How on earth do you get to five million users in seven months?

Very few people in the world can tell you how, but this man can: Young Zhao.

He created Opus Clip. Opus Clip is a video editing tool that uses AI to automatically transform long-form videos into short, shareable clips optimized for social media platforms.

Now, let's talk about how it all started...

The Early Entrepreneurial Spark

Young Zhao’s entrepreneurial journey didn’t start with OpusClip. It began with a social app called Sober, which he co-founded in 2013. The app aimed to help people socialize after a drink—an idea ahead of its time but ultimately short-lived. Unfortunately, it launched just two months before Snapchat, which brought a similar concept into the limelight. Though Sober failed, it ignited Young’s passion for entrepreneurship, teaching him that the best ideas often stem from solving personal problems.

The Birth of Opus

In January 2022, Young co-founded Opus, starting with an AI-powered live streaming tool packed with interactive features like AI-generated memes. The idea seemed promising, especially with the growing popularity of live streams during the pandemic. But despite their efforts, the tool only attracted 200 users, and worse, it didn’t address their most significant pain points. Young quickly learned that a product needs to either make users money or save them time—two things the streaming tool failed to do.

The Pivot: A Simple Feature, A Big Opportunity

One feature of the live streaming tool stood out: the ability to automatically generate short clips from live streams. When users asked if they could use just that feature, the lightbulb went off. Within two weeks of launching OpusClip, tens of thousands of users had signed up. This AI-powered tool turned long-form video content into engaging short clips, helping creators repurpose their content with minimal effort.

Milestones Along the Way

• Launch of Opus (January 2022): The initial live-streaming tool, though not a hit, taught Young crucial lessons about product-market fit.
• First Pivot to OpusClip (Mid-2022): Recognizing the potential of the clipping feature, the team pivoted to focus entirely on this function.
• Rapid Growth (Within 2 weeks): Tens of thousands of users signed up after OpusClip launched, showing the power of solving a real pain point.
• User-Driven Development: By listening to users and iterating quickly—launching new features every week—OpusClip became more than just a tool; it became a must-have for creators worldwide.
• 5 Million Users and $10M ARR (End of 2023): Just seven months after the pivot, OpusClip hit 5 million users and nearly $10 million in annual recurring revenue.

Here's a video of Young Zhao sharing his journey:

Credit: EO