In a remarkable success story, two friends, Sal Aiello and Monica Powers, joined forces with nothing but ChatGPT and an investment of approximately $185 to launch a thriving AI startup. The dynamic duo’s journey took them from a casual partnership at a virtual startup event to a significant sale of their venture for a whopping $150,000 in just a matter of months.

Their partnership was ignited during a virtual startup founder meetup event hosted by Silicon Valley’s prestigious Y Combinator. Aiello and Powers quickly discovered their shared entrepreneurial drive and decided to embark on a collaborative endeavor in their spare time.

With limited resources at their disposal, the pair managed to establish their lucrative AI side project within four days, investing a modest sum of around $185.

Their unique approach to building the startup involved using ChatGPT as a foundation for market research. They developed a knack for posing the right questions to ChatGPT to extract valuable insights, a skill that set them apart in the field.

Aiello, an experienced CTO for tech startups, and Powers, a product designer who runs her own strategic design and branding company, decided to create an AI-powered research tool in March. Their innovative tool allowed users to input their business ideas into a form, which was then processed by ChatGPT to deliver actionable insights.

As Aiello recalled, “Maybe we can sell this.” They launched DimeADozen, a business consulting startup catering to “want-repreneurs,” who could obtain a comprehensive business idea report for a fee of $39. The tool outperformed traditional analytics agencies and search engines by delivering results in a fraction of the time.

DimeADozen’s AI tool assists in market research for business ideas, enabling entrepreneurs to gain instant insights into their business’s potential for success in various markets.

Over the course of approximately seven months, DimeADozen generated more than $66,000 in revenue, with the majority of it as pure profit. Their initial investment was minimal, covering expenses such as the web domain ($150) and hosting ($35).

The story reached its climax last month when they sealed a deal to sell their venture for $150,000, according to CNBC Make It. The fortunate buyers were Felipe Arosemena and Danielle de Corneille, a husband-and-wife team. Both possess relevant backgrounds—one as a software engineer and the other as a product designer. They were eager to take on DimeADozen as their full-time endeavor.

Aiello and Powers will continue their involvement in the project, serving as company advisors and dedicating roughly five hours per week to it. In Aiello’s words, “It really does print money.” Their journey from a mere idea to a lucrative AI startup serves as a testament to the potential of innovative thinking and technology, even on a shoestring budget.