Jim Raptis

Jim Raptis is a designer and React engineer from Thessaloniki, Greece, who runs a portfolio of bootstrapped design tools. He studied electrical and computer engineering at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, taught himself design and frontend development, and freelanced as a UI designer.

While at university he co-founded VisualEyes, a venture-backed startup offering AI-powered design analytics, where he led frontend and product. The company raised money from Greek investors and was eventually sold, but the payout left him with little runway. Selling three earlier free tools, Wireframer, DesignValley and CopyPalette, for about $5K helped bridge the gap and pushed him toward indie hacking instead of venture capital.

He launched MagicPattern, a toolbox of pattern, gradient and background generators, in 2020, BrandBird, a graphics editor for SaaS founders and social media, in 2021, and SuperMotion, which turns screenshots and screen recordings into promo videos, in 2023. In 2024 he reported about $6.5K MRR across the three with a goal of $10K. He has since added Gradients.fm and AI Selfie Studio. He grows his products through building in public on X, Product Hunt launches, SEO-friendly free tools and lifetime deals.