What We Track
Our research database collects structured data on every AI-native solo company we profile. This data enables cross-company analysis and pattern detection.
AI Native Score (1-5)
A composite score measuring how deeply AI is integrated into the company's product and operations:
- 1: AI is a minor feature or marketing claim — not core to the product.
- 2: AI assists with some product functions but isn't central to the value proposition.
- 3: AI is a significant part of the product; without it, the product would be meaningfully different.
- 4: The product fundamentally depends on AI; AI is woven into the founder's workflow and business model.
- 5: The entire company — product, operations, business model — is built around AI orchestration. The founder's role is system design, not execution.
AI Native Score is an editorial assessment based on publicly available information, product positioning, workflows, and business model analysis. Scores may evolve as additional information becomes available.
Data Dimensions
For each company, we collect:
- Founder Background: Years of experience, domain expertise, previous startups, technical vs. non-technical background.
- AI Usage: How AI is used in the product, in development workflows, in operations, and in customer-facing functions.
- Business Model: Open Source, SaaS, Marketplace, Services, or hybrid models. Pricing strategy and revenue stage.
- Distribution: Primary channels (social, search, community, partnerships), growth rate, and customer acquisition strategy.
- Validation: Product Hunt launches, GitHub stars, revenue signals, user testimonials, press coverage.
- Stage: Idea → Experiment → Building → Launch → Early Adoption → Growth → Scale.
Research Sample
| Founder | Company | AI Score | Stage | Model | Founder Type |
|---|
| Nikita Zarubin | Skim | 4/5 | Building | Open Source + SaaS | Technical Builder |
| Clément Janssens | Rerun | 4/5 | Launch | Open Source | Developer |
| Nahrin Oda | Navox | 5/5 | Experiment | TBD | System Designer |
| Andalib Murshed | Traction AI | 4/5 | Building | SaaS | AI Builder / Entrepreneur |
This dataset is growing weekly. We're aiming for 100+ profiles by end of year.
Key Research Questions
Our research is driven by specific questions about the future of company building:
- Can one person build a $1M ARR business with AI? We're tracking companies approaching this milestone and analyzing what separates them from those that stall.
- What founder backgrounds produce the best outcomes? Is deep domain expertise more valuable than broad startup experience? Does technical vs. non-technical background matter?
- Which AI tools and workflows are most effective? We're cataloging the specific AI tools, prompts, and workflows used by successful solo founders.
- What business models work best for AI-native solo companies? Is open source the best path? Can services-based models work with AI leverage?
- How does the role of the founder evolve? As AI capabilities improve, does the founder shift from builder to architect to conductor?
Methodology
Our research combines multiple methods:
- Primary Research: Direct interviews and surveys with solo founders about their workflows, tools, and challenges.
- Public Data Analysis: Analyzing GitHub repositories, Product Hunt launches, social media presence, and public financial disclosures.
- Pattern Detection: Cross-referencing data points across companies to identify statistically significant patterns.
- Longitudinal Tracking: Following companies over months to understand trajectories, pivots, and outcomes — not just snapshots.
We are transparent about the limitations: this is an evolving research project, not a statistically rigorous academic study. Our sample is non-random and skewed toward English-speaking, technically-oriented founders. We update findings as the dataset grows.
Contribute
Are you building an AI-native solo company? We'd love to include your data. Submissions help us build a more complete picture of the solo founder landscape. Anonymous data is accepted if you prefer.
Submit your company →