The Billion-Dollar App Monetization Strategy

May 31, 2025

Zach Witzel, founder of Helium and former pricing lead at Uber, shares his wealth of knowledge on app monetization. He discusses the power of AI in creating effective paywalls that boost revenue. Zach highlights dynamic pricing strategies, emphasizing the importance of adjusting prices based on user behavior. He also explores the significance of personalized onboarding and the overlooked benefits of discounting. With insights aimed at indie developers, he reveals how to enhance conversion rates and maximize app profitability from day one.

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ANECDOTE

Zach's Uber Monetization Experience

Zach Witzel worked at Uber during COVID when Uber Eats surged in popularity.
He led growth and pricing products that unlocked hundreds of millions in revenue.

INSIGHT

Dynamic Pricing Potential in Apps

Dynamic pricing tailors paywall prices according to demand, region, and user segments.
Mobile apps lag behind other industries in applying this effective pricing strategy.

ADVICE

Join Helium for Paywall Optimization

Join Helium's waitlist if your app converts well; they offer a refund guarantee if not profitable.
Helium helps automate paywall experiments to increase revenue significantly.

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This week, we’re joined by Zach Witzel, former Uber pricing lead and now founder of Helium — the AI-powered paywall engine that’s helping top apps double revenue automatically.

Zach helped Uber unlock over $100M through smarter monetization — and now he’s bringing those insights to indie devs.

In this episode, we dive into how to scale faster using AI, the future of paywalls, and how to monetize your app from day one.

You will discover:

✅ Building AI-powered paywalls that actually convert

✅ Running pricing experiments without the guesswork

✅ Why the best marketing happens inside your app

✅ The overlooked power of discounting

✅ How to build like the top 1% — even as a solo founder

Learn More:

Get more out of your paywall with:

https://tryhelium.com/

Work with us: https://www.appmasters.com

Indie App Santa: https://www.indieappsanta.com

Get training, coaching, and community: ⁠https://appmastersacademy.com/

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