Roundups.ai Company and Founders Due Diligence Report

Roundups.AI | AppSumo Lifetime Deal

Company Analysis

Software Functionality

1. Source Selection: Choose the product source (Amazon or AppSumo) and the target audience or category (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). This determines where the tool will pull products from – e.g. Amazon’s catalog or AppSumo deals.

2. Focus Definition: Enter a topic or niche and let the AI suggest relevant product categories. The tool shows SEO data like search volume or competition for keywords, helping you pick a focus keyword for the article (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

3. Style Configuration: Choose the language (50+ supported), tone of voice, and perspective for the article (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). You can also select an article format (e.g. listicle, how-to, vs. comparison).

4. Headline Selection: Roundups will generate several title options for your article. You can pick one of the AI-suggested headlines or tweak your own (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

5. Product Selection: Browse a list of products in the chosen category (with filtering by ratings, price, etc.) and select which ones to include (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). For Amazon, it might show top sellers or highly rated items; for AppSumo, likely relevant deals.

• A catchy headline and introduction that frame the roundup (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• Structured sections for each product with name, image, description, and pros/cons or features (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• Possibly a comparison table or “top pick” highlights if multiple products are included (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• A conclusion or FAQ section wrapping up the recommendations (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• AI-Generated Research & Writing: It uses OpenAI under the hood (Privacy) to write “expert-like” product analyses in minutes. The AI not only writes, but also does basic research – e.g. it leverages real user reviews, product specifications, and pricing data in the content (50 Best AppSumo Lifetime Deals in February 2025).

• Affiliate Link Integration: You can connect your Amazon Associates ID and AppSumo (Impact Radius) credentials in settings. The system will automatically embed these in all outbound links so you get credit for any sale (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)) (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). (Important: you should input these before generating content, as the current version doesn’t retroactively update links if added later (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).)

• Content Editing & Customization: After generation, you’re not stuck with purely AI text. Roundups includes a built-in editor where you can fine-tune the content and add your own insights or formatting (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This is useful to insert personal experience, adjust the tone, or localize the article further. You can maintain your brand voice by editing – the AI provides a strong draft, but you have control to refine it.

• Publishing & Exporting: The platform offers one-click publishing to popular CMS platforms. It has native integration with WordPress and Ghost, meaning you can connect your blog and publish the AI article directly as a new post (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). Alternatively, you can export the HTML or simply copy the formatted content to use on any website. For those without a blog, Roundups can also host the article on their own domain, giving you a shareable link (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)) (the Roundups website features a community section of publicly shared roundups). It also mentions social media sharing – effectively you could share the hosted link on social channels, though it’s not an auto-post to social in the way it is for WordPress.

• SEO Optimization: Roundups emphasizes that the content is “optimized for Google” (Roundups - AI-Powered Affiliate Content Generator | B12). In practice, this means the AI structures the posts with proper headings (H2/H3 for each product), includes relevant keywords (from the Focus step you chose), and often adds FAQ sections which can target common search queries. The goal is to produce content that stands a good chance of ranking in search results and attracting organic traffic.

• Multi-Language Support: The tool can generate content in 50+ languages (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This is valuable if you run non-English affiliate sites or want to target different locales. A user in AppSumo reviews even noted generating a Spanish roundup worked nicely (the AI can output various languages, presumably using OpenAI’s multilingual capabilities).

• Unlimited Words: All plans, including the free tier, allow unlimited word count in articles (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This means the AI will write as much as needed for the topic without artificial truncation. A long “10 products” roundup can easily be several thousand words, which is good for SEO.

• Regenerate & Versioning: If you don’t like the first output, you can regenerate the roundup with the same inputs, and the AI will produce a fresh variation. This helps to get different angles or to ensure the content is unique. (The interface has a “Regenerate” option as noted in the features list (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI).)

• Affiliate Marketers & Bloggers: Anyone running niche blogs or review sites can use Roundups to scale content production. Instead of spending days researching products and writing a “Top 10 X” article, you can produce one in minutes and then lightly edit. This allows you to target more keywords and publish more frequently, potentially increasing affiliate commission opportunities (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• E-commerce or Dropshippers: Store owners can create blog content around their products or related accessories to drive organic traffic. For example, a pet store could publish “Best Dog Travel Accessories” (as shown on Roundups’ site) (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI) to attract readers and then link to their own products or Amazon listings.

• Email Marketers / Content Curators: You could generate a roundup and use it as newsletter content (e.g., “Monthly roundup of best tech gadgets”). Roundups are “perfect for email distribution because it’s easy to digest”, as one user noted (Roundups Review: Loving It - Setting AppSumo links has never ...). Just ensure the format looks good in email; you might take the HTML and tweak it.

• Agencies / Freelancers: Agencies offering content marketing or SEO services can use Roundups to quickly create articles for clients (more on this in Monetization section). It greatly reduces content creation time, which can improve your margins.

• AppSumo Partners Roundups: A unique use case – because Roundups also supports AppSumo products as a source, one can create content like “Top 5 AppSumo Deals for SEO in 2025” and share it with affiliate links. This is a clever way for AppSumo affiliates to promote deals with value-added content rather than just social media posts.

• Data Sources: At present, Roundups only pulls products from Amazon and AppSumo (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas). Other affiliate programs (e.g. eBay, Commission Junction, ClickBank, etc.) are not integrated. This means the tool is fantastic if your affiliate strategy revolves around Amazon (which is very common) or software deals via AppSumo, but not useful for products outside these ecosystems. The company may add more sources over time, but nothing official yet.

• Image Handling: One of the bigger complaints early users had was about image sizes. The images inserted were often very large and could overflow or dominate the page, since there were no max-width constraints in the article HTML (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). This made some generated posts look a bit off until manually fixed. A simple CSS adjustment or built-in image resizing is needed (the reviewer recommended max 600px width) (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). It’s a known issue; hopefully the team will address this.

• No API: For developers wondering, Roundups currently does not offer an API for programmatic use (Roundups - Features & Pricing (February 2025)). It’s a web-app only – you must use the interface or its WP plugin. (Given it’s geared to non-dev end users, this is expected.)

• Dependence on AI/Accuracy: While the AI is good at compiling info, it might occasionally include a product that’s not the absolute best or slight inaccuracies (AI might hallucinate a feature). Users should review the content for factual accuracy, especially if it’s a critical point. In affiliate marketing content, minor errors on product specs can happen if the AI misinterprets data. So a quick fact-check pass is wise (this is true of any AI writing tool).

• Learning Curve: The workflow is straightforward, but a few users mentioned it took a little experimentation to understand how to get the best results (for example, choosing the right product category or tweaking the tone) (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas). It’s not overly complex – largely point-and-click – but totally non-technical users might spend some time reading the tutorials or trial-and-error on their first roundup.

Competitor Landscape

• Gizzmo (gizzmo.ai): Gizzmo is an AI-powered WordPress plugin + Chrome extension designed for Amazon affiliate marketers. It lets you import product data from Amazon and then generate content (reviews, roundups, buying guides) directly in WordPress. Like Roundups, it focuses on SEO-optimized, product-oriented articles with affiliate links. Gizzmo’s approach is a bit more WP-centric (you browse Amazon, add products via a Chrome extension, then it writes the article in WP
• Comparison: Gizzmo and Roundups both automate Amazon affiliate posts, but Roundups is a standalone web app with hosting and multi-platform support, whereas Gizzmo works within WordPress. Roundups also includes AppSumo as a source (unique). Pricing wise, Gizzmo offers a subscription or one-time purchase options (it advertises $9.99/mo and also mentions one-time plans)Roundups’ lifetime deal could be more cost-effective for heavy users, although Gizzmo’s one-time WP plugin at ~$49 (if available) might be comparable for Amazon-only needs. Gizzmo currently does not support AppSumo or other networks, so if that’s important, Roundups has an edge. In user feedback, Gizzmo is relatively new too – not as much data on its content quality, but it touts similar features (keyphrase integration, pros/cons generation, etc.)

• ProductListing.ai: This tool (based on its name and listing on SaaSworthy) appears to generate product listing content; it’s listed as a top alternative on a software comparison site (Roundups - Features & Pricing (February 2025)). ProductListing.ai likely focuses on writing product descriptions or listings for e-commerce rather than blog posts. If so, it’s a more e-commerce copy tool, not directly the same use case as Roundups’ blog-style articles.

• Other Niche Tools: Occasionally, other AI content generators target affiliate marketers. For instance, AffiGen (hypothetical name) or some templates within AI writers are designed for product roundups. One example is SurgeGraph’s AI (within an SEO tool) which can write affiliate content from keywords (How to Write Affiliate Content With SurgeGraph's Product AI), or ZimmWriter (a Windows GPT-based app popular with niche site builders) which has an “Amazon product roundup” mode. These require more manual effort (feeding product info, etc.) and are not turnkey solutions – they are more like power-user tools.

