 million annually with over 50 successful Product Hunt launches.
2. Mystery ($1.8M/year)
Shane Kovalsky, the Co-founder of Mystery, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing a perfect weekend in Austin and wondering how he could recreate that surprise and delight for others. He started by planning surprise nights out on the town for friends and family, and with the customer love and a compelling business model, Mystery was born. Now, they have successfully pivoted to B2B virtual events and corporate gifting, engaging with over 20,000 users in just over 2 years.
How much money it makes: $1.8M/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 16
Mystery is an experiences platform with over 20,000 engaged users in just over two years, offering a surprise element to virtual events and corporate gifting.
3. Six Atomic ($480K/year)
Taime Koe, the CEO of Six Atomic, came up with the idea for his business after recognizing the flaws in the apparel industry's supply chain. He saw the potential for on-demand production, which would allow for personalization and sustainability while reducing inventory risk. Through years of research and development, Six Atomic created automation technology that can create customized patterns and designs for each customer, ultimately leading to a more efficient and profitable supply chain.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 20
Six Atomic builds automation technology for the apparel industry to enable real-time, sustainable, and personalized supply chains.
4. AI Publisher Pro ($360K/year)
When Joe graduated from high school, he began working on a use case for GPT3, focusing on how AI integration into business models could be improved.
In 2022, he decided to use his pre-existing skills to build his own business.
In July of that year, he met with a publishing company that inspired him. He came up with an innovative idea of creating books using AI.
Joe realized that using AI for product creation gave him a competitive edge. It allowed him to respond to market trends more quickly than anyone else.
How much money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
A 20-year-old computer science student built AI Publisher Pro in one year and now has a business valued at over $1 million, making an average of $30K/month and $360K/year, using AI to quickly respond to market trends and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.
5. Quandri ($324K/year)
Quandri, founded by brothers Jackson and Jamieson Fregeau, is a digital worker company focused on automating tasks for the insurance industry. Their most popular product compares policies upon renewal, providing brokers with a summary report of important changes. With a monthly revenue of $30k and a growing team of 9, Quandri is rapidly expanding its customer base across North America.
How much money it makes: $324K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 6
Quandri, a digital worker company that automates time-consuming work for the North American insurance industry, has grown to an average of $30k monthly revenue since co-founder Jackson Fregeau took advantage of spare time during the pandemic to build initial bots; the company has since added several full-time employees, and is "rapidly" expanding its customer base.
6. My AskAI ($300K/year)
After leaving his nearly decade-long finance career and spending years contracting at tech companies, the co-founder of My AskAI saw his breakthrough when experimenting with GPT-3 technology. Teaming up with a colleague, they initially created tools like a university personal statement generator and No Code AI Model Builder before pivoting to My AskAI, which now makes $25k/month and handles AI customer support for SaaS businesses.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How much did it cost to start: $99
How many people on the team: 0
Case study of a co-founder's journey from finance to tech entrepreneur, successfully launching a revolutionary AI chatbot for customer support that earns $25k/mo, with impressive margins and a 3% conversion rate drawing customers away from bigger competitors.
7. HeadshotPro ($300K/year)
The launch of stable diffusion in September 2022 opened up new possibilities for Danny.
Initially, he thought about creating a stock photo website, but concerns about legal issues led him to pivot. That’s when he saw Dreambooth launch an AI service that transformed faces and realized he was working on a similar project.
He quickly developed and launched HeadshotPro within 30 hours.
How much money it makes: $300K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Learn how Danny Postma turned his idea into a $300K/year business with HeadshotPro, a professional AI headshot generator, leveraging SEO strategies and custom AI models to achieve rapid growth and success in the market.
8. neural frames ($204K/year)
After struggling to create affordable music videos for his songs, physicist-turned-entrepreneur Nicolai Klemke founded neural frames, an AI-driven tool that now boasts 130k visitors and $17k MRR just months after launch.
How much money it makes: $204K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
AI music video generation startup neural frames, founded by Nicolai Klemke, has seen impressive growth since its launch in January, with 130k visitors and an MRR of $17k as of October; Klemke shares the process of building the product, launching the business, and attracting and retaining customers, highlighting the importance of listening to customers and implementing the right features.
