38 Software Business Success Stories [2024]
Here are some real life success stories of starting a software business:
1. Session ($66K/year)
Philip, a designer and developer based in Jakarta, came up with the idea for Session after experiencing frustration with slow handoffs between design and development at a startup he worked for. As a solution to his own problem of staying focused, he created an app that helps users block distracting websites and track their work time. Session has since gained popularity, making $5.8K per month in revenue as of May 2021.
How much they make: $66K/year
How much did it cost to start: $120
Current team size: 0
Learn how a designer and developer from Indonesia created Session, an app that helps people stay focused by blocking distractions, which currently makes $5.8K per month in revenue through its freemium business model.
2. Barn2 Plugins ($1.44M/year)
Katie and her husband Andy founded Barn2 Plugins in 2009 as a web design shop. They saw the opportunity to transition into a product business and identified gaps in the market by leveraging their insider knowledge of the industry and researching pain points online. They started with their first product, WooCommerce Password Protected Categories, and focused on low-cost, low-risk solutions that could be quickly developed and launched. Through content marketing and targeted advertising, they have been able to attract and retain customers, generating over $100,000 in monthly revenue with their 16 products.
How much they make: $1.44M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 14
Barn2 Plugins, founded in 2009 by a husband-and-wife duo, sells innovative software products generating over $100,000 in monthly revenue aimed at website owners on the WordPress and WooCommerce platforms, with their first product, WooCommerce Password Protected Categories, launched to market after identifying a gap in the industry.
So... can you actually make money with a software business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
3. Sinry Advice ($1.2M/year)
Sina originally pursued a degree in International Business Management in Malaysia before returning to Iran to work in the import-export business, where he learned about eCommerce and dropshipping. In 2019, a friend introduced him to a unique product opportunity, prompting the launch of an eCommerce store.
Sina's first sale involved a digital product with no manufacturing costs, marking a significant success. This achievement inspired him to create My EA Academy and launch a third business in October 2021, which now earns six figures.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $388
Current team size: 6
Entrepreneur Sina Sinry started an eCommerce business selling the best performing forex robot, generating monthly earnings of over $100,000 from his digital products, which he developed with the help of professional developers and found success through Facebook Ads.
4. Salonist Software ($1M/year)
Neeraj Gupta, the Managing Director of Shrivra and founder of Salonist, came up with the idea for his business after a salon owner approached his IT services company for help with selling services and booking appointments online. Recognizing the challenges faced by the beauty and wellness industry, Neeraj decided to create a comprehensive software solution that would streamline scheduling processes and improve the customer experience. Since its launch in 2017, Salonist has attracted over 10,000 customers worldwide and continues to grow.
How much they make: $1M/year
How much did it cost to start: $149
Current team size: 100
Salonist.io is a one-stop software solution for businesses in the health, beauty, and wellness industries, with around 10,000 customers worldwide, offering everything from customer management to Point of Sale, online bookings, multi-location management, marketing, and much more.
So... can you actually make money with a software business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
5. RepairDesk INC ($6M/year)
How much they make: $6M/year
Current team size: 50
RepairDesk's founder grew their software to over $1 million in annual recurring revenue by prioritizing relationship building with customers.
6. Modelnet ($1.2M/year)
Dmitry Alentyev came up with the idea for Scrile when he was working part-time as a Java developer and tasked with finding feasible projects in the international market. After the 9/11 terrorist attack affected the international market, Alentyev decided to start his own company and offer custom development orders to clients. Over time, they began to create their first business product, WebVideo, which evolved into the ModelNet platform.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200K
Current team size: 50
Scrile, a software development company, created ModelNet, a platform for online video conferencing and live video chat that has earned $1.5M in sales with a margin of 40-50%, and expanded into new markets and niches such as online expert advice and consulting and telemedicine.
So... can you actually make money with a software business?
Of course. There are millions to be made in this industry.
But how?
- Research real, profitable businesses and see exactly how much money they make.
- Study exactly what works, and what doesn’t.
