From zero to 500 users: How I launched IndieCru.sh solo

Hey, I’m Alex Saint 👋

I’m a solo indie hacker based in Paris, and—fun fact—I only started coding thanks to AI tools. I got inspired watching Marc Lou’s videos on YouTube, picked up some tools, started building… and tweeting.

A few months later:

– Grew a 3.7k+ following on X (started mid-January)

– Built the Fail in Public community, which hit 6,000 members in under 3 months

At the core of everything, I’ve always wanted to help people who are struggling to launch.

I’ve been that person—building alone, failing quietly, watching a product flop in silence. I wanted to change that.

The Problem

When you're launching solo, the story tends to repeat itself:

• You build for weeks. Hit “launch.” Post the tweet.

• And then… nothing. No users. No feedback. Just crickets.

I didn’t need more motivation. I needed traction. A way to test early, talk to real users, and learn what to fix before launch day. That’s where the idea for IndieCru.sh came from.

The Idea

IndieCru.sh is a place for indie devs to launch early and get feedback while it still matters.

You post your app, spin up a testing program, and start collecting real insights before things go live.

To make it more fun and community-driven, I added:

• A leaderboard for devs and testers

• Private testing spaces

• A native token ($INDIE) to reward feedback and feature standout launches

The Launch

I launched IndieCru.sh solo on Product Hunt—no team, no funding, just me and an MVP.

It somehow landed #8 Product of the Day, right next to heavyweights like Mistral and Rabbit AI.

That one launch brought in:

• 500+ users

• 80+ active feedback programs

• 12 paying customers

• And a wave of support I wasn’t expecting

What Worked

• Launching early: I didn’t wait until it felt perfect

• Building in public: I even live-streamed the 24h launch on X

• Sharing everything with my Fail in Public community (now 6k+ strong)

• Solving a real, relatable problem indie hackers deal with constantly

To keep things sustainable, I introduced $INDIE, the native token that powers the platform.

• Devs use it to pay for premium features (homepage slots, newsletters, private tweets)

• Testers earn it by giving quality feedback

It’s a self-sustaining loop that rewards both sides of the early-stage equation.

What’s Next

The goal is simple:

• Make pre-launch the new normal.

• If you're building something, don’t wait—launch early.

If you love trying new products and helping others improve, come shape the next wave of indie tools.

👉 indiecru.sh.

Big thanks to everyone who's tested, shared, or offered feedback so far. This is just the beginning.