Kodo: a Canva-style AI design tool at $1,573 MRR (Stripe-verified), built solo with Codex and Cursor by a 14-year-old
A Canva-style AI design tool: describe what you need and get an editable, layered design for presentations, social posts, posters or menus, then export to PDF, PPTX, PNG or JPG.
$1,573 MRRper month, from 105 subscriptions; $10,924 all-time; TrustMRR, Stripe-verified, Oct 24, 2026
Figure as posted on X on . Last checked by Shipped & Paid on . What these dates mean
- Verification
- Verified Revenue read from a payment provider via a public third-party profile (e.g. TrustMRR) that matches the claim. See verification.
- App type
- SaaS & tools
- Currency
- US dollars (USD)
- Built with
- OpenAI Codex, Cursor
- Got customers via
- SEO, X, LinkedIn, Product Hunt
- Prior audience
- About 8,600 followers on X (an Oct 2026 count, not a pre-launch figure) (source)
- Source
- @mlg27_ (Michael Goldstein, founder) on X, Mar 14, 2026
“I'm using Codex a lot more now for usekodo.ai! And when I'm using Cursor I use GPT 5.4 or 5.3 Codex in Cursor!”
Editor's note: Michael Goldstein's X bio says he is 14 and working on Kodo, and lists earlier internships; on Oct 22, 2026 he wrote that he "built it solo". In March 2026 he wrote that he was using Codex a lot more for usekodo.ai, and Codex models inside Cursor, and around the same time that the Kodo v1 pull request was over 100,000 lines of code; revenue jumped right after that. He doesn't say how much of the code AI wrote, or whether it was all of it. On Oct 22 he also said he is open to selling Kodo. TrustMRR links the listing to the same X account. The quote is lightly cleaned up from his X reply of Mar 14, 2026.
How they got customers
TrustMRR lists SEO, X, LinkedIn and Product Hunt as channels. The founder posts about Kodo on X and says it has passed 29,000 signups.
Steps to try
Take a big category (Canva-style design) and make AI generation the starting point, with designs you can still edit.
From the sourceBuild solo with Codex and Codex models inside Cursor.
From the sourceUse a free tier with credits and paid plans at $12, $39 or $99 a month.
From the sourceGrow signups through SEO, X, LinkedIn and Product Hunt; he reports 29,000+ signups.
From the sourceExpect a slow start: Kodo made under $150 a month for its first five months before the v1 rebuild.
Our suggestion
"From the source" steps summarize the linked post. "Our suggestion" steps are general practice from us, not claims by the founder.
Source
We summarize and link. Figures are reproduced as stated and are unaudited unless marked Verified. Founder? Request a correction or removal, or get a badge for your site.
Quick answers
How much does Kodo make?
Kodo reports $1,573 MRR (per month, from 105 subscriptions; $10,924 all-time; TrustMRR, Stripe-verified, Oct 24, 2026). Source: @mlg27_ (Michael Goldstein, founder), Mar 14, 2026. Proof level: Verified. Revenue read from a payment provider via a public third-party profile (e.g. TrustMRR) that matches the claim.
What was Kodo built with?
The source says it was built with OpenAI Codex and Cursor.
How did Kodo get customers?
Main growth channels: SEO, X, LinkedIn and Product Hunt. TrustMRR lists SEO, X, LinkedIn and Product Hunt as channels. The founder posts about Kodo on X and says it has passed 29,000 signups.