- Take action, because now you have the roadmap.
Join Starter Story and build your next big thing:
7. Diesel Laptops ($50.4M/year)
Tyler Robertson, founder and CEO of Diesel Laptops, came up with the idea for his business while working at commercial truck dealerships. After seeing the complexity and cost of truck diagnostics, he found a software program in Canada that could make diagnostics easier, and started selling kits on eBay. This side business eventually became Diesel Laptops, a company that offers bundled kits, technical support, and repair information to the diesel industry.
How much they make: $50.4M/year
Current team size: 180
Diesel Laptops, a B2B company that sells diesel diagnostic hardware, software, and services, successfully doubled revenue each year to make $20 million annually within three years, grew from its founder's garage and dining room table to a 21,000 square foot facility with over 90 employees by listening to customer pain points and offering the bundled products, technical support and repair information to attract and retain diesel technicians and repair shop owners.
8. TRIARE ($300K/year)
Boris, the founder of TRIARE, came up with the idea for his software development company after working as a project manager for a German startup. When the company closed down, Boris decided to keep the team and build a business together. With just a $500 investment, they started providing software development services and eventually evolved into a full-cycle service provider. Through word of mouth and various marketing tools, TRIARE has attracted and retained customers, with their website receiving 22,000 unique visitors and generating dozens of leads.
How much they make: $300K/year
Current team size: 60
Ukrainian software development company TRIARE, with a current annual turnover of $500,000, shares how personal and collective responsibility, paired with patience and consistency, can help build a profitable business.
9. Modern Launch ($600K/year)
Cody Benedetto and Ryan Serkes, founders of Modern Launch, started their custom software development company after experiencing success with their own business ventures. Within just three months of launching, they generated over $100k in revenue and have been profitable since their third week in business. Their services include mobile application development, website development, and custom software development.
How much they make: $600K/year
How much did it cost to start: $5K
Current team size: 2
Modern Launch, a custom software development company, generated over $100k in revenue and achieved profitability within its first 3 weeks of bootstrapping, offering services including mobile application development, website development and design, and custom software development.
10. Swift App ($120K/year)
Jeet Mehta, one of the founders of Swift App, came up with the idea for the business after hearing the complaints of a sports facility owner. He and his team, all working full-time in Toronto tech, decided to build a prototype that would help facility owners manage bookings and save time. After receiving positive feedback and securing their first paying customer, they launched the business and have since grown to $10K/month in revenue.
How much they make: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
Current team size: 3
Swift App founders built software to help sports facility owners run their businesses, freeing up valuable time with an easy-to-use online booking system, which has helped the company grow to $10k/month in revenue.
11. Data Excavator ($48K/year)
Vitaly, a programmer and entrepreneur, came up with the idea for Data Excavator while working on a project to create a catalog of automobile oils. Frustrated with the difficulty of obtaining data from manufacturers, he developed a prototype that could scrape information from websites using CSS selectors. The prototype proved successful, allowing him to collect the desired database in just a few hours.
How much they make: $48K/year
How much did it cost to start: $30K
Current team size: 2
Vitaly, a programmer and entrepreneur, accidentally created a data scraping app while working on a different startup that has since compiled energy-efficient databases of about 500,000 goods used by five large companies and many small ones, with monthly sales of over $100 million.
12. ProfitWell ($22M/year)
How much they make: $22M/year
Current team size: 85
Find out how ProfitWell, the SaaS platform specializing in marketing analytics, saas metrics and positioning, achieved over $22M in annual revenue and was recently acquired by Paddle for $200M in cash and equity, with over 30,000 companies using its products, including Canva and Autodesk.
13. Occupier ($6.6M/year)
How much they make: $6.6M/year
Current team size: 48
Commercial real estate brokers create software to execute lease transactions, manage real estate leases, and ensure compliance with lease accounting standards: Occupier raised $10.5M in Series A funding.
