Soloop

Hey Indie Hackers,

Quick intro: I earned my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Tsinghua University and previously co-founded a startup backed by MiraclePlus (formerly Y Combinator China). Last year, I led an overseas product for vibe coders from scratch at Baidu, scaling it to 100k MAU within two months and clinching #1 Product of the Day on Product Hunt.

Now, I’m building Soloop—an AI-powered OS designed to help solo founders scale one-person businesses with a team of C-level agents. Soloop was started developing on June 2nd, launched on Product Hunt on August 7th, secured #2 Product of the Day, and onboarded 800+ users in the first month.

Here are 5 takeaways from our launch:

• Badges Compound into Real Distribution: The true ROI unfolds after the initial 24-hour sprint. Securing #2 Product of the Day turned our badge into a trust anchor, leading directly to organic coverage by a Russian tech publication and a feature in The Neuron (700k+ subscribers). Treat the launch as a credentialing event, not just a day of traffic.

• Resist the Vanity Trap: Throughout launch day, we were neck-and-neck with a strong German team for #1. We hesitated, but deliberately refused shady vote-farming tactics or paid upvote rings. Don't let vanity compromise brand integrity—the risk of algorithmic penalties and long-term reputation damage far outweighs a marginal rank jump.

• Timing Controls the Secondary Traffic Window: We launched on a Friday, knowing launch timing dictates where and how long Product Hunt features winning products over the weekend and the following week. Timing isn't just about day-of competition; it dictates the duration and quality of your downstream exposure.

• Asking for Votes Accelerates Product Trials: Launch outreach functions as an onboarding funnel. When reaching out 1-on-1 to builders and LinkedIn connections, thoughtful supporters will actually test your product to evaluate whether it deserves their vote. Turn your vote outreach directly into your first active user cohort.

• Build Closed Loops to Capture Momentum: A launch without retention is wasted traffic. Embed the Product Hunt widget on your landing page to cycle visitors back to upvote, use your initial Maker Comment to offer clear incentives, and direct interested traffic straight into an owned community (like Discord or Slack) to preserve relationships.

Always happy to connect with fellow indie hackers and solo founders. Drop your questions below or let me know how I can help with your upcoming launches!