Founders Levan Kvirkvelia and Daniel Dhawan of Rork have turned their fortunes around in an extraordinary success story reminiscent of a blockbuster film. Initially facing substantial financial hardship, both were thousands of dollars in debt, with Kvirkvelia even residing on a friend’s mattress. Their luck took a dramatic turn when, within just five days, they generated $100,000 in revenue.
This surge in income attracted significant investment, culminating in a $2.8 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz’s newly launched Speedrun programme, with participation from notable investors such as Hustle Fund’s Elizabeth Yin and others. Their mobile app, Rork, enables users with minimal technical knowledge to create mobile applications using simple text commands. The breakthrough moment came on February 12, when they launched Rork via a tweet after months of hard work and one strategic pivot.
Dhawan described their situation to TechCrunch as being on the brink of financial collapse: “We were really running out of money really soon.” Early funding from angel investor Matt Shumer helped keep them afloat, but the real turning point came when Shumer tweeted about Rork, declaring it superior to a competing product, which ignited a viral response and significantly increased user interest.
On February 24, Shumer’s tweet became a sensation, amassing over a million views and leading to the immediate interest of investors. Within hours, Rork had raised around $350,000, transforming what was nearly a failure into a remarkable success.
Despite these gains, the journey had been fraught with challenges. Each founder had previously bootstrapped successful mobile app startups, but most of their finances were depleted while developing Rork’s predecessor, which hadn’t gained traction. Recognising the mistimed launch against their competitor, Kvirkvelia and Dhawan decided to pivot back to their original vision—creating a user-friendly platform for mobile app development.
After responding to the competitors’ launch, they launched Rork on the same day, unleashing a product that promised to simplify mobile app creation. The strong investor interest that followed their launch included a connection with Andrew Chen from Andreessen Horowitz, who was keen to extend an offer after a brief negotiation.
Just two months post the viral mention, Rork was on track to achieve an annual recurring revenue of $550,000, marking a phenomenal turnaround. The founders, now equipped with new funding and a growing user base, are looking toward the future with renewed optimism and stability, with Dhawan moving into his own apartment after the tumultuous experience. Their journey exemplifies innovation, perseverance, and strategic adaptability in the fast-paced tech landscape.
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