License data compression to software publishers

Built a compression tool that was slow to compress but fast to decompress and licensed it to big software vendors who shipped floppy disks.

At a glance

Estimated by a classifier that read the source. The bar shows how sure it was.

Source

Hacker NewsComment by davidst in “Ask HN: Those with money-making side projects,how did you come up with the idea?”, December 11, 2022

Software and apps
Game server and compute hosting
Began hosting game servers for friends, grew into renting servers including scientific computing to universities.
Over $10kHands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2022
Software and apps
License trading models and financial tools
Builds trading models and financial tools and licenses them to others.
Hands-offOnline
Hacker News, 2011
Software and apps
Language learning app that teaches through songs
A consumer app that teaches languages through music and singing. The founder tested the idea with viral content before building a simple first version and runs it solo.
Online
Starter Story, 2026
Software and apps
Health and fitness app grown with paid ads
An indie health and fitness app. The founder credits a repeatable marketing playbook built on paid ads, rather than the specific app, for its growth.
$1k to $10kOnline
Starter Story, 2026
Software and apps
Gym fitness app built by a first-time coder
An iOS fitness app built to solve the founder's own problem at the gym. The founder had never shipped code before and grew it with content and a personal brand.
$100 to $1kOnline
Starter Story, 2026
Software and apps
Solo-built mobile game
A mobile game built by a former big tech employee after leaving a full-time job. It grew with no paid marketing.
Online
Starter Story, 2026

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