How Sketch Logo AI Hit $25K in 6 Months Without Funding

The Idea That Skipped the Line

Most AI logo generators work like text-to-image prompts: write a sentence, get a generic logo. But what if users could sketch their idea instead?

That’s the question behind Sketch Logo AI, a bootstrapped design tool built by Berk Elmas (aka Reddit user “TofuCat1804”) and a small team of engineers and marketers. In a crowded space full of Canva clones and Fiverr-style marketplaces, Sketch Logo AI promised something different:

“You sketch. The AI finishes. No design skills needed.”

It worked. The tool hit over $8.4K in revenue in its first 3 months and passed $25K within 6. And it did it with no VC backing, no cold outbound, and no hype cycle boost.

What Made It Different

Sketch Logo AI’s value prop was simple but powerful:

• Sketch-based input instead of relying on vague text prompts
• Beginner-friendly with no design background required
• Unique outputs that felt custom, not stock
• Broad appeal, from logo makers to tattoo designers to Etsy sellers
• Cost-effective, positioned between free tools and expensive designers

The tech stack included custom Stable Diffusion models hosted on RunPod pods. The frontend was built with Next.js and ISR, the backend on Node.js + TypeScript APIs. But the real differentiation wasn’t tech — it was accessibility and simplicity.

Go-to-Market: Fast, Scrappy, and Organic

Instead of building everything from scratch, Elmas purchased a SaaS boilerplate that came bundled with a marketing guide. It included a list of 150+ directories and sites where he could list the product for backlinks.

This allowed the team to:

• Launch quickly
• Implement an SEO strategy from day one
• Focus on content instead of code

Then came the Product Hunt launch in January. Sketch Logo AI became the #5 Product of the Day and landed its first paying user within 72 hours.

From there, it was pure organic:

• 29 blog posts in 6 months
• Consistent social media content
• SEO-driven traffic reaching over 300K monthly views by July

The tool saw $2.9K in revenue in a single week mid-year, largely driven by content and backlinks. Site traffic topped 12K daily visitors at one point.

Pricing & Revenue

Sketch Logo AI offers a simple pricing model:

• $19/month or $29/month depending on promo timing
• $199/year or $299/year for annual access

Total reported revenue hit $25K within 6 months. While MRR, churn, and user count aren’t public, the trajectory suggests consistent monthly growth. A modest affiliate program was added mid-year to support annual sales.

Growing Pains & Honest Feedback

Like most indie SaaS projects, Sketch Logo AI wasn’t without friction.

• Low conversion rate: Some users reported <1% conversion. The founder noted that many users dropped off at the checkout stage. Email marketing and push notifications were added to fix this.
• Confusing messaging: Some visitors didn’t realize it worked beyond logos. The landing page was updated to clarify its broader use cases.
• No free trial: Several Reddit users wanted a demo or test mode. This was added to the roadmap.
• Questionable testimonials: A user flagged fake-looking Twitter reviews. Elmas responded and said they were being updated.

These are common SaaS growing pains — and the founder’s willingness to respond openly helped keep the community engaged.

The Market: AI Design, But Broader

Sketch Logo AI entered a competitive niche with players like Looka, LogoAI, and Canva’s AI logo tools. But its sketch-based input gave it a distinct angle.

Unlike tools that pump out generic logos from text, Sketch Logo AI emphasized:

• Visual imagination
• Intuitive creativity
• Outputs for more than just logos (tattoos, illustrations, NFTs, etc.)

For users who found other tools too rigid — or too templated — it offered a better creative flow.

Strategy Takeaways

What can other founders learn from this?

1. Boilerplates are underrated. Buying a prebuilt SaaS with marketing resources can shave months off your launch timeline.

2. Product Hunt still works. If you clearly explain your differentiation and show real value, PH is still a great early traction lever.

3. SEO takes time — but it compounds. Publishing consistent blog content and building backlinks pays off if you start early.

4. Build broadly, message clearly. The tool appealed to a wide creative audience, but early messaging didn’t reflect that. Updating the positioning made a difference.

5. Talk to your users. Elmas responded to feedback in real-time, and many product improvements came directly from Reddit conversations.

What’s Next?

The project has crossed $25K in revenue with zero funding, steady SEO growth, and a clear use case. Whether it can scale to $100K ARR or more will likely depend on:

• Conversion optimization (fixing that low checkout completion rate)
• Paid acquisition (testing ads to amplify organic reach)
• Expanding use cases (animation, branding kits, integrations)

But either way, Sketch Logo AI is a solid case study in how solo or small teams can punch above their weight — if they launch fast, keep it simple, and let feedback guide the way.