9. Pod Squeeze ($192K/year)
Podsqueeze was inspired by Tiago’s need for a solution to automate and streamline the content generation process for his Wannabe Entrepreneur Podcast.
At that time, he realized that many other podcasters, both independent creators and podcasting agencies, were facing the same challenge.
Thus, he created a tool that would alleviate podcaster’s pain points and make their podcasting journey more efficient and enjoyable.
How much money it makes: $192K/year
Podsqueeze, founded by Tiago Ferreira, utilizes AI to help podcasters generate content efficiently, solving the time-consuming process of manual content creation, leading to missed deadlines.
10. AiApply ($180K/year)
Aidan Cramer co-founded AiApply after drawing from his HR tech experience and leveraging the viral success of his previous AI-driven venture, PetVet.ai. Their platform, which now generates $25K in monthly revenue, revolutionizes job applications using personalized AI to streamline the process.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
AiApply case study showcases the journey from $0 to $25K in monthly revenue, highlighting the power of AI-driven solutions to revolutionize the job application process through personalized tools, viral content, and sustainable growth strategies for SaaS founders.
11. AudioPen ($180K/year)
In March 2023, Louis was experimenting with AI APIs and built four tiny products in a week. One of them, AudioPen, quickly resonated with users on Twitter, now generating $15,000 per month.
How much money it makes: $180K/year
How much did it cost to start: $32
How many people on the team: 0
A founder shares how he built AudioPen.ai, a tool that transcribes voice notes, generating $15,000 monthly with minimal costs and no paid marketing, highlighting the importance of focusing on the product, word of mouth, and personal communication with users for sustainable growth.
12. Artificial Workflow ($120K/year)
Andrew and his co-founder James started Artificial Workflow after noticing consultants, like James at EY, were drowning in manual data processing. Initially offering bespoke AI consulting, they pivoted to a SaaS model, now generating $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue, largely from $299/month enterprise clients.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 2
Case study of a co-founder who transitioned from bespoke AI consulting to a subscription-based platform, generating $10,000 in monthly recurring revenue with 80% from $299/month enterprise clients, through strategies like LinkedIn outreach, SEO, and email marketing, learning costly lessons about starting with quality development.
13. BasedLabs.ai | AI Image & Video Creator ($120K/year)
Andrew and Michael, leveraging their extensive startup and web3 backgrounds, founded BasedLabs in December 2023 after struggling to find high-quality AI b-roll for automated content creation, quickly achieving a $10K MRR and 150,000 signups with less than $500 on marketing.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Entrepreneurs achieve a $10,000 MRR and 150,000 user signups in just four months through SEO, free AI tools, and lean marketing spend, highlighting the power of rapid iteration, distribution, and a focus on user feedback to drive business growth.
14. FounderPal ($120K/year)
After noticing that founders preferred tools over educational resources, Sveta Bay co-launched FounderPal, an AI-powered marketing tool, boosting their business to $10,000/month in revenue by transforming strategic AI prompts into actionable marketing plans.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $100
How many people on the team: 0
FounderPal is an AI-powered marketing tool for Solopreneurs generating around $10,000/mo through one-time payments, born out of the need to provide strategic marketing solutions rather than just content generation.
15. Lychee ($120K/year)
Misterr Pink launched Lychee, a modern data platform, after getting frustrated with cumbersome data analysis tools like Excel. In just two months, Lychee has amassed over 11,000 users and $10K in MRR.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 0
Misterr Pink's case study highlights the rapid growth of Lychee, a data platform that generated over 11,000 users and $10K in MRR within months through a strategic launch strategy combining AI boards, engaging with the audience on Reddit and Twitter, and continual product iterations.
16. LowCode Agency ($120K/year)
Jesus Vargas, founder of LowCode Agency, came up with the idea for his business after discovering a tool called Glide apps that allowed him to easily create apps from Google Sheets. He realized he could use this no/low code tool to build custom apps for businesses at a fraction of the cost and time of traditional app development. After finding success with his first client, an Airbnb owner, Vargas rebranded his company and has since been growing double digits every month, on track to do $150,000 in sales in their first year.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 3
LowCode Agency uses no/low code tools to build custom-made apps at 80% lower cost and 70% faster than traditional app development agencies, growing double digits every month and targeting $150,000 in sales in their first year.
