Join me as I chat with Ben Benkhin, Creator of WOMBO, about how he built mobile apps that achieved over 250 million downloads by identifying emerging AI technologies and making them accessible through simple, user-friendly interfaces. His first app, Wombo, allowed users to animate selfies to sing popular songs, while Dream was an early art generator that predated tools like Midjourney. Ben emphasizes the importance of studying viral content formats and creating apps that help users easily produce shareable content.
Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
02:00 – The "Copy What Works" Strategy
05:15 – Competition is GOOD
07:13 – WOMBO Demo
08:15 – Engineering for Virality
11:53 – Steps to creating viral mobile app
15:20 – WOMBO Story Continued
21:26 – Monetization strategy
23:57 – Optimization and Evolution of Wombo
29:22 – Advice for building an AI Mobile Apps
30:07 – Viral Content Creation and Studying Trends
Key Points:
• Ben created viral AI apps including Wombo and Dream by identifying open-source AI models and making them accessible through simple mobile interfaces
• His strategy involves studying what’s already working in the market and putting his own spin on it ("mimesis")
• The most successful apps have a viral content creation loop where users create shareable content that drives new user acquisition
• Monetization came through subscriptions and ads, with only 2% of users paying while the other 98% drive virality
1) The "Copy What Works" Strategy
Ben’s fundamental approach is simple but powerful:
• Find something that’s already working
• Copy it but add your own unique spin
• Make it STUPID SIMPLE for users
"It’s actually pretty f*cking easy if you don’t overthink it too much."
This strategy took him from zero to 100M+ downloads in record time!
2) How Ben Built Wombo (100M+ Downloads)
Ben spotted TWO key signals in 2020:
• Reface app was #1 on App Store (face swap tech)
• A weird AI animation model was going viral in tech circles
His insight? Take that complex AI tech and make it accessible to EVERYONE through a super-simple mobile interface.
Result: 50M downloads in the FIRST MONTH!
3) The Secret to Viral App Design
Ben’s formula for app virality:
• Require minimal user input (just a selfie or text prompt)
• Pre-process that input with your own magic sauce
• Make inference FAST and FREE
• Create a fun, easy-to-use interface
For Wombo, this meant just 4 screens: input → song selection → loading → output.
That’s it. 100M downloads.
4) The Content Creation Loop
The REAL key to viral apps is creating a content loop:
• User creates something cool in your app
• They WANT to share it on social media
• Their friends see it and download your app
• Cycle repeats = exponential growth
"The whole thing is engineered for virality."
Your app must create content people WANT to share!
5) Finding Viral Content Formats
Ben obsessively studies what’s going viral on social platforms:
• Saves everything that gets millions of views
• Analyzes WHY it’s working
• Looks for patterns that can be productized
Example: His team turned "celebrities as pregnant cats" into content with 20M+ views on Instagram.
Conversion rate goal: Just 1-2% of viewers becoming users.
6) Monetization Strategy
Ben learned this the hard way after burning through cash:
• 98% of users will use your app for FREE
• You make ALL your money from the 2% who pay
• Focus on subscriptions ($5/week or $5/month)
• Add premium features (more generations, exclusive styles)
At peak, his Dream app made $500K/month with this model!
1. The Cockroach Mode Phase
After initial success, Ben’s company nearly went bankrupt:
• Had a $1M server bill in one month
• Lost funding when investors pulled out
• Spent 1.5 years in "cockroach mode"
The lesson? Focus on monetization EARLY, not just user growth.
"Money is fake" philosophy doesn’t work when servers cost real money!
8) The MASSIVE Opportunity Right Now
Ben believes we’re in a golden age for mobile AI apps:
• People are glued to their phones
• They crave entertainment and utility
• New AI models emerge constantly
• You DON’T need venture capital
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends – https://www.ideabrowser.com/
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future – from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn ‘what if’ into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing – Vibe Marketing for Companies: http://boringmarketing.com/
The Vibe Marketer – Join the Community and Learn: http://thevibemarketer.com/
Startup Empire – a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND BEN ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://x.com/benzion_b
W AI: https://w.ai/
WOMBO: https://wombo.com/m/home
