How ROR Built a $1M ARR Mobile App Startup in 3 Months Using AI
InterviewDavid Ondrej•9,100 views•Jun 17, 2025
Daniel Dhawan shares the journey of ROR, the AI-powered mobile app builder that lets anyone create and publish apps with just a few prompts.
Blurb
In this interview, Daniel Dhawan, founder of ROR, reveals how he built a $1 million ARR mobile app startup in just three months using AI-driven no-code tools. Highlights include:
- Building mobile apps with just a few natural language prompts, no coding required.
- How ROR leverages React Native and Expo to simplify mobile app development and publishing.
- Real user stories of personal apps solving niche problems, like a relationship app and a cancer dosage calculator.
- The power of AI agents to write, fix, and improve code automatically.
- The challenges and opportunities in mobile app development versus web apps.
- Advice on startup persistence, founder-market fit, and focusing on problems you care about.
- Demonstrations of AI-powered apps like a calorie tracker with camera input and a voice transcription notes app.
- The vision of enabling non-technical creators to build and monetize their own software businesses.
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Highlighted Clips
Crossing $1 Million ARR in 3 Months
Daniel shares how ROR went from zero to over $1 million ARR in just three months, starting with a small team and big ambition.
Building Mobile Apps with AI Prompts
ROR allows users to create fully functional mobile apps with just one or two natural language prompts, no coding needed.
Personal Apps Solving Real Problems
Examples of users building apps for their own needs, like a relationship app to improve communication and a cancer dosage calculator.
How ROR Uses React Native and Expo
Explanation of the technology stack behind ROR, including React Native and Expo, which enable easy mobile app development and testing.
Introduction to ROR and Its Rapid Growth
Daniel, the founder of ROR, shares the remarkable journey of his startup, which achieved over $1 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) within just three months. Starting from scratch, with humble beginnings such as sleeping on a mattress, the company quickly scaled by enabling users to build mobile apps effortlessly. Daniel demonstrates a calorie tracker app built with just two prompts, showcasing the power and simplicity of ROR.
"We just crossed 1 million ARR... it basically started from literal zero and I was literally sleeping on like a mattress... all happened in 3 months."
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"Type in build me a calorie tracker with a camera... two prompts... now I have an app running on my phone that works."
Key points:
- ROR enables building mobile apps with minimal prompts.
- The startup grew from zero to $1 million ARR in three months.
- The platform targets both developers and non-technical founders.
- Demonstrated a calorie tracker app built in two prompts.
Building Mobile Apps for Personal Use and Business
Daniel explains that ROR is designed to be the easiest way to build mobile apps, catering to both developers and non-technical users. The platform offers two modes: developer mode and non-technical founder mode. A key use case is individuals building apps for themselves, which can later evolve into businesses. An example is a user who created a relationship app to help a busy boyfriend compliment his girlfriend daily.
"ROR is the easiest way to build a mobile app right now for developers as well... we want to solve it for the non-developers."
"People building mobile apps for themselves that they want to later turn into a business."
"One user built an app for their own relationship... the girlfriend built an app so they could use it every day."
Key points:
- Two user modes: developer and non-technical founder.
- Personal apps are a major use case, often evolving into businesses.
- Example of a relationship app solving a daily communication problem.
- ROR uniquely supports building and using mobile apps saved directly on phones.
The Power of Mobile Apps and the Challenge of Building Them
Daniel emphasizes the unique value of mobile apps compared to websites. Mobile apps offer daily engagement, better retention, and monetization opportunities but are notoriously difficult and expensive to build. ROR aims to disrupt this by making mobile app creation accessible and affordable, especially compared to traditional native development costs.
"Mobile apps are very very hard to build... you could pay like 10k or 20k to native mobile app developers to just release a simple app."
"Mobile apps are the only apps that people actually want to use every day that have retention and monetize way better."
"There were many no-code tools for web but only Glide for mobile, which is mostly for internal tools."
Key points:
- Mobile apps have higher user engagement and monetization potential.
- Traditional mobile app development is costly and complex.
- Existing no-code tools mostly target web apps, not mobile.
- ROR fills the gap by focusing on mobile app creation with ease.
Technical Foundation: Expo and React Native
The technical backbone of ROR is built on Expo and React Native, which allow for easier mobile app development by wrapping native APIs in JavaScript. Expo has been a decade-long project that powers about 30% of the top 100 App Store apps. This foundation enables ROR to offer features like live app previews on phones via the Expo Go app and one-click error fixes.
"ROR is only possible thanks to the work of Expo which is built on React Native... Expo has done amazing work making mobile apps very easy."
"About 30% of the top 100 App Store apps are built on Expo."
"Expo Go app allows you to test your app on your phone by scanning a QR code."
"ROR catches all errors automatically and offers one-click fixes."
Key points:
- Expo and React Native simplify mobile app development.
- Expo Go app enables instant app testing on mobile devices.
- ROR integrates error detection and automatic fixes.
- This tech stack is crucial for ROR’s rapid app building and sharing.
Publishing and Sharing Mobile Apps Without App Stores
Daniel highlights ROR’s unique ability to publish and share mobile apps instantly without going through traditional app stores like Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Apps can be shared via links or QR codes and run offline within the Expo Go environment. This bypasses the usual complex and restrictive app store submission processes.