14. Yellow Jersey ($1M/year)
How much they make: $1M/year
Current team size:
Discover how Emil Egeland grew his SaaS Yellow Jersey business by accelerating the growth of startups, taking two companies from zero to one million dollars in 12 months and another from one million to six million dollars in less than two years.
15. Six Atomic ($480K/year)
Taime Koe, the CEO of Six Atomic, came up with the idea for his business after recognizing the flaws in the apparel industry's supply chain. He saw the potential for on-demand production, which would allow for personalization and sustainability while reducing inventory risk. Through years of research and development, Six Atomic created automation technology that can create customized patterns and designs for each customer, ultimately leading to a more efficient and profitable supply chain.
How much they make: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 20
Six Atomic builds automation technology for the apparel industry to enable real-time, sustainable, and personalized supply chains.
16. Ahead Intranet ($936K/year)
How much they make: $936K/year
Current team size: 14
Ahead Intranet is a SaaS platform that fosters employee engagement, innovation, and customer satisfaction, while costing 90% less upfront than existing intranet solutions; making $78K/month and growing a team of 14 employees.
17. MarsX ($1.2M/year)
The founder of MarsX Inc, a low-code development platform, came up with the idea after experiencing the repetitive and time-consuming nature of building startups. Frustrated with traditional development methods, the founder wanted to create a tool that would simplify the process and allow for the reuse of code. Now, with hundreds of projects on the platform and a dedicated team, MarsX is looking to scale and target a specific market.
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $300K
Current team size: 15
MarsX, a low-code development platform with micro-apps that saves founders 90% of the time and provides flexibility on demand, has over 261 projects on the platform and has attracted hundreds of users through word of mouth.
18. Quandri ($324K/year)
Quandri, founded by brothers Jackson and Jamieson Fregeau, is a digital worker company focused on automating tasks for the insurance industry. Their most popular product compares policies upon renewal, providing brokers with a summary report of important changes. With a monthly revenue of $30k and a growing team of 9, Quandri is rapidly expanding its customer base across North America.
How much they make: $324K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
Current team size: 6
Quandri, a digital worker company that automates time-consuming work for the North American insurance industry, has grown to an average of $30k monthly revenue since co-founder Jackson Fregeau took advantage of spare time during the pandemic to build initial bots; the company has since added several full-time employees, and is "rapidly" expanding its customer base.
19. Workee ($12K/year)
Workee, the user-friendly business management software for freelancers, was born out of the founder's personal experience. When his therapist mom lost her job due to COVID, he realized the need for a simple tool to automate work routines for professionals with online appointments. After conducting interviews and receiving feedback, they launched an MVP and have since attracted customers through paid channels and organic growth. Their future plans include expanding their user base and launching a fully free package to drive growth and retention.
How much they make: $12K/year
Current team size: 6
Workee is a user-friendly business management software for freelancers who do private appointments, created by a team of experienced software developers after conducting 20 interviews and seeing a huge need for a tool that can autopilot work routines and an all-in-one approach to avoid high marketplace fees.
20. HMS ($2.7M/year)
Chris Vandersluis founded HMS Software back in 1984 after securing a contract to create a project management tool and timesheet for Philips Electronics. Through iterations and feedback from both project management and finance teams, Vandersluis and his team developed a unique timesheet system that could serve both purposes, ultimately leading to the creation of TimeControl. HMS Software has grown organically and made between $2 million and $3 million in revenue last year, with a profitable margin of approximately 30%.
How much they make: $2.7M/year
How much did it cost to start: $999
Current team size: 15
Montreal-based software company HMS Software generated between $2 million and $3 million in revenue last year, boasting a 20-30% net profit margin and a successful self-funded model. Its project-based timesheet software, TimeControl, is used by a plethora of large private and public organizations to track both activity-based time for updating project management plans and timesheet data for finance.
21. Blend ($1.2M/year)
How much they make: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
Current team size: 28
Blend is an AI-powered design and product photography tool for e-commerce sellers that helps solve the common problem of high costs and strong competition faced by direct-to-consumer (D2C) businesses, with the goal of leveling the playing field for small businesses and larger brands by democratizing content creation and helping them grow.
