Software developer Tooraj Helmi wanted to make it easy for non-techies to create their own apps and websites.
After leading a few software teams and serving as an executive consultant on some large software projects, he gained valuable insight into building software, which he described as an "often complex and time-consuming process."
"What struck me the most was the sheer amount of waste and repetition involved in the process," he told L.A. Inno. "It was then that I began to wonder, could this be automated?"
Ultimately, he realized it could be and created Apsy, which enables non-techies to build their own apps and websites using conversational AI.
The AI enables users to simply describe what they want and Apsy will build it. This eliminates the need, and cost, of hiring a software developer, Helmi said. It also eliminates the need to learn any coding, he added.
"The AI builds an app or website end-to-end, from ideation to publishing, all in one place," he said.
Apsy was one of L.A. Inno's startups to watch in 2023.
Foundation
Helmi received a B.S. in electrical engineering in his home country of Iran. He then obtained three masters degrees from USC in electrical engineering, computer science and business. He also completed a Ph.D in economics from Suffolk University and is working on another Ph.D. in computer science at USC, doing research on machine programming and computation creativity.
He launched Apsy during the pandemic in 2021 and the startup is headquartered in North Hollywood.
This is Helmi’s second time starting a company. He was a co-founder and CTO of Rumi, an insurance analytics startup that went through YCombinator. While the company eventually went out of business, Helmi said he learned some valuable lessons from his time there, including patience, persistence and the importance of sales.
"In startup culture, the founder is often the first salesperson, even if they have no prior experience," he said.
He learned from Sam Altman, the co-founder of OpenAI and the former president of YCombinator, that "founders must force themselves to sell and engage with customers, to better understand their needs and wants," he said.
Funding
Helmi said he self-funded the company with $30,000 of his own savings.
Apsy has raised $675,000 in total, all from a pre-seed round. The lead investor was Ramesh Dontha, an angel investor and the managing partner of Digital Transformation Pro.
Helmi was going to open a seed round after participating in Techstars' accelerator last fall, but decided to hold off because of the current volatile investment climate, he said.
Apsy’s customer base is growing 10% to 20% every month, Helmi said.
How it works
If someone wants to create an app on their own, they typically use what's known as a no-code or low-code platform. Even so, they would still need some technical and design knowledge to get the desired aesthetics and functionality, Helmi said.
It can be a steep learning curve that can take about six months, he added.
Apsy’s platform cuts all that out, he claims. Using natural language processing technology, Apsy enables users to discuss their ideas, using conversational AI. Apsy then translates those ideas into apps and websites.
Metaverse experience
Sometime in the second quarter, Helmi plans to roll out a metaverse experience. The metaverse is the next iteration of the internet, a virtual reality space where users can engage with each other and interact with a computer-generated environment.
Using VR headsets, users will move around among four stages. On each, they will complete a part of the process, as they chat with Apsy's AI programmer, Gamma. They can see the suggested features around them, and can delete them or place them in the app by moving their hands.
And, the metaverse experience will offer additional features, Helmi said.
"Unlike 2D websites, the metaverse offers a much larger and more immersive canvas for users to explore," he said. "With metaverse apps, users can see the 3D scene around themselves as they instruct the AI to build it for them. This provides a much more intuitive and engaging way to create and design apps."
Competition
Competition includes companies like Appy Pie, which offers those with no knowledge of coding the ability to make apps within five minutes.
Helmi said Apsy users can build their apps within a few days to a few weeks, depending on how much time they want to spend on customized features.
