📲 How to monetize your app idea

The fastest way to start generating App Store revenue

February 03, 2025

Hey there.

Starting a new side hustle has never been more accessible.

It used to take months (and thousands of dollars) to research, prototype, and develop an app.

But now, with the right knowhow, almost anyone can use AI to go through the same process in a fraction of the time.

Inside The Rundown AI University, we’re putting together actionable resources to help innovators turn their best ideas into App Store reality.

If you’ve got an idea you can’t wait to bring to life, here’s how our most recent step-by-step guides can help you launch it fast:

Turn your idea into a validated opportunity 

It’s always been hard to feel confident about your app idea without time-consuming market research and competitor analysis. But, now it’s easier than ever to verify your initial concept without having to spend weeks stuck at the planning stage.

With AI research models that can accurately understand up to 700,000 words at once, it’s possible to analyze entire markets, process years of industry data, and extract actionable insights faster than ever before.

Now you can:

  • Test your app idea against up-to-date market demand

  • Identify user segments and their specific needs

  • Map out competitor gaps and opportunities

  • Analyze potential revenue streams and pricing models

  • Identify potential regulatory challenges before they arise

What used to take weeks of research can now be completed in a single afternoon with a handful of prompts. Plus, the multi-step reasoning capabilities mean each insight builds upon the last to create a complete understanding of your market opportunity.

Of course, if you’re serious about your idea, validation is just the first step…

Test your concept without code 

Testing your app idea used to either mean hiring developers or spending months learning to code. But, with AI automation, you no longer need technical expertise to create working prototypes.

With local AI models that can run privately on your own machine and automation platforms that connect multiple tools together, you’re able to test complex workflows and simulate real user input before investing any time in development.

Now you can:

  • Process simulated user interactions automatically

  • Create AI chat workflows for your concept

  • Test your core features and ideas

  • Connect with existing services and tools

  • Build with complete privacy and control

And, because everything runs locally on your machine, you can iterate on your prototype as much as needed without worrying about usage limits or API costs.

Then, once you’re done testing, here’s how you can turn those insights into a finished product...

Launch your app and start generating revenue

This Tuesday at 3:00 PM EST, Kevin Hou—the Head of Product Engineering at Codeium—will be joining us for a special 90-minute deep dive workshop.

He’s showing our members how to:

  • Build and deploy robust mobile applications that don’t look a DIY project

  • Implement backend functionality with database management systems

  • Integrate App Store in-app purchases (so you can get paid!)

  • Deploy secure scalable applications 

  • Ensure all your AI-generated code is private and safe

Whether you're starting from scratch or looking to streamline your existing development workflow, you'll walk away with hands-on experience building production-ready mobile apps.

Soon you’ll be able to combine all three to validate, test, build, and launch a revenue generating app. While others are still planning their first move, you could be submitting your polished idea to the App Store.

Stay curious, 

Rowan & The Rundown Team

P.S. University members get 60 days of Windsurf Pro for free. That means you can watch tomorrow’s workshop and then build your first app (without paying a cent) by grabbing a 14-day trial here.