17 Software Company Success Stories [2024]
Looking to create impactful technology solutions? Start a software company.
A software company involves developing applications and systems tailored to meet the needs of various clients, from businesses seeking operational efficiency to consumers looking for innovative tools.
The heart of this business lies in problem-solving and creativity. Your team will work on coding, designing, and testing software solutions that provide real-world value. It's more than just writing lines of code; it's about crafting solutions that make lives easier or businesses more successful.
Exciting opportunities in the tech world await. From mobile apps and web development to specialized enterprise solutions, the potential to innovate is vast. If you’re driven by a passion for technology and a desire to solve meaningful problems, starting a software company could be your next venture.
In this list, you'll find real-world software company success stories and very profitable examples of starting a software company that makes money.
1. Chili Piper ($40M/year)
Alina Vandenberghe and her co-founder Nicolas began Chili Piper in 2016, inspired by their extensive backgrounds in product development and sales processes. They identified a common pain point for sales teams: the inefficiency and frustration involved in scheduling meetings and managing sales leads. Through attending numerous industry events and engaging directly with potential customers, they validated that there was a significant need for a solution that could streamline this process.
Their initial approach was very hands-on; at these events, Nicolas would secure interest and demos on the spot, then Alina would handle onboarding and support, allowing them to gather critical real-time feedback. This feedback loop helped them continuously refine their solution, ensuring it met the actual needs of their users. One major challenge they faced was conceptualizing their brand and logo, which Alina sketched over a hundred times before they landed on the right design, overcoming this through persistence and external design help.
Key lessons from their process include the importance of deeply understanding their customers’ problems and remaining adaptable based on direct user insights. They learned early on that personal engagement and a customer-centric approach were crucial components in developing an effective, valued product.
How much money it makes: $40M/year
How many people on the team: 300
Aspiring founders will learn how Chili Piper's founders bootstrapped their way to $3 million ARR without paying salaries, raised over $54 million in funding, and secured rapid growth through strategic partnerships, personalized customer service, and effective influencer marketing campaigns.
2. dealpad ($20M/year)
Adam, the founder of dealpad.io, was inspired to start his business after successfully building and selling his previous companies. He developed a sales framework using Excel during his time at Salesforce and saw how it had a significant impact on closing deals. This led him to transform his framework into software and create dealpad, a Digital Sales Room Platform that helps B2B software organizations increase their sales conversion rates.
How much money it makes: $20M/year
How much did it cost to start: $200K
How many people on the team: 12
Dealpad.io is a Digital Sales Room Platform for B2B SaaS organizations with $2M - $200M annual recurring revenue; it enables sellers to quickly create personalized buying rooms to increase the likelihood of deals closing by 300%.
3. Appetiser ($8.4M/year)
Jamie Shostak, the co-founder of Appetiser App Development, came up with the idea for the business when he met Michael MacRae, who had apps with millions of users but was looking for a new challenge. They both shared a passion for building and growing tech products, and saw a need for speed, data-driven insights, and top-level quality in the industry. After landing two great clients, they realized the importance of setting up predictable growth systems and started reaching out to prospective companies through outbound sales tactics. They are now on track to make over $8,000,000 annually with over 200 employees worldwide.
How much money it makes: $8.4M/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 175
Appetiser App Development grew from a startup with $0 to now making over $8,000,000 annually with over 200 employees across the globe, serving clients that have billions in valuations like Pointsbet and Good Empire, by helping startups succeed with their app development needs.
4. Autoklose ($7.5M/year)
Shawn Finder, the co-founder of Autoklose, identified a gap in the market during his tenure as a VP of Sales. He observed that many businesses were purchasing lists that had low-quality data, which was frustrating for sales teams who relied on that data for outreach. This pain point inspired him to create a service that combined accurate B2B data with email sales automation, eliminating the need for separate services and improving efficiency.
Before fully committing to the idea, Shawn used his previous business, ExchangeLeads, as a foundation by integrating its database into the new platform. This not only validated the market demand but also helped in funding and informing the development of Autoklose. He continuously refined the initial product through feedback from early adopters, offering discounts in exchange for insights, which helped tailor the tool to meet real customer needs.
Despite facing challenges like high churn rates and the necessity of educating small businesses on the value of the service, Shawn's strategic approach, including hiring customer success teams to reduce churn and employing a methodical pricing strategy, helped in quickly growing the business. His key lesson was leveraging existing resources while being open to pivot based on customer feedback, ultimately culminating in building a product that suited the market's needs effectively.
