Nomorobo · B2C · robocall blocking app
Enter a government prize contest with a working prototype, demo video and catchy name
Won and split the $50K prize out of ~800 entries; launched the company
Workedpr-launchvalidation
What they did
Entered the FTC's crowd-sourced Robocall Challenge (found via TechCrunch) while between companies. Instead of a 30-page business plan, submitted a one-to-two-page description, a working Twilio prototype using simultaneous ring (simring) to get a copy of each call, the full source code and database schema, and a demo video. Pitched distribution (going to consumers directly, around the carriers) rather than an algorithm, reading between the lines of the rules. Named it something catchy (Nomorobo, 'no more robocalls') and grabbed the domain, while the co-winner's entry had a long unmemorable name.
What happened
Picked as one of two winners of ~800 entrants; split the $50,000 prize and got national press and Congressional testimony.
- Stage
- pre-launch
In their words
Sub Club by RevenueCat · From Idea to 8-Figure Exit in 10 Years Flat — Aaron Foss, Nomorobo“They put up $50,000, 800 people entered, and they picked me and another guy, and we split the prize.”
“So even when I entered the competition, I put together a video. Nobody else put together a video. I built a prototype.”
“I named it something catchy. No-mo-ro-bo. No more robocalls.”
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More from this episode
- Nomorobo: Talk to every reporter after a public win and send them to an email waitlist3,000 signups in a few months, 30,000+ emails by launch day
- Nomorobo: Request 5 years of government complaint data to seed your blocklist on day oneMany false positives, but enough to launch and start collecting real data
- Nomorobo: Give landline blocking away free forever to gather data and users for the paid appCost up to $120K a month in phone bills; replaced any ad budget
- Nomorobo: Email your free landline users asking them to try the paid mobile appFounder calls it huge; no numbers
- Nomorobo: Charge $1.99 a month through Apple's in-app subscriptions instead of building billingBecame the business's turning point; Apple's cut was cheaper than self-run billing
- Nomorobo: Give a 2-week free trial so users see it block a robocall firstFounder credits it for the app's success; no numbers
- Nomorobo: Soft launch quietly, fix the bugs, then tell reporters who covered you beforeFounder says the press flywheel kept going; no numbers
- Nomorobo: Publish a page for every robocaller phone number, with the call recording and a block buttonFounder calls it a moat that worked really well; no traffic numbers
- Nomorobo: Pitch local reporters this week's top scams in their city, with call audio2-3 unpaid press mentions a week for 10 years, including NBC Nightly News
- Nomorobo: Let phone carriers turn on your free service in one click from their control panelsAnother huge free channel with no biz dev team; no numbers
- Nomorobo: Build it Apple's privacy-first way, then ask Apple to feature it as App of the DayFeatured by Apple early; founder calls it a competitive advantage
- Nomorobo: Hand off customer support first, using contractors you meet through your networkBuilt the whole team without job posts; the support contractor's brother became product manager
- Nomorobo: Track just one number early on: robocalls blockedFounder recommends it; no measured result
- Nomorobo: Raise small amounts on a rolling note only when you need the next stepAbout $2.25M raised in total; reached profitability and kept a big stake
- Nomorobo: Ask your biggest supplier for 90-day payment terms while waiting for Apple payoutsGot down to $944 in the bank but survived without predatory investor terms
- Nomorobo: When one buyer makes an offer, tell every past suitor to get competing bidsHad a choice of buyers; sold for over eight figures (per host)
- Nomorobo: Add a $5 a month premium tier with call screening and a family plan