- The Startup Club
- Posts
- 🕶️ ChatGPT App hits new revenue peak
🕶️ ChatGPT App hits new revenue peak
How was your July? For OpenAI, it was a fantastic month, especially because the mobile version of GPT-4o reached an unprecedented level of revenue. The $28M figure from the App Store and Google Play represents the highest peak of earnings so far.
It might seem odd that the next highlighted news is about another application that hasn’t fared as well as its founders hoped. Maven, which distances itself from apps designed to generate interaction, has suffered the loss of one of its co-founders just three months after its public launch.
In other news, we discuss how Artificial Intelligence cannot solve production problems. That and more in today’s newsletter.
✦
Six bullets of updates
🚩 AI boosts productivity but can't debug production issues, says Doctor Droid's founder after real-world tests.
📁 HyperSpace builds custom instances to boost database searches, cutting search times by up to 50%.
🎮 British union Equity sets first-ever minimum pay rates for UK video game performers amid AI and pay disparity concerns.
🦄 38 startups have joined the unicorn club in 2024, with valuations like AI's $24B and Altana Technologies' $1B.
📱 The New Cog ADHD app offers the 2.5M ADHD population in the UK access to specialists, in-app treatment tools.
🧯 Equity management platform Vestd's CEO Ifty Nasir shares his tips on how not to get burned if cofounder relations sour
ChatGPT app shatters revenue records
The release of OpenAI's new GPT-4o "omni" model in May significantly boosted ChatGPT's app revenue, leading to its highest-earning month. In July, the mobile version of OpenAI's chatbot generated $28M in net income from the App Store and Google Play, according to app intelligence firm Appfigures. This net revenue reflects the earnings after deducting Apple and Google's in-app purchase fees, with the App Store alone contributing 83% of the total—a 20% increase from June.
The app's gross revenue before fees was $28.9M in May, $34M in June, and $39.9M in July. GPT-4o brought new capabilities to ChatGPT, including handling text, speech, and video, offering faster response times, and enabling interruptions during interactions, making the AI more human-like and natural.
This advanced technology drove a 40% revenue increase in May, and although the growth rate has slowed, revenue continues to rise steadily. Appfigures estimates the app gained 2M new paying subscribers in July, setting another record. With the introduction of the Advanced Voice Mode, which offers nearly real-time interactions, continued growth is anticipated in the coming months. Read more!
✦
Startup Events and Deadlines
Financial modeling bootcamp for startup founders | August 12 -16 | Online sessions
SaaStock: Dublin | August 14 | Conference
How to close a Funding Round (it’s not just the pitch deck) | August 14 | Webinar
Crash Course in Financial Modeling | August 19 | Webinar
✦
Together with Freshsales
Freshsales is a modern, unified CRM solution built by Freshworks. It is an easy-to-use, AI-powered CRM that helps you organize better, sell smarter, close deals faster, and scale stronger. Freshsales unifies teams and tools across your organization and helps you personalize customer conversations, boost conversions, and power productivity.
Freddy AI in Freshsales empowers your teams with smart insights to target the right leads, close more deals, and build lasting customer relationships. With advanced automation capabilities, sales teams can streamline processes, simplify selling, and accelerate revenue growth. Its easy implementation processes require minimal training, so teams can get started in days.
You can explore all Freshsales features with a 21-day free trial and enjoy plans that start at just $9 per month.
✦
These companies just raised money
🛞 Lucid secures $1.5B from Saudi wealth fund despite CEO's warning against dependence on its 'bottomless wealth.'
📍 Placer.ai raises $75M, boosting its valuation to 1.5B; continues to lead in location analytics.
🌗 Space-as-a-service startup Muon Space closed a $56.7M fundraising round to scale its satellite platform.
🪅 Mexican fintech Aviva raised a $5.5M seed round to expand its AI-powered credit kiosks, aiming for 50 cities by year-end.
⚙️ EtherealX raises $5M in seed funding to innovate fully reusable launch vehicles, aiming for cost-efficient space missions.
✦
Maven co-founder steps down amid growth challenges
Three months after Maven's public launch, co-founder Kenneth Stanley, a former OpenAI researcher, is stepping down. Despite initial enthusiasm, Stanley cited the platform's inability to achieve the necessary growth for further investment. To extend Maven’s operational runway, Stanley and co-founder Blas Moros explored other opportunities, leaving CTO Jimmy Secretan in charge.
Stanley emphasized that while securing funding was preferable, their decision allows Maven to survive and continue its mission of fostering deep, meaningful conversations without the typical engagement-driven features. This unique approach has made rapid growth challenging.
Backed by Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Maven faces an uncertain future as it seeks to expand its user base before monetizing. Secretan remains committed to maintaining Maven's core philosophy while attracting more users, while Stanley looks forward to new opportunities in AI research. You can read more here.
✦
Your Personal Board of Directors is here.
Being a leader is hard. And every day, there’s a ton of things you’d love advice on, but there’s no one to ask.
Enter Sidebar. A staggering 93% of users say Sidebar has been a game-changer in their professional path. Using their matching engine and a unique vetting process, Sidebar finds your people. Think of it like a personal board of directors. Sidebar’s small groups are led by world-class facilitators, so you’re never wasting time. Get the advice you need and get back to crushing your goals.
✦
Investor Data Room ChecklistAn investor data room is a storage space, digital or physical, where companies store information relevant to due diligence. We've compiled a FREE Template/Checklist of all the items your data room should include and resources and tools for obtaining them. |
✦
Remember IBM? What happened to them?
This video explores how a century-old tech giant, once synonymous with innovation, was challenged by the technologies it helped create. Subscribe for more videos!