Started a small experiment 57 days ago. Gave every startup in the network a tiny bar on their site showing other startups.
The idea was simple. You show others, others show you.
Now there are 77 startups in it generating impressions for each other daily without paying a single dollar for ads.
Wondering if this actually scales or hits a wall at some point.
57 days ago, I launched my startup, a free traffic exchange network for startups. One line of code, you're in the network.
No paid ads. No growth hacks. Just watching the numbers every day.
Here's the full data:
Day 1 — 2 startups · 146 impressions · 1 clicks
Day 2 — 3 startups · 389 impressions · 3 clicks
Day 3 — 5 startups · 482 impressions · 5 clicks
Day 4 — 5 startups · 508 impressions · 4 clicks (site went down — still got an $8k acquisition offer. Said no.)
Day 5 — 6 startups · 621 impressions · 10 clicks
Day 6 — 5 startups · 742 impressions · 15 clicks (removed one startup — they pulled the embed. No code = no network.)
Day 7 — 7 startups · 1,196 impressions · 41 clicks
Day 8 — 7 startups · 1,535 impressions · 74 clicks
Day 9 — 8 startups · 1,947 impressions · 135 clicks
Day 10 — 13 startups · 3,500 impressions · 318 clicks (something clicked)
Day 11 — 23 startups · 4,800 impressions · 432 clicks
Day 12 — 24 startups · 6,000 impressions · 481 clicks (network crossed 6K total impressions)
Day 13 — 25 startups · 6,800 impressions · 491 clicks
Day 14 — 25 startups · 8,600 impressions · 516 clicks
Day 15 — 24 startups · 9,900 impressions · 564 clicks (removed one)
Day 16 — 23 startups · 10,800 impressions · 576 clicks (removed one)
Day 17 — 24 startups · 11,900 impressions · 603 clicks (added one)
Day 18 — 26 startups · 13,400 impressions · 624 clicks (added Two)
Day 19 — 28 startups · 14.400 impressions · 652 clicks (added Two)
Day 20 — 26 startups · 14.700 impressions · 671 clicks (Removed Two)
Day 21 — 26 startups · 15.300 impressions · 691 clicks
Day 22 — 28 startups · 16.100 impressions · 719 clicks (Added Two)
Day 23 — 30 startups · 16.800 impressions · 738 clicks (Added Two)
Day 24 — 32 startups · 19,800 impressions · 778 clicks · Added 2 startups · Rejected 4 applications (1 contained ads, 1 removed the code after submission, 2 hid the installed widget)
Day 25 — 34 startups · 23,700 impressions · 800 clicks · Added 2 startups · Fixed some bugs.
Day 26 — 33 startups · 27,200 impressions · 816 clicks · Removed 1 Startup
Day 27 — 33 startups · 29,900 impressions · 833 clicks
Day 28 — 33 startups · 30,600 impressions · 871 clicks · Removed 1 Startup · Added 1 Startup · Rejected 1 application of clothing brand & 1 application of horror blog site.
Day 29 — 35 startups. 31,300 impressions. 910 clicks · Removed 1 Startup · Added 3 Startups · Also today I resigned from my job. Toxic environment, too much pressure, and honestly I just believe in this enough to go all in. Broke and excited. Let's see where this goes.
Day 30 — 46 startups · 32,900 impressions · 1,000 clicks · Removed 1 startup · Added 12 startups · Yesterday I resigned because of my toxic manager. Today my senior manager called and offered me WFH, a project of my choice, and lighter work if I stayed. I made my decision with confidence, but now I have a difficult choice. Also received my first payment from StartupBar.
Day 31 — 50 startups 💪· 28,100 impressions · 1,200 clicks · Removed 1 startup · Added 5 startups · Rejected 1 crypto startup · Removed fake impressions after exploit · Today I discovered I forgot to disable a developer testing button that could generate fake visitor pins and inflate impressions. Someone used it to create 6,318 fake impressions and claimed my stats were fake. I removed the fake impressions, removed the startup, fixed the issue, and that's why today's impressions are lower. Thanks to them for pointing it out.
StartupBar update: Added a Network page and individual Startup Profile pages with each startup's joined date, impressions, clicks, live embed preview, and founder's note. These indexable pages also improve SEO. Suggestions are always welcome.