How much money it makes: $7.5M/year
How many people on the team: 30
5. Twelvedevs ($1.2M/year)
Andrey and his co-founder Alexander were working as programmers in a software development outsourcing company when they decided to start their own company. Inspired by stories of small teams achieving success, they came up with the idea of creating a small team of 12 top developers. However, they soon realized that they needed to expand their teams to grow the company, leading to the formation of Twelvedevs, an IT consulting and custom software development company. Since its launch in 2012, Twelvedevs has completed over 70 projects in various industries, including Fintech and logistics, and has become one of the leading custom software development companies with over $100k in revenue per month.
How much money it makes: $1.2M/year
How much did it cost to start: $300
How many people on the team: 50
Twelvedevs, an IT consulting and custom software development company, shares its success story after 9 years of completing more than 70 projects across various industries, having over $100k revenue per month, fifty employees, and a soon-to-be-opened branch in the U.S. for Fintech and logistics.
6. Qwaiting ($792K/year)
Rohit Garg, co-founder of QWaiting, came up with the idea for his business after experiencing long waits and frustrations at restaurants. Recognizing the common problem of excessive customer wait times, Garg developed QWaiting to help businesses manage queues and improve customer experiences. With a team of over 50 members and an average monthly revenue of $66k, QWaiting has gained traction in industries such as banks, hospitals, retail stores, airports, and public sector enterprises.
How much money it makes: $792K/year
How many people on the team: 50
Singapore-based Qwaiting's cloud-based queue management software helps businesses manage customer queues, reduce wait times, increase productivity and improve visitor experience. With average monthly revenue of $66k, Qwaiting has attracted 500+ clients and specialises in data analytics reporting, customer feedback support and centralised management.
7. Six Atomic ($480K/year)
Taime Koe, the CEO of Six Atomic, came up with the idea for his business after recognizing the flaws in the apparel industry's supply chain. He saw the potential for on-demand production, which would allow for personalization and sustainability while reducing inventory risk. Through years of research and development, Six Atomic created automation technology that can create customized patterns and designs for each customer, ultimately leading to a more efficient and profitable supply chain.
How much money it makes: $480K/year
How much did it cost to start: $10K
How many people on the team: 20
Six Atomic builds automation technology for the apparel industry to enable real-time, sustainable, and personalized supply chains.
8. SP Tech Inc ($360K/year)
In 2015, Bhanu Kommula and his co-founders, while balancing their day jobs, discovered the complexities businesses faced with Salesforce. Leveraging their expertise in Microsoft technologies, they pivoted and upskilled to focus exclusively on Salesforce, growing SP Tech to serve 57+ global customers and completing 150+ projects with a 92% success rate.
How much money it makes: $360K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1K
How many people on the team: 25
SP Tech is a Salesforce certified consulting partner, helping businesses across the globe to develop, sustain, and manage the digital ecosystem for years now, with 57+ customers, 150+ completed projects and a 92% success rate.
9. StatsDrone ($240K/year)
John Wright, CEO and co-founder of StatsDrone, came up with the idea for his B2B affiliate SaaS company after years of experience in the iGaming and affiliate marketing industry. Recognizing the existing problems in the marketplace, he decided to create a solution that would support the entire affiliate marketing industry. With close to $20k MRR and a successful bootstrapping journey, StatsDrone is now in the middle of an investment round to further accelerate its growth.
How much money it makes: $240K/year
How much did it cost to start: $1M
How many people on the team: 12
B2B affiliate SaaS company, StatsDrone, bootstrapped to close to $20k MRR and is in the middle of an investment round to accelerate the company, with a focus on video content marketing and using tools such as Figma and Tableau for product development.
10. Binderr ($120K/year)
Jacob, originally from Denmark, founded Binderr after selling his Bolt franchise for an eight-figure sum in 2022. Initially an accounting app, Binderr pivoted to client onboarding software for accountants and lawyers, fueled by €4 million in self-funded investments.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $2M
How many people on the team: 19
Jacob's journey from launching a €1m ARR food delivery site and selling a Bolt franchise for 8 figures to self-funding €4m into Binderr, which is onboarding accountants and lawyers with €20k/year contracts, showcases relentless pivoting and strategic positioning in the fintech space.
11. Mobapp Creator ($120K/year)
Leonardo, Germán, and Sebastian, the three co-founders of a No-code app builder solution called MobAppCreator, came up with the idea after years of working on various projects in the tech industry. They saw the potential of mobile apps after the launch of the original iPhone and noticed the similarities in their customers' requirements. They built a framework to develop no-code mobile apps and received a grant of 100K after participating in a product competition for entrepreneurs, which allowed them to dedicate all their time to the project and launch their business.
How much money it makes: $120K/year
How much did it cost to start: $50K
How many people on the team: 2
This case study features a team of three co-founders who provide a No-code app builder solution for small businesses and resellers, generating $120k per year while their running costs are only 10% of their overall COGS.
12. Sync2Sheets ($108K/year)
Leandro, a former freelance software developer from Buenos Aires, pivoted from freelancing to building Sync2Sheets, a tool syncing Notion databases with Google Sheets. Launched rapidly in just two weeks, the product now boasts $9k MRR and over 400 paying customers, including Canva and Wix.
How much money it makes: $108K/year
How much did it cost to start: $0
How many people on the team: 0
A Software Engineer turned SaaS founder shares the journey of building Sync2Sheets, a Google Workspace Add-On that syncs Notion databases with Google Sheets, generating $9k MRR with over 400 paying customers, strategic marketing tactics, and plans for expansion into other services.
13. Legislate ($60K/year)
Charles Brecque, the founder of Legislate, came up with the idea for his legal tech company after experiencing the slow and painful process of creating, negotiating, and tracking contracts in his previous startup role. He realized that making contracts machine-readable through knowledge graphs would be a more efficient solution and secured initial funding to start building the platform. Legislate has since gained over 120 paying clients and raised £1M in funding.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How much did it cost to start: $150K
How many people on the team: 12
A legal tech company, Legislate, founded by Charles Brecque, makes it easy for non-lawyers to safely create lawyer-approved contracts and track the data they contain, with a team of 12 and over 120 paying clients split between property and employment.
14. Freeflow ($60K/year)
Mikhiel Tareen and Nick Scavone, former employees of Okta, noticed the challenges that remote employees faced in terms of feeling disconnected from their teams. They conducted extensive research and discovered that the root cause was the lack of casual and spontaneous communication tools for remote teams. This led them to create Freeflow, a B2B software company that provides a 'virtual office' for remote teams to collaborate in a more organic and efficient manner.
How much money it makes: $60K/year
How many people on the team: 8
Freeflow, a B2B software company providing a 'virtual office' for remote teams, raised $1.7M in pre-seed funding, reduced meeting times by as much as 50%, boasts 35+ daily team conversations, and helps globally scaling firms integrate new hires and onboard into the culture.
15. Maynuu ($36K/year)
Aaron, the GM of Maynuu, came up with the idea for their business out of frustration with how big food delivery platforms were charging exorbitant fees to small restaurants. He wanted to create a tool that would help small restaurant owners make more money online. He connected with Wafiq, the CEO of Maynuu, who had a similar idea to help his brother's café business. They merged their projects and launched Maynuu, which has seen significant growth, making about $4,300 last month and growing about 200% in the last year.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $500
How many people on the team: 4
Maynuu helps small restaurant owners streamline their online ordering process, making an average monthly revenue of $3,050 in the past 12 months and growing about 200% throughout the pandemic, with plans for Southeast Asian expansion and global distribution.
16. Purpur ($36K/year)
Elena Zaharova and Anfisa Savchenko leveraged their marketing expertise from a skincare company to launch Purpur, a therapy-game app that deepens relationships through conversation, after their printed card games generated over $300K in sales. With an app launch in spring, they aim for $3K monthly revenue by mid-October.
How much money it makes: $36K/year
How much did it cost to start: $7K
How many people on the team: 5
Purpur App, a therapy-game app to develop relationships through talking, generated over $300K in sales from printed card games and have launched a new app that has the potential to reach $3K monthly revenue by mid-October.
17. Workee ($12K/year)
Workee, the user-friendly business management software for freelancers, was born out of the founder's personal experience. When his therapist mom lost her job due to COVID, he realized the need for a simple tool to automate work routines for professionals with online appointments. After conducting interviews and receiving feedback, they launched an MVP and have since attracted customers through paid channels and organic growth. Their future plans include expanding their user base and launching a fully free package to drive growth and retention.
How much money it makes: $12K/year
How many people on the team: 6
Workee is a user-friendly business management software for freelancers who do private appointments, created by a team of experienced software developers after conducting 20 interviews and seeing a huge need for a tool that can autopilot work routines and an all-in-one approach to avoid high marketplace fees.
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Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
Download the report and join our email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.
