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PRESENTED BY

Here's what you'll find in this issue:

This founder bootstrapped to $11M ARR instead of taking venture capital. Now he serves 2,000 agencies in 100 countries.
5 vibe coding tools. Some of the latest apps for coding with AI.
Yesterday's build board winners, including three new product launches from indie hackers.
30-second growth tip: Throw a launch party big enough to make your business feel real to the market.

Still using ChatGPT for serious work? Try Hatch instead.

Built by the founders of Indie Hackers, Hatch is the most productive AI assistant ever made. Use code INDIE30FREE for 100% off your first month.

This founder teamed up with his dad for an $11M win 🤝

Sean Mallapurkar left a venture-backed Silicon Valley startup to go help his dad with his "boring" recruitment business. They never raised a dime, spent less than $70k to get to first revenue, and now Recruit CRM does $11M ARR at 40% margins.

It's the kind of boring-business outcome most founders claim to want, then ignore when it actually shows up. 🤷‍♂️

They built a combined applicant-tracking and CRM tool for recruitment agencies that actually feels like modern software (the legacy guys are still stuck in the 90s, basically). They hired a global team out of India, leaned hard on SEO, and let growth compound for years. The end result is 2,000 agencies in 100 countries, none of the typical VC burn, and a business that prints cash.

Read the full interview for the playbook on turning an overlooked B2B niche into a durable, high-margin business.

Read the full article →

$1M in Funding, 5% Equity, 43North Application is Open!

Applications are now open for the 2026 43North competition!

43North is a seed-stage accelerator program that hosts an annual startup competition and invests $5 million per year to attract and cultivate high-growth companies in Buffalo, NY. Selected companies receive free incubator space in Buffalo for one year, guidance from experienced mentors in related fields, and access to business incentive programs and other resources designed to help them scale.

Buffalo is no longer an emerging startup market. It's a city where founders can create a lasting legacy while building their businesses with real support around them: capital, customers, talent, and a community that shows up. As that momentum continues, 2027 will mark the final year of the 43North Accelerator Program. The 43North Foundation is already helping shape and strengthen Buffalo’s innovation economy, and its efforts will continue to grow as the region moves into its next chapter.

For startups ready to make their move and be part of a growing startup hub, this is the moment. The 2026 competition is the final chance to join 43North’s nationally recognized accelerator program and build in Buffalo with the funding, mentorship, and community to support what comes next.

Applications are open now. Startups looking to scale, connect with a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, and grow alongside a city that is invested in their success are encouraged to apply and take advantage of this opportunity to be part of Buffalo’s next chapter.

Apply today!

Vibe coding tools to try 🧑🏻‍💻

Hatch: Ditch ChatGPT. Use the most productive AI assistant ever made. Thoughtfully crafted by the founders of Indie Hackers.
Lovable: Describe your idea — Lovable builds a full-stack app and reusable prompts in seconds.
Qodo: Boost test coverage fast — Qodo writes unit tests and smart code suggestions.
Pieces: Store snippets of code offline and use a “long-term memory agent” to search, fix, reuse.
Windsurf: AI-powered IDE that anticipates your next move.

See all 30 tools in the directory →

Bite-sized growth tip 🍪

Throw a launch party big enough to make your business feel real to the market.

Robin Waite, founder of Fearless Business (a coaching company that helps entrepreneurs price, package, and scale their services), kicked off his new venture by renting out the Aerospace Museum in Bristol. When the costs blew past $3,000, he just sold $500 sponsorships to local businesses and covered most of it.

200 people showed up. A bunch of them signed up for an early version of his group accelerator on the spot. The whole thing also told his market that Fearless Business wasn't some side project. It's now doing $25K/month.

The bit most founders skip: a high-stakes public moment forces you to be ready in a way a quiet launch never will.

Read the full growth report →

The Build Board 🪧

Every day, indie hackers post updates about the products they're building. Here's what the community voted to the top yesterday!

	1. Affirmation Cards: Change your mindset with positive affirmation cards hurray! I Made My First Internet Money($10)	▲ 44

	2. AdsRoad: An affordable and funny advertisement platform. 2nd day on indie hackers. Still zero	▲ 6

	3. Qlauson: The quality management tracking tool that makes it easy. Looking for early design partners in manufacturing, MedTech, pharmaceuticals, food production, automotive, aerospace, and other operations	▲ 6

Enjoy building in public? Post an update to your product page on Indie Hackers, and it will automatically be added to the daily leaderboard.

AI assistants are evolving. Hatch is the next generation. 🧠

AI models have evolved. ChatGPT has not.

We're still using the same old AI assistant products we were using in 2022, even though the models underneath them keep getting better.

It's time for the next generation of AI assistants.

Introducing Hatch, the most productive AI assistant ever made.

From the creators of Indie Hackers, Hatch was thoughtfully crafted to help you get real work done. From floating windows to tagging documents, we've reimagined every aspect of your daily AI assistant to help you operate at a higher level.

Try Hatch free. Use code INDIE30FREE for 100% off for 1 month.

Channing's Tweet Pick 🐦

I didn't become a good entrepreneur until I was in my 30s, and even now I anticipate doing my best work in my 40s or 50s!

—Channing

We'd love your feedback! 🙃

Did you like today's stories? Did they suck? Which ones?

We're constantly changing things up to make this newsletter more useful, so let us know what you think by replying directly to this email. We read every reply!

Special thanks to Yushavel Calderon for the graphic design, and to James Fleischmann for contributing a post.

—Channing

Indie Hackers | 120 Westlake Avenue N, Seattle, Washington 98109

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🗞️ What's New: $11M ARR with Dad, launch party marketing, founders peak in their 40s?