Store locator app that lets e-commerce brands add a map of their retail stockists to their website.
~$40K MRR at sale
Tyler Tringas
Coined micro-SaaS, sold Storemapper, then founded Calm Company Fund for bootstrappers
@tylertringas New York, United States31K followers~$40K MRRSaaS FoundersAcquirers & Indie InvestorsEducators & Course Creators
About Tyler Tringas
Tyler Tringas is a New York–based self-taught developer, writer and investor who helped define the modern bootstrapped software playbook. He built Storemapper, a store-locator app for e-commerce sites, as a one-person side project, moving to Thailand to live cheaply and freelance while it grew. Over roughly five years he took it from about $1,000 in monthly recurring revenue to around $40K MRR, then sold it to SureSwift Capital in 2017 and wrote a detailed, widely shared guide to selling a bootstrapped SaaS business.
He is credited with popularizing the term micro-SaaS, and his free Micro-SaaS Ebook remains a go-to primer on finding ideas, shipping an MVP, landing first customers and surviving the long, slow SaaS grind as a solo founder.
In 2019 he launched Earnest Capital, later renamed Calm Company Fund, which pioneered the Shared Earnings Agreement as an alternative to venture equity for profitable, lean "calm companies" and backed dozens of bootstrapped startups. In 2024 the fund paused new investments; Tyler has since shifted toward building software with AI and launching BK UP, a bouldering gym in Brooklyn.
Products by Tyler Tringas
Calm Company Fund (formerly Earnest Capital)
calmfund.com
Early-stage fund for bootstrapped, profitable 'calm companies' using the Shared Earnings Agreement; paused new investments in 2024.
BK UP
bkup.nyc
Rock climbing and bouldering gym in DUMBO, Brooklyn, that Tyler set out to launch as his next chapter.
Revenue
Tyler Tringas has publicly reported ~$40K MRR (Storemapper at sale) (as of 2017). Source
Exit story
Storemapper
→ SureSwift Capital · 2017
Tyler Tringas wanted to diversify his income away from a single business, lock in a win, and focus full-time on his next project.
by Tyler Tringas
- Revenue (monthly, log scale)
- First product
- Exit
- Launch / milestone
- Started 2012
- 2012Launch: Started building Storemapper as a side project while freelancing
- 2013Revenue: Storemapper at ~$2K MRR≈ $2K/mo medium.com
- 2015Revenue: Storemapper hit $100K ARR≈ $8.3K/mo tylertringas.com
- 2016Launch: Published the Micro-SaaS Ebook
- 2016Revenue: Storemapper crossed a $200K run rate≈ $17K/mo tylertringas.com
- 2017Exit: Sold Storemapper at ~$40K MRR≈ $40K/mo saasclub.io
- 2019First product: Launched Calm Company Fund (formerly Earnest Capital)
- 2019Launch: Launched Earnest Capital
- 2024Milestone: Calm Company Fund paused new investments and closed Fund IV…
- 2025Launch: Announced a new chapter building AI-assisted software and a…
Timeline
- 2012 — Started building Storemapper as a side project while freelancing.
- 2016 — Published the Micro-SaaS Ebook, helping popularize the term micro-SaaS.
- 2017 — Sold Storemapper to SureSwift Capital at roughly $40K MRR and published a guide to selling a bootstrapped SaaS.
- 2019 — Launched Earnest Capital and the Shared Earnings Agreement as funding for bootstrappers.
- 2024 — Calm Company Fund paused new investments and closed Fund IV to existing positions.
- 2025 — Announced a new chapter building AI-assisted software and a climbing gym in Brooklyn.
How Tyler builds
- Micro-SaaS: a tiny, focused software business run by one person can be a great life.
- Startups and sustainable small businesses are different games — pick deliberately.
- Prepare your business to be sellable long before you want to sell it.
- Founders deserve funding options that don't force a venture-scale growth path.
- Calm companies grow sustainably and profitably with lean teams.
Learn from Tyler Tringas
[book]Free
The Micro-SaaS Ebook
Free seven-chapter guide to building a one-person SaaS business, from idea to retention.
[template]
Selling My Bootstrapped SaaS Business
Long-form guide to preparing for and negotiating the sale of a small SaaS company.
[template]
We need a new default funding model for tech companies
The essay laying out the thesis behind Earnest Capital and the Shared Earnings Agreement.
[podcast]
Tyler Tringas — Investing in Bootstrapped SaaS (The Bootstrapped Founder #304)
Interview about Calm Company Fund and funding sustainable businesses.
Tyler Tringas vs Pierre de WulfTyler Tringas FAQ
Who is Tyler Tringas?
Tyler Tringas is the founder of Storemapper, author of the Micro-SaaS Ebook and founder of Earnest Capital, later Calm Company Fund, which invested in bootstrapped companies.
How much did Storemapper make?
Tyler has said Storemapper was doing about $40K in monthly recurring revenue when he sold it in 2017.
What is a Shared Earnings Agreement?
It is the funding instrument Earnest Capital introduced in 2019, where investors receive a share of founder earnings or a sale rather than requiring venture-style hypergrowth.
Did Tyler Tringas coin the term micro-SaaS?
He is widely credited with popularizing the term through his free Micro-SaaS Ebook and writing about one-person SaaS businesses.
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