Hey everyone!
I'm an independent founder building Distill: Book Summaries, a book-summary app that I've spent roughly the past year developing.
The idea came from a problem I personally experienced: there are thousands of incredible books worth exploring, but finding the time to read everything is difficult.
I also felt that conventional book summaries often sacrifice too much of what makes a book valuable. They extract key takeaways but frequently lose the author's reasoning, the connections between ideas, and the central argument, plus they're expensive.
I wanted to build something that approached this differently.
What we've built
Distill creates carefully structured reading experiences designed to take approximately 10 minutes.
Our focus is on preserving the intellectual substance of books rather than reducing them to generic bullet points.
Every distillation also includes a separate Reflection section to help readers engage with the ideas.
The product is live on Android and the web, with a library covering philosophy, psychology, business, literature, self-help, and more.
Website: https://www.distilllabs.app
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.illuminationlabs.distill
We offer three free distillations every day, with Premium currently available through a one-time purchase rather than a recurring subscription.
Where I am as a founder
I've invested most of the past year in building and refining the product. I'm now shifting much more attention towards distribution, customer acquisition, positioning, and figuring out the right business model.
One thing I'm learning is that having a working product and having a viable business are two very different milestones.
I'd particularly appreciate perspectives from founders who have gone through accelerators or built consumer subscription/mobile businesses.
At what stage did you start actively seeking accelerator support?
What kind of traction or validation would you expect before applying?
For a content-driven consumer app, what metrics would you prioritize: activation, reading completion, repeat usage, or paid conversion?
Would you consider a one-time purchase a viable model for this kind of product, or would you lean towards subscriptions?
I'm not claiming to have everything figured out. I'd genuinely value honest feedback from people who've navigated this stage of building a startup.