17. Recall ($108K/year)
Paul, the founder of Recall, birthed the idea while working at Maltego and struggling to remember the vast amount of content he saved online. By leveraging his expertise in link analysis, he launched Recall to map connections in saved content, leading to a successful VC-backed startup with $9k MRR and 10% MoM growth.
How much money it makes: $108K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 3
This case study explores the journey of building Recall, an AI-powered browser extension, and how the founder experienced initial struggles with user retention, sought feedback, made product improvements, and secured VC funding after a viral HackerNews post, leading to a successful launch and continued growth.
18. Tech Lockdown ($90K/year)
Ben Bozzay capitalized on the remote work boom during COVID-19, launching Tech Lockdown to offer DNS filtering services for adults. His YouTube content on avoiding compulsive internet habits went viral, drawing 50,000 website visitors a month and achieving a monthly recurring revenue of $7,500.
How much money it makes: $90K/year
How much did it cost to start: $200
How many people on the team: 0
Case study details the journey of how Tech Lockdown founder, Ben Bozzay, leveraged his programming skills to create a platform that helps adults be intentional with their internet use, generating an MRR of around $7,500 and attracting 50,000 monthly website visitors, all while balancing a full-time job and personal commitments.
19. Talknotes ($60K/year)
After dropshipping and freelancing fizzled out, Nico locked himself in a hotel room for two months, learned to code from scratch, and launched 17 apps in a year—selling one for $65,000. His frustration with poor transcription tools led him to create Talknotes, now generating $5,000/month.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Case study of how an aspiring founder learned to code in 2 months, shipped 17 apps in a year, sold one for $65,000, and built Talknotes generating ~$5,000 per month with 5,000 users, focusing on turning voice notes into structured content for content creators and entrepreneurs.
20. aiCarousels ($60K/year)
On the brink of losing his job, Fernando Pessagno, an Argentinian product designer, embarked on a 10-day #buildinpublic challenge to create aiCarousels.com, a tool that now generates $5,000 MRR, helping non-designers craft social media carousels using AI.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
Discover how an Argentinian product designer turned an accidental 10-day project into aiCarousels.com, an AI-powered social media carousel generator now boasting $5,000 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR), with minimal design skills and no formal programming education.
21. Pika ($45.6K/year)
Rishi Mohan, a design engineer, grew frustrated with spending hours creating marketing images on Figma, leading him to launch Pika, an API-driven image generator now earning $3,500 in monthly recurring revenue. His lightbulb moment was when Pika received 600 upvotes on ProductHunt, validating its market demand.
How much money it makes: $45.6K/year
How many people on the team: 0
Discover how a design engineer turned his side-project into a thriving SaaS business, Pika, generating $3,500 in monthly recurring revenue by automating image generation for over 250 customers with virtually zero initial investment.
22. Bluedot ($24K/year)
Ruslan Halilov, along with his co-founder, launched Bluedot, an AI Chrome extension for Google Meet, after struggling with documenting decisions during their staffing agency's numerous remote meetings, eventually securing $1.5K MRR and 500 daily active users.
How much money it makes: $24K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300K
How many people on the team: 2
Bluedot is a successful AI Chrome extension for Google Meet that generates meeting notes, boasting 500 daily active users and a $1.5K MRR with a 50% monthly growth rate just two months after launching.
23. Olvy ($1.2K/year)
Nishant and Arnob, friends since school, launched Olvy, a release notes tool that helps users build beautiful release notes pages and gather feedback. After making $2,000 in revenue and receiving positive feedback, they are now focused on improving the product and adding new features based on customer requests.
How much money it makes: $1.2K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 2
Two friends from design and development backgrounds built Olvy, a release notes tool with easy-to-integrate widgets, backed by a strong community of users in just a few months, making about $2,000 from their customers shortly after launching and reaching the top spot on ProductHunt.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