"ROR is the fastest way to share your mobile app... you can publish and share it with friends without going to TestFlight or app stores."
"The app works offline and is saved on your phone inside Expo Go."
"Publishing to app stores is very hard, but ROR simplifies it at least 10 times."
Key points:
- Instant app sharing via links or QR codes.
- Apps run offline inside Expo Go, no app store needed initially.
- Simplifies the traditionally difficult app publishing process.
- Plans to integrate with Stripe for payments outside app stores.
The Founders’ Story and Pivot to Mobile
Daniel shares the startup’s early struggles, including nearly shutting down before pivoting to mobile apps. His co-founder’s experience with successful mobile apps and their combined expertise in React Native made mobile the natural focus. They launched ROR on the same day as a competitor but focused solely on mobile, which proved to be a winning strategy.
"We were going to shut down the company... my co-founder convinced me to build for mobile apps and that saved us."
"My co-founder has 7 years of React Native experience... I built 4 mobile apps before."
"We launched on the same day as Bolt but focused only on mobile, which was the right bet."
Key points:
- Early financial struggles nearly ended the startup.
- Pivot to mobile app building was critical to survival.
- Founders’ deep mobile app experience was a key advantage.
- Focused exclusively on mobile while competitors treated it as a feature.
Unlocking the Creator Economy for Non-Technical Builders
Daniel discusses how ROR empowers non-technical people—marketers, product managers, and problem solvers—to build software without needing a developer or funding. This democratizes software creation, enabling niche businesses and personal projects that solve unique problems. He compares this to a "Patreon for software," where creators can monetize their ideas.
"Non-technical people are very good at sales and product but couldn't build software before... ROR unlocks the creator economy for them."
"You can solve a problem only you understand and launch an app making 1k to 20k a month."
"Software is a unique way of automating stuff that can make you money in a healthy way."
Key points:
- ROR enables non-developers to build and monetize apps.
- Supports niche, personalized software solving unique problems.
- Lowers barriers to entry for software entrepreneurship.
- Encourages building what you want and sharing with others.
AI Integration and Building AI-Powered Apps
ROR recently added features to build AI-powered apps easily. Daniel demonstrates building a calorie tracker app with AI that identifies food via camera, requiring no API setup from the user. The platform uses multiple AI models like GPT-4 and Claude for coding and UI generation, and integrates with OpenAI APIs seamlessly.
"You can just type 'build me a calorie tracker with a camera' and it builds the app."
"We use GPT-4, Claude, and other models for different tasks like UI and logic."
"The calorie tracker app identifies food and calories with AI, no API keys needed."
Key points:
- AI models generate app code and UI from natural language prompts.
- Users don’t need to configure APIs manually.
- Supports complex AI-powered features like image recognition.
- Multiple AI models are used for different coding and logic tasks.
The New ROR Mobile App: Build and Iterate on Phone
Daniel reveals ROR’s upcoming mobile app that allows users to build, prototype, and edit apps directly on their phones. This app can open any ROR project, supports chat-based editing, and enables sharing apps with friends without app stores. It represents a major leap in mobile app development accessibility.
"You can build apps from your phone now and save them on your phone and share with friends."
"The app opens any ROR project and lets you iterate on it on mobile."
"You can prototype ideas and build small automation apps directly on your phone."
Key points:
- Mobile app for building and editing ROR projects on the go.
- Supports chat interface for adding features and editing.
- Enables sharing apps instantly with friends.
- Makes mobile app development truly mobile and accessible.
Startup Lessons and Advice from Daniel
Daniel shares key lessons from his startup journey: focus on ideas you love, drop projects you don’t believe in, maintain a close feedback loop with users, and be relentlessly resourceful. He stresses the importance of determination over blind persistence and building a trusted, talented team.
"You need to work only on ideas that you love and can build."
"Persistence is important but determination is better."
"Talk to your users often and fix issues quickly."
"Be creative and resourceful to solve obstacles."
Key points:
- Work on ideas you are passionate about.
- Know when to quit projects that no longer inspire you.
- Maintain close user feedback and iterate fast.
- Build a small, talented, and trusted team.
- Creativity in problem-solving is a game changer.
Final Thoughts and How to Get Started with ROR
Daniel invites viewers to visit ror.com to start building apps for themselves or clients. The platform offers a powerful free plan with five prompts over seven days, GitHub integration, and upcoming mobile app support. He emphasizes that ROR is the fastest and easiest way to create and share mobile apps today.
"Visit ror.com, build an app for yourself, maybe turn it into a business."
"Free plan gives you five prompts for seven days, very powerful."
"You can integrate with GitHub or use it with Cursor for developer handoff."
Key points:
- ROR is accessible via ror.com with a free trial.
- Supports both solo creators and teams with developer integration.
- Enables rapid prototyping, publishing, and sharing of mobile apps.
- Positioned as a revolutionary tool for mobile app creation.
This detailed breakdown captures the essence of the video, highlighting ROR’s innovative approach to mobile app development, the founders’ inspiring journey, the technical underpinnings, AI integration, and practical advice for startup founders.
Key Questions
ROR is a no-code AI-powered platform that lets users build mobile apps by typing natural language prompts. It uses React Native and Expo to generate, test, and publish apps quickly without traditional coding.
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