Day 32 — 54 startups · 29,300 impressions · 1.2K clicks · Added 4 startups
Day 33 — 54 startups · 30,900 impressions · 1.2K clicks · Removed 1 startup · Added 1 startup
Day 34 — 55 startups · 36,100 impressions · 1.3K clicks · Added 1 startup
Day 35 — 55 startups · 40,100 impressions · 1.3K clicks · Removed 2 startups · Added 2 startups
Day 36 — 55 startups · 44,800impressions · 1.4K clicks · Removed 1 startup · Added 1 startup
Day 37 — 58 startups · 50,700impressions · 1.4K clicks · Added 3 startups · Site Update: Updated the distribution algorithm (Delivery is now weighted by contribution: sites that send more impressions get a proportionally larger share back)
Day 38 — 57 startups · 55,800 impressions · 1.5K clicks · Removed 1 startup · Rejected 1 Application.
Today StartupBar reached 200 users 😄
Thirty-eight days ago, this was just an idea. Today, 200 people have trusted it enough to join the network.
A reminder for every founder who's staring at a dashboard with tiny numbers: Stripe took 2 years to reach its first 50 users. Every successful product starts small. Keep shipping. Keep improving. Keep showing up. Growth rarely happens overnight, but it does happen if you don't quit.
Day 39 — 58 startups · 59,800 impressions · 1.5K clicks · Added 1 startup.
Day 40 — 60 startups · 63,200 impressions · 1.6K clicks · Added 3 startups · Removed 1 startup
Day 41 — 63 startups · 69,400 impressions · 1.6K clicks · Added 3 startups
Day 42 — 62 startups · 73,800 impressions · 1.6K clicks · Removed 1 startups
Day 43 — 64 startups · 78,000 impressions · 1.7K clicks · Added 2 startups (Receiving many suggestions to improve the StartupBar, happy to work on it, Thanks.) StartupBar Update - Added the rotation of startups in the widget for every 30 seconds.
Day 44 — 66 startups · 86,200 impressions · 1.7K clicks · Added 2 startups
Day 45 — 67 startups · 88,400 impressions · 1.7K clicks · Removed 2 startups · Added 3 startups (Update - Updated the algorithm of the widget)
Day 46 — 69 startups · 91,900 impressions · 1.8K clicks · Removed 2 startups · Added 4 startups · Got my second payment · Added FAQ Page
Day 47 — 68 startups · 98,900 impressions · 2.2K clicks · Removed 2 startups · Added 1 startup · Added Pricing Page
Day 48 — 70 startups · 103.4K impressions · 2.3K clicks · Added 2 startups
Day 49 — 72 startups · 113.4K impressions · 2.4K clicks · Added 2 startups · Update: Added a Bottom Placement option for the bar on the user site.
Day 50 — 73 startups · 116.7K impressions · 2.4K clicks · Added 1 startup
Day 51 — 74 startups · 125.2K impressions · 2.5K clicks · Added 1 startup · Rejected 1 Application
Day 52 — 73 startups · 131.2K impressions · 2.6K clicks · Removed 1 Startup
Day 53 — 74 startups · 139.5K impressions · 2.7K clicks · Added 1 Startup
Day 54 — 79 startups · 146.3K impressions · 2.7K clicks · Added 6 Startups · Removed 1 startup.
Day 55 — 77 startups · 154.9K impressions · 2.8K clicks · Removed 2 startups.
Day 56 — 77 startups · 161.8K impressions · 2.9K clicks · Added 1 startup · Removed 1 startup.
Day 57 — 77 startups · 169.4K impressions · 3.0K clicks
I resigned my Job recently and focusing on my SaaS for a past few days, i don't know if this is a sign to continue this Journey. i'm getting a call back from my manager to revoke my resignation. Long way to go and I'm ready to face anything taking care of my startup. Is anyone is in the same situation as me and how it's going?
If your startup is listed and revenue verified, you can now add a "Featured on VerifiedMRR" badge to your site. One click to copy the HTML. Shows visitors your revenue is real and verified.
Not my revenue BUT the total verified Indian SaaS MRR.
Day 1 — 2 startups. 146 impressions. 1 click.
Day 2 — 3 startups. 389 impressions. 3 clicks.
Day 3 — 5 startups. 482 impressions. 5 clicks.
Day 4 — 5 startups. 508 impressions. 4 clicks. (The site was down, but I still got an $8k acquisition offer. I said no.)
Day 5 — 6 startups. 621 impressions. 10 clicks.
Day 6 — 5 startups. 742 impressions. 15 clicks. (Had to remove one startup — they pulled the code. No code = no network.)
