Alex Ruber and Parth Chopra, co-founders of the AI-powered social connection app Candle, generated over $1 million in revenue in their first year after pivoting five to six times. Their initial AI shopping tool was not economically viable, leading them to explore various ideas before finding success with Candle, which launched in March 2025.
Alex Ruber and Parth Chopra, co-founders of the social connection app Candle, shared their journey to success after multiple pivots. They initially launched an AI-powered shopping tool that proved economically unviable, leading them into a "three-month pivot hell" where they explored five to six different ideas. These included a therapy product, a self-journaling app, and concepts for dating apps, as well as B2B ideas in insurance and paper industries. They learned to ruthlessly assess if users would return or pay, discarding ideas that didn't meet these criteria. Their biggest mistake, Ruber noted, was pivoting across industries rather than focusing on a problem space they loved. During a low point, they reflected on their experiences and decided to build in the consumer space, noticing a need for deeper connection among friends and family. This led to the creation of Candle, an app that provides a daily question prompt for users to answer, fostering connection. Although they were strict about metrics during their pivot phase, they initially did not set formal metrics for Candle, as they didn't take it as seriously. However, its organic retention among their network was strong, prompting them to measure it, revealing it as their best-performing idea. Candle was launched on the App Store in March 2025. The app now has a full-time team of four and generated over $1 million in revenue in its first year. While they avoid AI-generated questions to maintain authenticity, they utilize AI for grammar editing, code generation (using Claude Code and Codex), translation into German, French, and Spanish (using Gemini and Claude), and for recommending activities that help users connect.
The story highlights the challenges and iterative process of startup development, demonstrating how multiple pivots and a focus on user engagement can lead to significant revenue growth, even with AI-assisted tools.