💵 Blake Anderson: How a 23-Year-Old Built a $15M AI Business
Blake Anderson, 23, had been looking for ways to make money since he was a child. He went home to San Diego from college in 2023, just as his family faced financial difficulties.
"I moved back home, my older brother was giving me loans for groceries and I'm like, 'This is my last real chance,'" recalls Blake.
A month later, he released RizzGPT (now Plug AI), an AI that scans chat screenshots to assess charisma and provide advice on how to be more charming. Two TikTok creators' $50 promotion caused it to go viral. The app is now generating up to $200,000 monthly.
In 2024, Blake launched Umax. The approach was the same, but this time the AI evaluated appearance and gave style recommendations. Again using influencer marketing, Umax now brings in up to $400,000 per month.
Later, Blake co-founded Cal AI, a calorie-tracking app, with his friend Zach Yadegari (whose story we've covered here). The concept originated in the gym, where Zack had gone "to impress girls." Blake also co-founded Apex, a personal growth AI platform.
Anderson is currently working on a service called 10x, which aims to help people "learn anything" with AI.
"In the future, what we're going to build are AI applications that can help you determine what sort of exercises to do, what sort of foods you should be eating based on what you are trying to achieve and improve in your life," says Anderson.
Subscriptions to Plug AI, Umax, and CalAI currently generate more than $15 million annually. This year, Blake hopes to earn $20 million.
