AI startups are speedrunning to $100M ARR with barely any people on board
AI-powered businesses are hitting $100M ARR with teams you can count on one hand. The startup game just changed forever.
Rewind to 2010. In the pre-AI dark ages, scaling a company to $100M in ARR meant years of grinding, hiring armies of employees, and praying to the VC gods.
Take Slack, for example — the fastest-growing business of its era. It still needed 2.5 years and a team of 385 to hit $100M ARR. Stil crazy impressive. But times have changed.
AI is rewriting the rules. It has turned business growth into a speedrun with barely any people on board. Indie hackers are diving in headfirst, and the results are insane. Just look at these numbers:
Cursor: 0 to $100M ARR in 21 months with 20 people
Eleven Labs: 0 to $100M ARR in 2 years with 50 people
InVideo: 0 to $61M ARR in 16 months with 80 people
Midjourney: 0 to $50M ARR in 1 year with 11 people
Mercor: 0 to $50M ARR in 2 years with 30 people
Cal AI: $21M ARR in 10 months with 2 people
bolt.new: 0 to $20M ARR in 2 months with 15 people
Lovable: 0 to $10M ARR in 2 months with 15 people
MAGNIFIC: 0 to $10M ARR in 1 year with 2 people
Aragon AI: 0 to $10M ARR in 2 years with 9 people
(Honorable mention) SeoBotAi: 0 to $1M ARR in 9 months with just 1 person — John Rush
The game’s just getting started. Soon we will see a solo founder, armed with AI agents, with a billion-dollar company. It’s not a matter of “if” but rather “when.” Even Sam Altman’s betting on it with other tech CEOs, trying to guess when the first one-person unicorn will appear.
So, whether you're a one-person band or a tiny team, you don’t need a decade, or even a $1M seed round to win big. The next unicorn might be a solo dev in a coffee shop, leveraging AI to do the work of 100.
So, indie hackers, the clock’s ticking.
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This is a bit misleading as most of the startups on the list took way more, tested a lot, had open-source versions with many contributors, etc. And if a solo founder has help, either from freelancers or other businesses, it can’t be attributed to them only.
But it’s impressive nonetheless what solo founders and small teams can achieve today without VC and with AI. The benefits of AI are immense.
Amen! :)
Wow, it’s honestly mind-blowing to see how fast some AI startups are scaling with such tiny teams. Feels like we’ve hit this point where one or two people can build and ship what used to take entire teams—and not just MVPs, but revenue-generating products.
Between tools like GPT-4o, all the API integrations out there, and the rise of no-code/low-code platforms, the speed of execution is unreal. It’s inspiring but also kind of makes you wonder—how sustainable is this? Are we just in a “gold rush” phase or is this really the new normal?
Curious to hear what others think. Anyone here building something super lean like this?
Hey Michal, this is super cool. Your landing page is clear but I think a few small tweaks could boost signups. I’m a beginner copywriter and I’m practicing by helping startups for free in exchange for testimonials. Want me to give you a few suggestions?
The earlier you jump in... the better. Let's go!
AI startups are changing the game, proving that small teams (or even solo founders) can hit $100M ARR in record time. With AI handling tasks that once required entire teams, businesses like Cursor, Eleven Labs, and Midjourney are scaling at speeds never seen before.
The real question is: When will the first one-person billion-dollar company emerge? Even tech giants like Sam Altman are betting on it.
Great article!
AI has completely rewritten the startup playbook, turning what once took years and massive teams into a high-speed solo or small-team sprint. The rise of AI-first companies proves that agility and automation now outweigh sheer manpower.
Impressive Article.
AI definetly changed the Game. Our Co-Founder wrote a Software for internal Management in only 3 hours with AI.
Normally it would take Month's to write the Code and it works! I wouldn't say production ready but a good start to build on.
Crazy how AI is changing the startup game. A few years ago, hitting $100M ARR meant massive teams and years of grind. Now, a handful of people (or even one) can build something huge with the right AI leverage. The future of startups is wild!
... But how much are they spending on LLM opex?
Crazy how fast AI startups are scaling! Feels like we’re entering a whole new era of lean, high-revenue companies.
Looking at these cases, I can't help but wonder. For traditional industries, what would be the biggest obstacle to achieving similar growth by leveraging AI?
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This AI-powered shift is mind-blowing! 🚀 The speed at which these companies are scaling is unreal. Excited to see when the first solo AI-powered unicorn emerges! 🔥
Amazing! AI seems to have pressed the fast - forward button for startups. However, for these solo or small - team companies that have achieved remarkable results with the help of AI, will they face challenges in complex business regulations and market supervision? After all, rapid expansion may bring compliance risks.
The rise of AI startups scaling to $100M ARR with minimal teams is impressive. Automation and efficiency are key drivers, and we're seeing similar trends in digital communities. Platforms like help connect users with niche WhatsApp groups, leveraging automation for engagement and growth.
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