At the start of 2024, Connor Burd had $7 in his bank account and no job.
One year later, he has run multiple iOS apps bringing in over $700K ARR, without any investors or outside funding.
Fresh out of UC Santa Cruz, the 23-year-old had already built and launched several consumer apps before joining Origami as a founding engineer.
That hands-on shipping muscle, paired with his speed-first mindset, set the tone for what came next.
Last summer, Connor joined Shipaton 2025, RevenueCat’s global mobile hackathon, and turned it into a personal two-week sprint to build something big.
That something was Payout, an app now making around $20K a month. It also won Shipathon’s Grand Prize, landing him a $60K cash reward.
What is Payout?
Payout helps people find class-action settlements they’re already eligible for. Basically, free money most consumers never realize they can claim.
The app simplifies a messy legal process into a few taps. It scans open settlements, estimates potential payouts, and sends alerts when new cases appear.
Millions of dollars go unclaimed every year, and Payout turns that overlooked reality into an opportunity.
Built entirely with AI
Connor built the whole thing using Claude Code and Cursor.
Not a single line written by hand.
He launched it on August 2, and within weeks it crossed 10,000 downloads and $20,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
Picking a niche that sells itself
Everyone wants to make money, it’s one of human’s core desires.
Connor studied competitors like Settlemate and Claim, borrowed what worked, and added his own spin.
The $20,000 paywall
Payout runs on a subscription model that gives users unlimited settlements. It’s $9.99 for weekly access or $39.99 for the full year.
Connor’s goal is obviously to nudge users toward the yearly plan, since it brings in the highest lifetime value per customer.
The growth playbook
Connor’s main growth lever was influencer partnerships.
Instead of traditional UGC, he worked with large Instagram creators who already had audience trust.
One of them was @casper.capital, a personal finance influencer with 2.7M followers. Casper’s paid collabs drove thousands of users directly to the app.
The formula relied on relatable, viral videos that feel spontaneous but lead straight to downloads.
A typical post starts with a hook: “Class Action Side Hustle!“
Next comes a short skit featuring a brand most viewers recognize, like Temu:
“Hey Temu, Is it true that I can make $1000 from your lawsuit?”
That curiosity pulls viewers in, followed by a quick step-by-step walkthrough of how to claim money through the app.
The CTA is always the same:
“Comment ‘Claim,’ and I’ll send you the app.”
That simple DM funnel drives conversions while keeping engagement high.
Connor now tracks which organic videos perform best so he can turn them into paid ads later.
Based on how they’ve already done, he has a good idea of which ones will work.
Connor now tracks which organic videos perform best so he can turn them into paid ads later. Based on how they’ve already done, he has a good idea of which ones will work.
From Hackathon Sprint to Payout
What began as a 14-day hackathon project became a $20K MRR success story.
Connor scaled fast by understanding app niches, leveraging influencer campaigns, and running smart paid ads, without writing a single line of code.
You can check out an interview he did recently for Starter Story here.
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