Research

Original launch intelligence

Most of what founders read about launching is opinion. We publish data. Our research is built from first-party numbers on real product launches, and it is free to read and cite.

Report · 2026
The State of Indie Launches 2026
What 177 real product launches reveal about how indie founders build, ship, and name their products in 2026. First-party data, not a survey.
39%mention AI
92%ship before launching
53%skip the .com
25%lead with “free”
Read the report →

A growing series

This is the start of an ongoing series. As more founders list on The Runway, the dataset grows and the picture gets sharper. Every launch that joins becomes part of the next report. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite our findings freely, and to reach out for the underlying breakdowns.

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