How I 'got to' raising investment. 3 years of bootstrapping from the start here in 2022

Hi everyone, and a belated Happy New Year! This is the perfect time to set resolutions, and that’s exactly why I’m here.

Last year was a turning point for Storist. I wrote about it in “How We Built an App That Changed Everything: Two Key Decisions That Boosted Our Business.” To summarize, we pivoted — and it worked. In just five months, Storist gained its first regular paying customers and corporate clients. Our Daily Active Users have tripled in the last three months and continue to grow.

In recent months, and right now, our focus has been on improving the app, expanding our library, and preparing to launch AI tutors and structured classes. Here's an update on what's new:
200+ New Inspiring Content Pieces
We’ve added over 200 modern, inspiring non-fiction books, fiction stories, and articles. All of them are available at three levels: pre-intermediate, intermediate, and advanced.

For example, we added about 50 short articles about space, the human body, and the world, like “Voyager 1’s Epic Journey,” “What’s the Size of Your Memory?” and “The Most-Used Emoji in the World.” These articles are some of my favorites because they’re extremely interesting and take just a few minutes to read. Plus, you can check off your English task for the day!

Another exciting addition is fiction stories. These come from public domain content and add great variety to our library. My current favorite is “The Clockmaker” by Robert Louis Stevenson. It’s a mysterious tale about a clockmaker whose creations seem to control time and fate. You can read it in just 15 minutes at the simplified level – or challenge yourself with the advanced version.

Improved Library Organization

It’s now much easier to navigate and find content you’ll enjoy reading while improving your English. We’ve added “Most Popular” and “New” sections, making it simple to discover trending or newly added content. Isn’t that helpful?

A New Section: “My Books”

This is one of our best updates yet! You can now bookmark content in the library and quickly access your favorites. It’s also a great way to keep track of what you’ve already read.

Now Accessible for Beginners

As I mentioned earlier, our app is now designed for Pre-Intermediate (A2-B1) learners. Before, we catered mainly to Intermediate and Advanced learners. Now, you can enjoy reading content at your level without stress or being overwhelmed by unfamiliar words.

We’re still focused on professionals and continue to add content that’s most relevant to business, IT, management, personal development, and other fascinating topics.

And One More Thing

I’m also excited to share some big news — we’ve started raising an investment round and have already secured part of it. This includes contributions from team members and co-founders, which is a fantastic vote of confidence. They know Storist inside and out and believe it’s something truly special.

Why Are We Raising Capital? We’re raising funds because we see strong demand and have a clear path to profitability this year.

What Does This Mean for You? In the coming months, Storist will introduce significant updates and exciting new features. These improvements will help professionals boost their English skills and enhance their career growth.

Don’t wait—download the app now and start your journey with Storist today!

CTA: If you know any VCs or angel investors who might be interested, please introduce me warmly. 🙂