David Park: From His Parents’ Basement to a $25M AI Startup
Who is David Park?
David Park is the co-founder of Jenni AI, an AI-powered writing assistant that grew from nothing into a startup valued at over $25 million in just two years. His journey wasn’t glamorous—it was filled with years of failure, financial struggle, rejection, and even a life-threatening cancer diagnosis. Yet, his persistence and belief in his vision ultimately turned him into one of the rising names in the AI SaaS space.
Early Life & First Failures
David grew up in a modest household with entrepreneurial parents who worked tirelessly to give him opportunities. At 16, he launched his first business—a clothing brand—that failed spectacularly. His parents sacrificed nearly everything to send him to college, even giving him $20,000, hoping he would pursue a “safe” career as a lawyer or doctor.
But David never fit in. He often felt like an outsider in his fraternity, his classes, and even among friends. That loneliness sparked a realization: he wasn’t meant for the conventional path. He dropped out of college to chase entrepreneurship full-time.
Meeting His Co-Founder & The Birth of Jenni
Along the way, David met Henry, who shared his passion for startups. Together, they worked on 8–10 failed projects before stumbling upon OpenAI’s GPT-2. One hilarious yet profound line from the model convinced them they were onto something. With Henry on coding and David on sales, they began building what became Jenni AI, an AI writing assistant.
But the early days were brutal.
David worked out of his parents’ bedroom, cold-calling agencies eight hours a day. Almost everyone rejected him. Sometimes, he didn’t even have money for Chipotle, borrowing his mom’s credit card just to eat.
Despite feeling like a “loser,” his parents never made him feel small. Their quiet support, food on the table, and unwavering belief in him became the foundation that kept him going.
Breakthrough Moments
By 2020, GPT-3’s release gave Jenni AI a chance to ride the AI wave. Still, revenues stalled at $2,000 a month. David’s turning point came when he started asking customers the hard questions—not “Why do you like my product?” but “Why don’t you?”
That insight reshaped Jenni into a friendlier, user-focused AI writing journey, finally unlocking growth.
Soon after, David landed a $100,000 angel investment from Jason Calacanis—a miracle that came from a random podcast appearance. To save money, David and Henry even moved to Malaysia, slashing living costs while doubling down on development.
Then, virality struck. A Twitter thread included Jenni AI, causing a massive spike in users and pushing revenues to $10K MRR in a single month. Later, TikTok and Instagram campaigns created a second viral wave, fueling growth toward $1M ARR.
The Biggest Challenge: Cancer
Just as things looked bright, David was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The timing was brutal—his business was scaling, but he now faced surgery and the possibility of losing his voice, his greatest tool for pitching and selling.
During surgery prep, he noticed a Bible verse on the ceiling: “Leave everything to God.” Strangely, it was the exact same verse his mother had wanted to share with him before the operation. That small miracle gave him peace.
Thankfully, the surgery was successful, and David recovered his voice. But the experience shook him. He even considered selling Jenni to spend more time with family. Still, his gut told him to hold on. That decision proved right—within months, Jenni scaled past $3M ARR and grew to a valuation between $10–30M.
Lessons From a Decade of Struggle
David often reminds people that his “overnight success” took nearly a decade of failures. From age 16 to 27, he faced rejection, financial scarcity, and loneliness. His persistence, discipline, and willingness to sacrifice everything set him apart.
As David put it:
“If you really care about your dream, you can’t give it a one-week or even a one-year shot. You have to sacrifice everything for many years, and even then, you might fail. But if you still try—knowing the risk of losing everything—that’s when you know you really care about what you’re building.”
Where Jenni AI Stands Today
- ARR: Over $3M and rapidly scaling
- Valuation: Estimated between $10M–$30M
- Users: Tens of thousands worldwide
- Vision: To become the most user-friendly AI writing companion
From failing for a decade to building a multimillion-dollar AI startup, David Park’s story is proof that grit, persistence, and humility can turn even the darkest struggles into success.
