He Made $10M with 3 iPhone Apps | Starter Story

June 29, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Blake Anderson taught himself to code with ChatGPT in May and June of 2023. By July, he had launched his first iPhone app. Within a year, he had built three AI-powered apps — Riz GPT, Umax, and Cal AI — that together generate nearly $20 million in annual revenue. He did this as a complete beginner, with no coding background, no design experience, and no marketing budget. The conversation covers how he found the ideas, validated them, built the products, and distributed them, along with the specific tools and strategies he used.

Why Apps Are Lucrative Right Now

Anderson sees two structural reasons the current moment favors app builders. First, large language models have made it possible to solve problems that were previously impossible or prohibitively expensive to tackle with software. His first app, Riz GPT, an AI dating assistant, simply could not have existed before LLMs. Second, social media algorithms — particularly TikTok and Instagram — are now optimized to push content from new accounts, because the platforms are in a "bloodbath competition" with each other and need to incentivize fresh creators. This means a new account can generate millions of views far more easily than it could a few years ago. The combination of cheap AI capabilities and accessible organic distribution is what makes the current moment uniquely favorable for app builders.

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of Starter Story

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (01:30) **Introduction: $10M in 3 iPhone Apps** - Blake Anderson built three AI apps (Riz GPT, Umax, Cal AI) after learning to code with ChatGPT, now generating nearly $20M/year in revenue.
2 (03:40) **Why Apps Are Lucrative Right Now** - Two primary reasons: AI solves problems at lower cost, and social media algorithms favor new creators for distribution.
3 (04:55) **Founder's Backstory: From Degeneracy to Urgency** - Blake's low point after college (no job, parents' house for sale, borrowing for groceries) created the fire to build.
4 (06:50) **The Breakthrough: $100 in Influencer Marketing** - Paid two undiscovered creators $50 each ($100 total) for promos, resulting in 45K downloads in one day and 500K in the first month.
5 (09:40) **Current Million-Dollar App Ideas** - Two specific opportunities: a career AI platform (rolling up fragmented tools) and an AI language learning app leveraging ChatGPT's Advanced Voice Mode.
6 (10:40) **Methods for Finding Winning Ideas** - Two approaches: observe clear problems in your network (Riz GPT) or identify heavily monetized niches with physical products (Umax).
7 (11:54) **Validation Process: Become the Target Market** - Deep dive into the niche on social media by consuming relevant content until you understand what users want.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Blake Anderson

Show Notes

He Made $10M with 3 iPhone Apps

This is how Blake Anderson built 3 AI iPhone apps that have earned him over $10M.

📚 The Academy → https://www.starterstory.com/academy?utm_campaign=blake&utm_source=youtube

Follow Blake's Journey 𝕏 - https://x.com/blakeandersonw 📸 Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/bwa/ 🎥 YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@blakeandersonw

🔔 Subscribe - https://www.youtube.com/@starterstory

Sharing ideas that make money!

Disclaimer: This podcast is published by a viewer using content from Starter Story's YouTube channel with the goal of making his valuable insights more accessible to those who prefer audio formats, helping more people discover and learn from the insights shared in his videos. It is not an official production of Starter Story. For any requests from Starter Story, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

----------------------------

---- Keywords: app flipping, startup advice, revenue stories, online business, make money online, mobile app success, tech business, bootstrap startup

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices