How a self-taught coder built a multimillion-dollar AI tool in two weeks

Vitalii Dodonov’s journey from chemical engineering to tech entrepreneur shows how self-taught skills can lead to success. Starting with no formal coding background, he now runs Stan, a company pulling in tens of millions each year. His latest AI product, Stanley, was built in just two weeks and quickly became a major revenue driver. Dodonov first studied chemical engineering at the University of Alberta, graduating in 2014. While working in a mineral processing lab, he taught himself to code. This new skill helped him land a job at Deloitte, where he began his professional career.

From Deloitte, he moved to eBay in May 2020 as a senior software engineer. Around the same time, he launched Vhinny, a financial data aggregation platform, as a side project. Later, he co-founded Stan, a company that now earns tens of millions annually. At Stan, Dodonov and his team developed Stanley, an AI tool, in just two weeks. The product proved an instant hit. Within six weeks of its launch, Stanley was generating $50,000 in monthly recurring revenue.

Stanley’s rapid success highlights the impact of fast, focused development in tech. The AI tool now contributes significantly to Stan’s revenue, which reaches tens of millions per year. Dodonov’s path—from self-taught coder to leading a high-growth company—shows how diverse skills can drive innovation.