How One Founder Used Reddit to Grow an AI App to $17K MRR

August 19th, 2025

Website

appalchemy.ai

Founded By

Diego Roshardt

Monthly Revenue

$17K

Days To Build

Profitable

Yes

Days To Build

Year Started

2025

Website
appalchemy.ai: Founded By
Diego Roshardt: Monthly Revenue
$17K

Days To Build
14: Profitable
Yes: Days To Build
14

Year Started
2025

Who is Diego Roshardt?

Diego Roshardt, the founder of AppAlchemy, is a self-taught entrepreneur who built an AI app generating $17K MRR with zero audience on Reddit. He used his experience as a mobile app designer to develop an AI tool that saves time and money for users.

What problem does AppAlchemy solve?

AppAlchemy solves the problem of quickly designing mobile apps with AI, saving time and money for customers. This unique tool leverages Reddit for zero-cost marketing, making it a successful business without a large audience.

How did Diego come up with the idea for AppAlchemy?

Diego came up with the idea for App Alchemy when he wanted to build his mobile app and realized how expensive and time-consuming it was to hire a designer. He saw an opportunity to create an AI tool that could save people time and money in designing mobile apps.

To validate the idea, Diego built the simplest MVP in just two weeks and started marketing on Reddit right away. He received positive feedback and his first KMR purely from Reddit, which confirmed there was a demand for his product.

Diego's key lesson learned was the importance of solving a problem in a growing market and focusing on marketing and distribution early on. He emphasized the advantage of being a solo founder or a small company by leveraging speed to stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

How did Diego Roshardt build the initial version of AppAlchemy?

Diego Roshardt built his AI app, App Alchemy, in just 2 weeks by using AI libraries that are widely used on the web, such as Nex.js and React, along with Firebase for databases. He utilized UI component libraries like Chakra UI and Ant Design to prototype quickly and improve the design of his website. The initial prototype was a simple MVP that allowed users to build mobile app designs using AI, solving a problem he had experienced himself. Diego focused on marketing the product on Reddit, leveraging the platform's reach and precise targeting to gain over 1 million eyes on his product. Despite challenges, such as high costs for AI API backends, he achieved a monthly recurring revenue of $17K with zero audience.

What were the initial startup costs for AppAlchemy?

Development Costs: Diego mentioned that he spent $20 a month on Cursor for development and $40 a month on Versel hosting.
API Backend: The most expensive cost for AppAlchemy is the AI API backend, which costs around $2,500 per month.

What was the growth strategy for AppAlchemy and how did they scale?

Diego from AppAlchemy used Reddit as their primary marketing channel to grow their business from scratch to $17K monthly recurring revenue (MRR) with no existing audience. By leveraging Reddit, Diego was able to get over 1 million eyes on his product while spending $0 in marketing. The key to their success on Reddit was utilizing the platform's precise targeting capabilities by engaging with various subreddits related to their product. Diego's Reddit marketing playbook consisted of becoming an active Reddit user, creating a list of relevant subreddits, crafting organic and valuable posts, and posting consistently across multiple subreddits to drive traffic and generate interest in AppAlchemy.

Why it worked: Reddit provided a cost-effective and highly targeted platform for reaching potential customers interested in AppAlchemy's AI mobile app design tool. By creating engaging and valuable content, Diego was able to capture the attention of Reddit users and drive significant traffic to his product, ultimately leading to impressive revenue growth.

Although not mentioned in the main content, Diego also used YouTube as a secondary channel for marketing AppAlchemy. By creating engaging and informative videos about their AI app, Diego was able to showcase the product's features and benefits to a wider audience. This approach likely helped increase brand visibility and attract potential customers who prefer video content over text-based marketing.

Why it worked: YouTube served as a complementary channel to Reddit, allowing Diego to diversify his marketing efforts and reach users who prefer video content. By showcasing the capabilities of AppAlchemy through videos, Diego was able to provide a more visual and interactive experience for potential customers, driving further interest and engagement with the product.

What's the pricing strategy for AppAlchemy?

AppAlchemy prices its AI design tool at $20 per month, with margins around 70%. Offers AI accelerator and website builder.

What were the biggest lessons learned from building AppAlchemy?

Leverage Reddit Marketing: AppAlchemy achieved $17K MRR by utilizing Reddit for validation, marketing, and gaining customers without any prior audience.
Quick Development Matters: Building an MVP in just two weeks allowed for rapid validation and early market entry, essential in the fast-paced startup world.
Focus on Value Delivery: Providing value first in Reddit posts rather than focusing solely on product promotion leads to higher engagement and interest from potential customers.
Iterate and Scale: Repetition of successful Reddit marketing strategies across multiple subreddits and experimenting with different post types contributes to sustained growth and increased visibility.
Speed is Key: Being a solo founder or part of a small team, leveraging speed as an advantage in developing and marketing products can lead to a competitive edge in the market.

AppAlchemy Acquisition: How much did AppAlchemy sell for and what was the acquisition price?

AppAlchemy was acquired for an undisclosed amount after hitting $17K MRR with no audience by using a Reddit marketing playbook in 2025.

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More about AppAlchemy:

Who is the owner of AppAlchemy?

Diego Roshardt is the founder of AppAlchemy.

When did Diego Roshardt start AppAlchemy?

2025

What is Diego Roshardt's net worth?

Diego Roshardt's business makes an average of $17K/month.

How much money has Diego Roshardt made from AppAlchemy?

Diego Roshardt started the business in 2025, and currently makes an average of $204K/year.

Disclaimer: The initial draft of this article was compiled by the Starter Story team based on publicly available interviews, podcasts, and other content from the founder. See the sources we used here.