The Story
Blake Anderson is 22 years old and has made over $10M from just 3 iPhone apps: Riz GPT (AI dating assistant), Umax (AI attractiveness rating), and Cal AI (calorie tracking). He taught himself to code using ChatGPT, spent only $100 on his first influencer campaign that got 500K downloads, and now runs a team building AI-powered mobile apps.
The Three Apps
1. Riz GPT - The AI Dating Assistant
- •First app, launched in early 2023
- •Helps users craft pickup lines and dating messages
- •Uses GPT to generate contextual responses
- •Went viral on TikTok
- •Revenue: Multi-millions
2. Umax - AI Attractiveness Rating
- •Rates your attractiveness and gives improvement tips
- •Uses AI to analyze facial features
- •Gives personalized advice (haircut, skincare, etc.)
- •Extremely viral - "looksmaxxing" trend
- •Revenue: Multi-millions
3. Cal AI - Calorie Tracking
- •Take a photo of food, AI estimates calories
- •Simpler than manual logging
- •Targets health-conscious users
- •Newest app in the portfolio
- •Growing rapidly
The Origin Story
How Blake Learned to Code
- •Was a business major at USC
- •Had app ideas but couldn't code
- •ChatGPT came out in late 2022
- •Used ChatGPT to teach himself React Native
- •"I would just ask it how to do everything"
- •Built first app in about 2 months
The $100 Marketing Hack
- •Couldn't afford big influencer campaigns
- •Found small TikTok creators (10K-50K followers)
- •Paid them $10-20 per video
- •Spent $100 total on first campaign
- •One video went viral - 500K downloads in a week
- •"The ROI was insane"
The Tech Stack
Development
- •React Native + Expo for cross-platform
- •Started with just iOS, added Android later
- •Cursor AI for coding assistance
- •"Cursor is like having a senior developer"
AI/Backend
- •OpenAI GPT-4 for text generation
- •Various AI models for image analysis
- •Firebase for backend
- •RevenueCat for subscriptions
Why React Native
- •One codebase for iOS and Android
- •Faster iteration
- •Easier to find developers
- •Good enough performance for AI apps
Growth Strategies
TikTok Influencer Marketing
- •Focus on micro-influencers (10K-100K followers)
- •Pay per video, not per follower
- •Look for creators in your niche
- •Authenticity matters more than polish
- •"One viral video can change everything"
App Store Optimization (ASO)
- •Keywords in title and subtitle
- •Screenshots that show the value
- •Respond to all reviews
- •Regular updates boost ranking
Viral Mechanics Built Into Apps
- •Umax: People share their ratings
- •Riz GPT: People share funny pickup lines
- •Built-in sharing features
- •"Make it easy to go viral"
Business Model
Monetization Strategy
- •Freemium model
- •Free tier with limits
- •Weekly subscription ($6.99/week)
- •Yearly subscription (better value)
- •No ads - pure subscription
Revenue Numbers
- •$10M+ total revenue across 3 apps
- •Mostly from subscriptions
- •iOS generates 80%+ of revenue
- •High margins (mostly AI API costs)
Team Structure
- •Started solo
- •Now has small team (5-6 people)
- •Developers, designers, marketers
- •Still very lean operation
Key Lessons
On Learning to Code
- •"You don't need a CS degree"
- •AI tools make coding accessible
- •Start with a real project, not tutorials
- •Learn by building, not reading
On Finding Ideas
- •Look for viral trends
- •"Looksmaxxing" was trending → built Umax
- •Dating apps were frustrating → built Riz GPT
- •Health tracking was tedious → built Cal AI
On Speed
- •First mover advantage is real
- •Ship fast, iterate later
- •"Done is better than perfect"
- •Can always improve after launch
On Marketing
- •Micro-influencers > big influencers for ROI
- •TikTok is the best platform for app discovery
- •Viral mechanics should be built into the product
- •Authenticity beats polish
Advice for Aspiring App Developers
Getting Started
- •Pick one idea and commit
- •Use AI tools to learn and build
- •Don't overthink the tech stack
- •Ship something in 30-60 days
Marketing on a Budget
- •Start with $100 in micro-influencer spend
- •Find creators who actually use similar apps
- •Test multiple creators, double down on winners
- •Content > production value
Scaling
- •Reinvest revenue into marketing
- •Hire slowly, stay lean
- •Focus on one app until it's working
- •Then consider expanding
Resources
- •Twitter: https://x.com/blaborwit
- •YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@blaborwit
- •Riz GPT: App Store
- •Umax: App Store
- •Cal AI: App Store