22. CartHook ($1M/year)
How much they make: $1M/year
Current team size:
CartHook, a Shopify app, has helped increase income and AOV for e-commerce businesses by adding a post-purchase upsell tool, handling over $1 billion in transactions and was founded by Jordan Gal, who previously generated $500k in revenue with his own e-commerce business.
23. Evotix ($17M/year)
How much they make: $17M/year
Current team size: 150
CEO Matt Elson acquired health and safety management company Evotix for $1, improving their traditional sales team and raising $10 million through Series A and B funding rounds, increasing revenue by 50% YoY and achieving over $14 million in annual recurring revenue with a team of 150 people and 400-500 paying customers.
24. Codiga ($660K/year)
How much they make: $660K/year
Current team size: 7
Codiga, a platform for programmers to receive code snippets & analysis, has raised $2.1M from various investors, and automates code reviews on GitHub, Gitlab, and Bitbucket, identifying flaws in over 10 programming languages.
25. Raffle ($1.1M/year)
How much they make: $1.1M/year
Current team size: 40
Raffle AI's enterprise search engine uses intelligent search tools to reduce bounce rates, calls, live chats, and emails by 34% on average while raising $21.8 million from investors including K1 Investment Management, Vaeksfonden, and PreeSeed Ventures.
26. Client Portal ($48K/year)
How much they make: $48K/year
Current team size: 2
This case study examines how Laura Elizabeth made $4k per month in her first year by creating Client Portal, a simple WordPress plugin that provides clients with access to their project's progress, which helped expand on the success of her later businesses.
27. Gruntify ($3M/year)
How much they make: $3M/year
Current team size: 21
Gruntify, an automation tool designed for fieldwork that combines geospatial, augmented reality, and real-time messaging technologies, has built its customer base organically and currently generates $250K MRR, ending the fiscal year with 25% more revenue, and hopes to raise $5M-10M to finance growth and expansion.
28. InterFace ($180K/year)
How much they make: $180K/year
Current team size: 23
A real estate agent in LA founded InterFace, a provider of data superpowers for real estate sales and marketing, and bootstrapped to $15K MRR in less than a year with plans to grow through acquisition and merger with a complementary business.
29. Agendrix ($4.6M/year)
How much they make: $4.6M/year
Current team size: 36
Agendrix is a workforce management software for retailers, restaurants, and nursing homes offering team communication, scheduling, and time tracking, that started as an agency bringing in $500K in its first year, and has since grown steadily, receiving its second round of funding of $4.2M in August 2021.
30. OnBoard ($32M/year)
How much they make: $32M/year
Current team size: 275
This case study showcases the impressive growth and success of OnBoard, the board intelligence platform with over 2,000 customers in 32 countries, raising $100m at a $400m valuation, acquiring a competitor, and closing in on a 50% YoY revenue growth rate.
31. Timescale ($12M/year)
How much they make: $12M/year
Current team size: 151
Timescale, an open-source time-series database solution for IoT workloads compatible with PostgresSQL and designed for simple use and query solving, has raised $180 million at a $1 billion+ valuation with over 500 paying clients and 7x community growth alongside 20x revenue growth.
32. Data Talks ($3M/year)
How much they make: $3M/year
Current team size: 51
Data Talks is a bootstrapped CDP that has gained 500 customers and makes $250K in monthly recurring revenue by focusing on the sports vertical market.
33. Vroozi ($1M/year)
How much they make: $1M/year
Current team size: 91
Vroozi, a cloud-based business purchasing platform with a $5M+ revenue, relies on client business reviews, hackathons, and founder-led ideas to continuously innovate as a company.
34. Chili Piper ($16.2M/year)
How much they make: $16.2M/year
Current team size: 312
Chili Piper, a B2B revenue team routing and scheduling software startup co-founded by Alina and Nicolas Vandenberghe, has attained a $30 million ARR and is close to a $1B valuation with 300+ employees in 40 locations.
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- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings
- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings