From Side Project to Startup: How Snippai Got Its First 100 Users 🚀

When we first started building Snippai, it wasn’t a company—it was a weekend project. Today, it’s a cross-platform tool with real users who rely on it for screenshot-driven AI insights. This post shares the story of how we went from a scrappy idea to our first 100 users—without a marketing team or funding, but with a clear mission and persistent execution.

🎯 The Problem We Wanted to Solve

We constantly found ourselves juggling screenshots: math formulas, error logs, UI mockups, tables, and weird bugs. Copy-pasting was tedious. Manually extracting text or translating labels was painful.

We asked: what if taking a screenshot could instantly give you a useful response—from LaTeX to explanations, from data extraction to translation?

That question became the foundation for Snippai.

⚒️ Building the MVP in 10 Days

We started with:

• Frontend: Electron.js + React.js + TypeScript for cross-platform desktop compatibility (Windows/macOS).

• Backend: Supabase for rapid iteration (auth, database, file storage).

• LLM Integration to analyze screenshots.

The MVP let users hit a shortcut (), take a screenshot, and get a smart response in seconds. No accounts, no fluff—just speed.Ctrl+Shift+A

🔄 Iterating with Real Feedback

Our first testers were friends. We watched them use it:

• A CS major tried solving LeetCode math with it.

• A designer wanted it to extract text from Figma screenshots.

• A founder used it to localize app copy on the fly.

Their reactions helped us tighten our core feature set:

• Formula recognition with LaTeX output

• Markdown tables from charts

• Code snippet understanding

• Text translation

• Instant context detection

📢 Getting Our First 100 Users

We didn’t buy ads. Instead, we:

1. Posted on Reddit and Medium: A clean demo video and link on r/alphaandbetausers got us 40+ signups.

2. Cold DMed: We reached out to startup and AI communities, offering early access in exchange for feedback.

3. Used our own tool: We shared screenshots processed by Snippai on X (Twitter) and LinkedIn—showcasing its usefulness visually.

4. Applied to Microsoft for Startups: We received $1,000 in Azure credits, giving us validation and infrastructure.

By week 3, we hit our first 100 users.

🧠 Lessons Learned

• Solve a pain point you experience yourself. It gives you intuitive product direction.

• Optimize for speed-to-insight. Our users loved that they could screenshot and immediately get value—no learning curve.

• Your community is your best launchpad. Talk to users early, often, and personally.

👣 What’s Next?

With our first batch of users, we’re now focused on:

• Supporting more screenshot types (e.g. charts, maps, equations in handwriting).

• Integrating with tools like Notion, Slack, and VSCode.

• Refining our UX to feel as magical as hitting .Cmd+Shift+A

Snippai started as a weekend itch. Now it’s a product people love to use.

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If you’re building something similar or curious about screenshot-based AI tools, DM us or try Snippai for yourself at snippai.de. ✌️

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