Engineer Hits $5K MRR With AI Side Project
Software engineer Mykyta Chernenko shared that he grew an AI-powered book-writing tool to $5,000 in monthly revenue and 75 paying subscribers within 40 days of launch. He built the project while maintaining a full-time job, emphasizing the importance of launching quickly, collecting user feedback, and managing founder energy.
- Mykyta Chernenko has over seven years of experience as a full-stack developer with a focus on Python and TypeScript. He is also the author of "Full-Stack Web Development with TypeScript 5," a book that teaches how to build applications using technologies like Bun, Svelte, and the OpenAI API. - The AI writing assistant software market was valued at over $2 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to over $8 billion by 2030, with content creation being the dominant application. This highlights the significant market opportunity Chernenko tapped into. - For engineers looking to follow a similar path in New York, the city has a growing AI ecosystem with dedicated resources. This includes accelerators like Techstars AI and the NYC AI Nexus, which supports early-stage AI ventures. - Early-stage funding for AI startups in NYC is active, with firms like Union Square Ventures and Lux Capital investing in AI infrastructure and applications. Angel investors and micro VCs such as NYAngels AI Group and AI.NYC also provide pre-seed investments in the $100K-$1M range. - The project was built using a modern tech stack that Chernenko teaches in his book, which includes Svelte for the frontend and Bun with TypeScript for the backend, connecting to the OpenAI API for its AI capabilities. - While Chernenko's story is one of bootstrapping, the NYC startup scene offers various paths. For instance, the AIR accelerator in NYC is specifically for founders building human-centered AI products and provides investment tailored to the company's stage. - The technical foundation for projects like this often involves leveraging large language models through APIs. Chernenko's work and book focus on practical integration of the OpenAI API for AI-powered features.
