One Developer Got Thousands of Users Before His App Launched
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
This episode features Naveen Naidu, an entrepreneur in residence at Every, along with COO Brandon Gell, discussing the journey behind Monologue, an AI-powered text-to-speech app that achieved $2,000 MRR and 1,000 daily active users before its official launch. (00:00) The conversation explores how a single engineer built a product competing with companies that raised over $50 million and have hundreds of employees, demonstrating the transformative power of AI tools for solo developers. (00:28)
- Key themes include the entrepreneurial journey from failure to success, the importance of rapid iteration and shipping experiments, and how AI enables individual developers to compete with well-funded companies
Speakers
Naveen Naidu
Naveen is an entrepreneur in residence at Every and the GM of Monologue. He previously worked in Japan before returning to India to start his entrepreneurial journey in 2023. Naveen has exceptional technical credentials, ranking in the top 0.0002% in India for math and science in his cohort, and has successfully built and launched multiple products independently using AI tools.
Brandon Gell
Brandon is the Chief Operating Officer at Every, previously serving as head of studio. He has been instrumental in guiding product development and strategy at Every, helping to shape the company's approach to building and launching AI-powered products within their subscription bundle model.
Key Takeaways
Ship Fast and Iterate Rapidly
After spending six months building an email marketing tool that never launched, Naveen learned the critical importance of rapid iteration. (09:28) He adopted a philosophy of releasing one experiment per week, which led to multiple successful products. The key insight is that technical skills compound when you force yourself to complete the full cycle from idea to shipped product quickly. Rather than perfecting features in isolation, focus on getting core functionality into users' hands within days, not months.
Build for Yourself First
Monologue succeeded because Naveen built it to solve his own problem - he started using the app to build itself on day one. (28:49) When you build for yourself, you immediately know if the product works and can identify the most important features organically. This creates an authentic feedback loop where you're both the creator and the primary user, ensuring the product actually solves a real problem rather than an imagined one.
Leverage AI as Your Development Team
Naveen uses AI coding assistants like Claude Code, GPT-5, and Windsurf as team members rather than just tools. (54:01) He delegates complex technical problems to these AI systems with confidence, treating them as specialized partners. This approach enabled him to solve problems that would previously require hiring expensive specialists or spending months learning niche technologies. The key is learning which AI tool excels at which type of task and building workflows around their strengths.
Focus on Distribution-First Strategy
Rather than building in isolation, Naveen leveraged Every's existing audience and internal feedback loop from day one. (28:46) The product gained 1,000 daily active users before launch because it was tested and refined by Every's team and audience continuously. This distribution-first approach means validating ideas with real users immediately rather than hoping to find an audience after building the product.
Compete Through Speed and Focus, Not Resources
Monologue competes with companies that have raised $50+ million by focusing on execution speed and user experience rather than features or funding. (39:54) Naveen's approach of building a highly polished, focused product quickly proved more effective than competitors' resource-heavy approaches. The lesson is that in the AI era, small teams with clear focus can outmaneuver larger, slower organizations by shipping faster and staying closer to user needs.
Statistics & Facts
- Monologue reached $2,000 MRR and 1,000 daily active users before its official public launch, with internal usage growing from 230 weekly usages to over 7,000 daily usages. (02:27)
- Every as a company recently hit $1 million ARR, making Naveen's goal of reaching $1 million ARR for Monologue alone within one year particularly ambitious. (54:14)
- Naveen ranks in the top 0.0002% in India for math and science in his cohort, demonstrating exceptional technical aptitude that contributes to his ability to build complex products independently. (44:16)