Day 7 — 7 startups. 1,196 impressions. 41 clicks.
Day 8 — 7 startups. 1,535 impressions. 74 clicks.
Day 9 — 8 startups. 1,947 impressions. 135 clicks.
Day 10 — 13 startups. 3,500 impressions. 318 clicks.
Day 11 — 23 startups. 4,800 impressions. 432 clicks.
Day 12 — 6,000 impressions. 481 clicks. (Network crossed 6K total impressions. 24 startups active in the bar.)
Day 13 — 25 startups. 6,8k impressions. 491 clicks.
Day 14 — 25 startups. 8.6k impressions. 516 clicks.
Still free. Still growing.
Day 1 — 2 startups. 146 impressions. 1 click.
Day 2 — 3 startups. 389 impressions. 3 clicks. (Got an acquisition offer.)
Day 3 — 5 startups. 482 impressions. 5 clicks.
Day 4 — 5 startups. 508 impressions. 4 clicks. (The site was down, but I still got an $8k acquisition offer. I said no.)
Day 5 — 6 startups. 621 impressions. 10 clicks.
Day 6 — 5 startups. 742 impressions. 15 clicks. (Had to remove one startup—they pulled the code. No code = no network. One more startup has been warned.)
Day 7 — 7 startups. 1,196 impressions. 41 clicks. (Highest ever: +454 impressions and +26 clicks in a single day.)
Still free. Still growing.
Built a free traffic exchange on Sunday. By Monday a stranger offered $8k to buy it.
I turned it down. Here's my thinking:
If someone is willing to pay $8k on day 2 with zero revenue and 5 users what do they know that I don't?
They clearly see where this goes. And if they see it, why would I sell it to them cheap?
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it never grows and I'll regret saying no.
But the fact that someone wanted to buy it 48 hours after launch told me more about the idea than any upvote ever could.
Still building....
Not a flex, more of a "huh, this actually works".
I created this little banner exchange network yesterday. The idea is embarrassingly simple you show another founder's startup at the top of your site, they show yours. No money, no algorithm, just mutual exposure.
I also linked one of my startup VerifiedMRR got 77 impressions and 1 click. NotepadPlus got 30 impressions and 3.3% CTR. PreShip Validation got 43 impressions with a 2.3% CTR (other founder's site).
These are tiny numbers. I know. But this is day one, with literally 3 startups in the network.
The interesting part is the CTR 2-3% is actually higher than most display ads which average around 0.1%. Makes sense when you think about it. Someone visiting an indie SaaS product is probably a founder or builder themselves. They actually care about other indie tools.
Curious if anyone else has tried traffic exchanges like this and what your experience was. Is 2-3% CTR sustainable as networks get larger or does it drop off?
Okay so hear me out before you laugh.
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Indian SaaS founders build genuinely good products and then struggle to get anyone to visit their site. Ads cost money nobody has. SEO takes six months minimum. Posting on LinkedIn every day feels like a part time job.
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So I built the dumbest possible solution. You put one line of code on your site. A tiny 36px bar shows up at the top of your site showing another founder's product. And your product shows up on their site. That is literally it. No money changes hands. No algorithm. No dashboard. Just founders trading a tiny slice of their audience with each other.
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I know what you are thinking. This is just a banner ad network with extra feelings. Maybe. But I genuinely believe the audience that visits one indie SaaS product is more likely to care about another one than any cold traffic you buy.
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Anyway please tell me why this is stupid. I can take it. One line of code, completely free, no strings.
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Go ahead.
Been thinking about the earliest stage problem for a while: you've launched something but have zero traffic and zero budget to get it.
Ads are expensive. Cold outreach feels gross. SEO takes months.
So I built something stupid simple a bar that sits at the top of your site showing another founder's startup. In return, your startup gets shown on theirs.
One line of code. No cost. No algorithm. Just founders helping founders get their first eyeballs.
Called it StartupBar. It's completely free, probably always will be.
Would love feedback from this community does this actually solve a real problem or is it a solution looking for one? Also curious if anyone here has tried similar traffic exchange approaches and what worked / didn't.
Okay so hear me out before you laugh.
Indian SaaS founders build genuinely good products and then struggle to get anyone to visit their site. Ads cost money nobody has. SEO takes six months minimum. Posting on LinkedIn every day feels like a part time job.
