This 15 year old sold his app for $30 MILLION!

25 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this narrated monologue, Dan Novaes tells the story of Nick D'Aloisio, a 15‑year‑old high‑school student who, frustrated by the length of news articles on mobile devices, built an AI‑powered app called Summly that automatically condenses articles into short summaries. Starting as a personal experiment in his bedroom, the app quickly attracted user downloads, investor interest, and media attention. Its ability to deliver concise news suited for small screens caught the eye of Yahoo, which acquired Summly in 2013 for approximately $30 million. The narrative emphasizes that groundbreaking innovation can arise from a simple personal frustration and a teenager’s curiosity, without the need for a large team or office.

Chapters

Nick D'Aloisio built a company in his bedroom while still in high school. At just 15 years old, Nick D'Aloisio was frustrated by how long news articles could be. Reading them on a phone felt slow and overwhelming. So he started building an app that used artificial intelligence to summarize news automatically. The app was called Summly. At first, it was just a personal experiment, but the idea caught attention. Investors noticed. Downloads increased. Media companies became curious. The app could condense long articles into short summaries perfect for mobile screens. In 2013, Yahoo acquired Summly for around $30 million. Mancio was still a teenager. He didn't start with a large team or a major office. Sometimes innovation begins with a small frustration and the curiosity to solve it yourself before anyone else does.