🎧️ How David Park Beat Cancer and Grew Jenni AI to 3 Million+ Users

How David Park Beat Cancer and Grew Jenni AI to 3 Million+ Users

Growing a startup to millions of users and millions in revenue is a rare feet. But doing it while battling cancer is unheard of. That’s the story of David Park, the cofounder of Jenni AI — one of the world’s fastest-growing AI-powered writing apps.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• David's journey from failed startups to breakout success

• How a joke about buttholes led to the insight behind Jenni

• How a viral Twitter thread took Jenni from the brink of failure to explosive user growth in hours

• David’s shock cancer diagnosis and the impossible choice he faced between his health and the company

• Insights on building AI products and scaling growth channels

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Key takeaways from the conversation:

1. The Jenny AI Story:

   • Started 5 years ago, predating ChatGPT

   • Currently has 3.5 million users

   • Generating $630K monthly revenue, growing 15-20% per month

2. The Power of Persistence:

   • David spent 11 years trying various startups before finding success with Jenny AI

   • He emphasizes the importance of not giving up and being a "cockroach" in the startup world

3. Pivoting to Success:

   • Jenny AI started as a content agency using GPT-2

   • Pivoted to SEO with GPT-3, then to a more general-purpose writing tool

   • Found success with an autocomplete mechanic that resonated with researchers and academics

4. The Viral Breakthrough:

   • A viral Twitter thread (one of the most viral in history) caused explosive growth

   • Went from $2,000 MRR to $10,000 MRR almost overnight

   • Sustained 10% month-over-month growth for over two years following the viral moment

5. Diversifying Growth Channels:

   • Initially relied solely on organic social media content

   • Later expanded to SEO, affiliate programs, paid ads, and influencer marketing

6. Overcoming Cancer:

   • David was diagnosed with thyroid cancer just as the company hit $1 million ARR

   • He delayed surgery to maintain business momentum, showing great courage in the face of adversity

7. Lessons for AI Startups:

   • Focus on showcasing your product visually, especially on short-form content platforms

   • Don't get too caught up in deploying your own models; leverage existing APIs

   • Prioritize user feedback, UX improvements, and stickiness over technical complexity

8. On Being a "GPT Wrapper":

   • David doesn't view the term as an insult

   • He emphasizes that creating value for users is more important than the complexity of your solution

Listen now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

In this episode we cover:

• (00:37) Who is David Park?

• (01:18) David’s background and Jenny AI

• (02:04) Revenue growth and team size

• (03:03) David’s entrepreneurial backstory

• (04:20) The path to Jenni AI

• (04:40) Idea inception and AI integration

• (06:19) Early experiments with Chat GPT

• (07:38) The pivotal moment with GPT-3

• (09:35) The technical co-founder’s role

• (10:20) Pivoting to an educational tool

• (12:07) Viral growth and its impact

• (14:22) Sustaining growth through social media

• (17:11) Marketing strategies post-virality

• (20:35) Overcoming cancer

• (24:02) Lessons learned building with AI

• (27:05) Responding to critics and what’s next

See you next time,

Zain