Scanémon: a Pokémon card scanner app at $17,165 MRR (RevenueCat dashboard shown), MVP built in a day with Cursor's agent
An iPhone app that identifies Pokémon and other trading cards from the camera, shows market value and recent sales, and tracks a collection's value, sold by subscription.
$17,165 MRRper month, 3,462 active subscriptions; RevenueCat dashboard shown on Starter Story, June 2026, as claimed
Figure as published on (YouTube). Last checked by Shipped & Paid on . What these dates mean
- Verification
- Screenshot Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
- App type
- Productivity & lifestyle
- Currency
- US dollars (USD)
- Built with
- Cursor
- Got customers via
- TikTok, UGC videos
- Prior audience
- The same team already ran Cardstock, a sports card scanner with about 15,000 subscriptions, ~$75K MRR and about 13,000 downloads a month
- Source
- Kyle Fowler (founder), Starter Story on YouTube, Jun 7, 2026
“I built Scanémon last year in 2025. I tried to basically have Cursor's agent generate everything, and it did insanely well. The MVP for Scanémon I made in a day.”
Editor's note: Kyle Fowler is a self-taught iOS developer, not a beginner: he hand-built Cardstock, a sports card scanner, starting in 2019, and runs it with a small team at Open Brace. Scanémon is essentially Cardstock for Pokémon cards, so it reused a proven idea and an experienced team. He says that for Scanémon he had Cursor's agent generate the app, with an MVP in a day; the team's current stack also includes Codex (via ChatGPT), Claude, Supabase and Railway. The App Store lists Scanémon: Trading Card Scanner from Open Brace LLC (released Jul 6, 2025; 505 ratings, 4.6 stars when we checked). We found no TrustMRR listing.
How they got customers
TikTok slideshows: a simple, repeatable format tested for both views and conversions. They distribute the slideshow templates to creators through UseNoise and pay per view; he suggests starting on your own accounts to validate a format first.
Steps to try
Build around a hobby you know well; he collects cards and built the app he wanted.
From the sourceReuse a format that already works: Scanémon is the Cardstock playbook pointed at a new card market.
From the sourceLet an AI agent generate the first version and get an MVP out in a day, then iterate.
From the sourceMonetize with a subscription paywall through RevenueCat or Superwall.
From the sourceMarket with repeatable TikTok slideshows; pay creators per view through a platform like UseNoise once a format converts.
From the sourceTrack new customers and MRR separately; 16,000 new customers a month against 3,462 active subscriptions shows how much retention matters.
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.
Quick answers
How much does Scanémon make?
Scanémon reports $17,165 MRR (per month, 3,462 active subscriptions; RevenueCat dashboard shown on Starter Story, June 2026, as claimed). Source: Kyle Fowler (founder), Starter Story, Jun 7, 2026. Proof level: Screenshot. Founder shared a dashboard screenshot (Stripe, RevenueCat, App Store). Not independently verified.
What was Scanémon built with?
The source says it was built with Cursor.
How did Scanémon get customers?
Main growth channels: TikTok and UGC videos. TikTok slideshows: a simple, repeatable format tested for both views and conversions. They distribute the slideshow templates to creators through UseNoise and pay per view; he suggests starting on your own accounts to validate a format first.