So I built the dumbest possible solution. You put one line of code on your site. A tiny 36px bar shows up at the top of your site showing another founder's product. And your product shows up on their site. That is literally it. No money changes hands. No algorithm. No dashboard. Just founders trading a tiny slice of their audience with each other.
I know what you are thinking. This is just a banner ad network with extra feelings. Maybe. But I genuinely believe the audience that visits one indie SaaS product is more likely to care about another one than any cold traffic you buy.
Anyway please tell me why this is stupid. I can take it. One line of code, completely free, no strings.
Go ahead.
Every verified startup is a boat, positioned by real revenue.
We verify revenue via Razorpay/Dodo API (not self-reported), then plot each startup as a boat on a scrollable ocean. Higher MRR = further right, bigger presence. No ghost ships, no fake numbers.
Built with React + Canvas + Supabase. The drag physics and revenue-proportional spacing were the trickiest part.
Would love your feedback
Hey bros, i recently launched an app where it creates appstore or playstore mockups and users can also able to convert the phone mockups into iPad or Tablet Mockup instantly. It's powered by Ai.
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Even the examples you are seeing is done with the help of my app.
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Drop your apps ill create free mockup for the first 5 users who comment on this post.
I've launched a few apps and the screenshots were always the slow part. I'm not a designer, so I'd spend an evening in Figma trying to make mockups that didn't look amateur, and they still came out average.
For my last launch I tried a different approach.. uploaded my raw screenshots, added a headline and logo, and let AI generate the store mockups. Took a few minutes and they actually looked clean. Good enough that I shipped them without touching Figma at all.
It's a tool I built, now live on the Play Store with free credits to try.
If you've dealt with the same screenshot grind, drop a comment and I'll share the link. Curious if it saves you the same time it saved me.
Every time I launched an app, the screenshots were the worst part. Hours in Figma, dragging mockups around, never looking as clean as the big apps. Hiring a designer wasn't worth it for a side project.
So I built an app — you upload your real app screenshots, add your headline/logo, and it generates store-ready Play Store + App Store mockups with AI. Stuff that used to take me an evening now takes a few minutes.
Some things it does:
screenshot → polished store mockup
pull context straight from an existing Play Store URL
your own headlines + branding
exports ready to drop into Play Console
It's live on Play Store now (free credits to try, then credit packs — no subscription).
Built it solo as an indie dev, so any feedback from other people who've fought with store listings would mean a lot.
Shot.Ai - Play Store
Soon - App Store
Question for the people here who've been through this.
Last week i went hard on Reddit. Posted on r/SaaS, r/SideProject, r/IndianStartups, r/indiehackers. Long posts about why my platform exists. Short posts. Roast-me posts. Story posts. Some hit 14k views, one hit 55k. Lots of comments. Lots of advice. Lots of validation.
Zero signups.
I was checking the dashboard 47 times a day. Tweaking the landing page. Replying to every comment within 10 minutes. Trying to convert engagement into action.
Then i went quiet for 2 days. Not strategically. Just tired. Burnt out from the constant performance of being a founder online.
When i opened the dashboard again, 5 founders had verified their startups on their own. Without me asking, without me selling, without me being in the comments. Just real founders who somehow found the platform and decided it was worth signing up for.
Now i'm sitting with two contradictory observations:
The shouting probably planted the seeds. Without the viral posts, those 5 founders never knew the platform existed.
The shouting itself didn't convert anyone. Conversion happened in the quiet.
Which is interesting because it implies the right strategy is to be loud occasionally and then shut up and let people decide on their own time. Not to be loud constantly trying to drag people across the line.
So my actual question. For those of you who've been here:
When you saw early traction during a quiet phase, did you go back to shouting because you wanted to scale it? Or did you stay quiet and let it grow on its own pace? Which one actually worked better?
Because right now my instinct is to start posting again to get from 5 to 50. But maybe that's the exact wrong move. Maybe the founders who matter are the ones who arrive when you're not selling.
Not asking for validation. Asking because i don't actually know.
Over the last 6 months it's gotten harder to tell what's real and what's AI on the internet. WhatsApp forwards. Reels. Twitter videos. News images. Everything looks plausible. Some of it is clearly fake but a lot of it is in the uncanny middle zone where you can't tell without zooming in pixel by pixel.
Built a small Android app that runs AI detection on images, videos, and audio. Upload from your gallery or paste a link, get a confidence score on whether it's AI-generated or real.
Not perfect. No detector is perfect right now but mine has greater accuracy.
What it actually does:
Now it officially crossed 50 Downloads. Happy to share this
