Backstory

Pieter Levels, a Dutch indie hacker and digital nomad, is a cornerstone of the indie maker community, renowned for his 2014 "12 startups in 12 months" challenge. Operating solo with a generalist skillset—coding, design, and marketing—he builds lean, profitable businesses that collectively generate $250k/month. With 155k X followers, his transparent, no-nonsense approach, sharing both successes and struggles, has inspired a generation of indie hackers. Originally a music producer and developer, Pieter embraced the digital nomad lifestyle, coding from locations worldwide, from Bali to Amsterdam.

The Journey

Pieter's "12 startups in 12 months" challenge, launched in 2014, was a bold experiment to build and ship a new product each month. Though he didn't complete all 12, the challenge birthed flagship ventures like Nomad List and Remote OK, which became cornerstones of his portfolio. His approach—build fast, iterate based on user feedback, and avoid overcomplicating—set a blueprint for indie hackers. Recent ventures like Photo AI and Interior AI show his adaptability to emerging technologies like AI, maintaining his edge in a competitive landscape.

Timeline

  • Founded: 2014
  • Team Size: Solo founder
  • Industry: Remote Work/AI

Products & Ventures

Nomad List

$38k/month

A community platform for digital nomads to discover and rank remote-friendly cities

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Remote OK

$35k/month

A leading remote job board connecting companies with remote talent

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Photo AI

$65k/month

An AI-powered tool for generating photos

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Interior AI

$38k/month

An AI-driven interior design tool

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Key Insights from X

"Indie hacking is dead. It's not hacking anymore, it's just entrepreneurship now. Build fast, ship, and stay true to yourself. Don't chase VC or fake it"

Oct 25, 2023 View Tweet →

"If you want to learn to bicycle you don't have to be Lance Armstrong, you don't have to be the best, just don't fall. That's good enough. I'm not a very good programmer, I can do everything a little bit"

Jun 9, 2022 View Tweet →

Key Strategies

  • 🎯 12 startups in 12 months challenge approach
  • 🎯 Solo operation with generalist skills
  • 🎯 Transparent revenue sharing
  • 🎯 Trend spotting (remote work, AI)
  • 🎯 Minimal viable products with quick iteration

Challenges & Lessons

  • ⚠️ Scaling as solo founder
  • ⚠️ Managing multiple products
  • ⚠️ Staying ahead of trends
  • ⚠️ Dealing with copycats