Idea Validation (Pre build)
Ugc figma mockups
Before writing any code, create 2–3 Figma-designed app screens and shoot UGC-style video content making it look like a real functioning app. Post daily and measure whether any hook consistently hits 5–10k views — that signals content-market fit.
→ Kills bad ideas cheaply; only build what already shows content-market fit
First App Launch (Bible Buddy, 2022)
Organic app store ai wave
Launched Bible Buddy as an AI therapist for Christians in 2022, riding the first wave of ChatGPT commercialization. Targeted nominal Christians (grew up religious but don't attend church) who had low tech expectations and high emotional need.
→ 300,000 monthly active users
Users 300k users
Magic Music / Suno AI Wrapper Launch
Viral shareability loop
Within 4 days of Suno AI launching (before it had a mobile app), wrapped the unofficial API into a mobile app. Built a web-share link so song recipients could listen for free but saw a large 'Create your own song' CTA button — turning every share into an install funnel. Ranked #1 in App Store search for 'Suno'.
→ Top App Store ranking for 'Suno'; viral install loop via song sharing
PrayerScreen — UGC Content Iteration
Tiktok ugc organic
Posted daily self-shot UGC content on TikTok iterating on hooks. Did not chase virality — looked for hooks that consistently got 5–10k views. Tracked view counts daily (1k, 900, 4k) until one variation hit 80k–100k views, confirming the winning hook.
→ Identified winning creative; ~80k–100k views on best-performing video
PrayerScreen — Paid Acquisition Scale Up
Meta ads on ugc creatives
Took the proven organic UGC hook and ran it as a Meta ad. Hired 5+ UGC creators to produce variations of the same winning hook format. Ran all ad variations within the same ad set to let the algorithm find the cheapest cost-per-install winner. Reposted all TikTok creator content onto one branded Instagram account and ran ads from there to make ads look like organic posts (showing comments, activity).
→ $0.50–$0.60 cost per install
PrayerScreen — Retention Engineering
Product forced retention
Built app-blocking functionality into PrayerScreen: users had to complete a daily prayer to unlock social media apps (Instagram, TikTok, etc.). This created a forcing function for daily return rather than relying on push notifications (which users ignore).
→ 60% Day-30 retention (described as 'Duolingo numbers')
PrayerScreen — Onboarding Optimization
Product onboarding cro
Tracked onboarding completion rate (target: 85%+). Identified two screens causing large drop-offs: a gender question with a non-binary option (inappropriate for a Christian app, caused ~30% drop-off) and a screen-time permission request. Removed the gender screen entirely and moved permission request to post-paywall.
→ Eliminated ~30% onboarding drop-off; improved free-to-paid conversion flow
PrayerScreen — Exit (July 2025)
Twitter public journey building
Tweeted publicly about PrayerScreen's growth journey throughout the build. When ready to sell, posted on X that the app was doing ~$120–130k MRR and was looking for buyers. DMs flooded from interested parties. Chose to accept a deal from buyers who had previously missed out on Bible Buddy — deal closed in ~3 days.
→ Sold PrayerScreen ~7 months after December 2024 launch; deal closed in ~3 days
MRR $130k
Across All Exits — Deal Structuring
Direct outreach app studios
Targeted app studios (companies owning multiple apps) as primary buyers, not individuals. Positioned the acquisition as 'plug your existing UA team onto our app.' Accepted the 2nd or 3rd-highest offer — not the top bid — to optimize for deal speed and close likelihood. Used competing offers as leverage to pressure lower bidders to close fast.
→ 4 successful exits totaling $500k+; faster close times vs. chasing highest bid