1 Million Downloads. Zero Ad Spend. Aja Beckett on Building the #1 GLP1 App From a Reddit Post.

Aja Beckett, CEO and founder of Shotsy, didn't set out to build a company. She got prescribed a GLP1 medication, found herself completely unsupported after leaving the doctor's office, and built the companion app she needed. Two years later, Shotsy is the #1 companion app for GLP1 users — 1 million+ downloads, 100,000+ paying subscribers, 25,000 five-star reviews, available in 185 territories across 18 languages, with zero paid advertising and no data sales. In this episode, Aja shares how a Reddit post became her launch strategy, why her 7th app was the one that finally worked, the business model that lets her answer only to her users, and why she has made a deliberate decision to keep AI entirely out of the Shotsy user experience — even as she uses it aggressively to ship faster on the development side.   Topics Discussed Aja's background: iOS engineer, independent app developer with 6 prior apps before Shotsy Her personal GLP1 journey: prescribed medication, life-changing results, no support infrastructure left her on her own Building the companion app she needed — and discovering it was what everyone else needed too Shotsy's growth: #1 GLP1 companion app, 1M+ downloads, 100K+ paying subscribers, 25K 5-star App Store reviews Global reach: iOS and Android, 18 languages, paying customers in 185 territories The broader benefits of GLP1 medications beyond weight loss: blood pressure, cholesterol, sleep apnea, mental health, reductions in cravings for alcohol, cigarettes, compulsive behaviors Regulation and health data: brought in Chief Science Officer Eric Praxis, formerly Chief Science Officer for Informatics at the FDA Privacy-first business model: no ads, no data sales, freemium with premium subscriptions as the only revenue model Launch strategy: authentic Reddit community participation, beta tester recruitment, organic word-of-mouth from day one App Store expertise: keywords, screenshots, purchase screen, title — got it right on day one and didn't need to touch it Pre-seed venture capital raised in year one to resource growth and maintain the #1 position Team: 5 full-time + 4 contractors, 100% remote, US-based, no one in the same city AI in development: faster code reviews, quicker feature shipping, reduced bottlenecks for a small team AI deliberately kept OUT of user-facing experience: health context, privacy concerns, accuracy risk, no unsolicited medical-adjacent advice 2026 goals: maintain #1, expand pill support for oral GLP1s, more data charts and medication level curve visualization, community and social connection features