The startup world loves to celebrate the “founder dream team”-but in 2025, solo founders are rewriting the script. Forget the myth that you need a co-founder to win big. These one-person SaaS machines are pulling in monthly revenues that would make most managers blush, all while moving faster, staying leaner, and owning their vision from day one.
Sublaunch
MRR: $43,566
Monetize your community in seconds. Sublaunch lets creators launch paid Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord groups, and online courses-no code, no hassle. Page builder, subscriptions, payments, permissions, and affiliate management, all handled for you. One founder, one product, thousands of communities generating consistent income.
AutoShorts.ai
MRR: $92,000
Faceless videos, fully automated. Eric Smith’s AutoShorts.ai is an AI-powered video creation platform that lets you run a faceless YouTube channel on autopilot. The promise? Grow your audience while you sleep. No production team, no on-camera stress-just one founder, one AI, and a revenue stream that rivals a small agency.
ScreenshotOne
MRR: $19,400
The screenshot API for developers. Dmytro Krasun built a tool that lets developers render screenshots with a single API call-no browser clusters, no edge-case headaches. It’s the kind of “boring” SaaS that prints money: simple, useful, and sticky. One founder, thousands of devs, and a product that just works.
Solo founders aren’t just surviving-they’re thriving. In 2024, 35% of all new startups had a single founder, up from 29% the year before. The rise of no-code tools, AI copilots, and global distribution means you don’t need a co-founder, a dev team, or a pile of VC money to build something profitable In fact, more than half of successful startup exits in recent years have come from solo founders.
What’s fueling this solo surge?
Speed: No endless debates. Decisions happen in minutes, not weeks.
Focus: One vision, zero dilution. The founder owns the roadmap and the rewards.
AI Leverage: 65% of solo founders now use AI for everything from customer support to marketing.
Resource Efficiency: Every dollar and every hour goes right back into the product.
The Takeaway
The next SaaS success story might not come from a big team or a flashy accelerator. It might just be one person, a laptop, and a relentless focus on solving a real problem. These founders prove you don’t need a co-founder to build something big-you just need the courage to go solo and the tools to move fast.
So, the next time someone tells you that startups are a team sport, show them these numbers-and remind them that sometimes, one is enough