• General AI Copywriters: Tools like Jasper, Writesonic, Copy.ai, or even using ChatGPT manually, can produce product roundups or reviews. However, the process is manual: you’d have to gather product details and instruct the AI what to write. For example, one might copy-paste Amazon product info into ChatGPT and ask for a comparison article. While possible, it’s far less streamlined than Roundups. Roundups automates the data gathering and link embedding, which general AI writers don’t do. Also, out-of-the-box, generic AI content may lack the structured comparison tables or consistent format that Roundups generates. Cost: Jasper and others are subscription-based (Jasper ~$49+/month for similar word output), which can quickly exceed the one-time cost of Roundups LTD if you’re creating content regularly.

• Human Content Writers: The traditional alternative is hiring writers or writing content yourself. This ensures originality and often higher quality insight, but it’s time-consuming and expensive. A 1,500-word affiliate article can cost anywhere from $50 to $200+ if outsourced to a freelancer (depending on quality). Roundups, by contrast, can generate unlimited words at fixed software cost. The trade-off is that AI content might need editing and personalization to match human-written nuance. Many savvy bloggers might use Roundups to draft an article, then spend an hour polishing it – still far less effort than writing from scratch.

• WordPress Plugins for Affiliate Links/Comparison: There are WP plugins like AAWP, Lasso, etc., that help format product boxes or update prices via Amazon API, but they do not write content for you. They could be seen as complementary: for instance, one could generate text with Roundups and use a plugin for up-to-date price displays. But on their own, those aren’t competitors to the content generation aspect.

• Data Integration: Roundups and Gizzmo both pull from Amazon automatically (no manual data entry. ChatGPT or Jasper would require you to input details.

• Affiliate Linking: Roundups auto-inserts affiliate IDs (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)); generic AI tools require manual linking.

• Hosting/Publishing: Roundups can host content or push to WP (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). Others like Jasper just give you text to copy-paste.

• Supported Platforms: Roundups supports Amazon & AppSumo; Gizzmo supports Amazon; general writers support any platform but with more work.

• Multi-language: Roundups supports 50+ languages output (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI), which not all competitors explicitly offer (though GPT-based ones likely can if prompted).

• Roundups standard plans: Free (2 articles/month) up to $49/mo (50 articles) (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI), or potentially more for unlimited.

• Gizzmo: freemium with paid plans, possibly around $10-$30/mo for reasonable usage ( Gizzmo - AI WordPress Affiliate Content Generator – ToolPilot ) (unclear exact tiers).

• General AI writers: Jasper $49-$125/mo for content limits, Copy.ai ~$49/mo, etc., and they aren’t specialized for affiliates. Given these, Roundups LTD (even Tier 1 at $59 one-time) is priced attractively for what it does, undercutting most subscription models if you plan to use it for more than a few months.

Monetization Opportunities for AppSumo Buyers

• Affiliate Commissions (Content Websites): The most straightforward opportunity is to build or enhance niche content sites that earn via affiliate commissions. Using Roundups, you can pump out SEO-optimized articles that target long-tail keywords (e.g. “best X for Y”) and embed your Amazon affiliate links. Over time, if these articles rank on Google and attract readers, any purchases earn you a commission. For example, an AppSumo reviewer mentioned using Roundups to create posts and upload to their WordPress site in two clicks, which is “amazing” (Roundups Review: I'm Impressed With Roundups. - AppSumo) – they can now produce affiliate posts at scale. Even a small niche blog with steady traffic can generate passive income through Amazon’s program (commissions ~3-4% on product sales, but high-volume product sales add up). Roundups content is designed to influence buying decisions (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI) (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI), so the more engaging and targeted your guides, the higher the conversion rate of readers to buyers.

• AppSumo Affiliate Marketing / Deal Sites: A unique angle: since Roundups also does AppSumo product guides, you could run a site or newsletter focusing on software deals. For instance, a “SaaS deals” blog that regularly posts roundups like “Top 5 SEO Tools on AppSumo this month” with your AppSumo affiliate links. You’d earn 5-10% commission on each AppSumo sale through your link. This is a relatively untapped niche – essentially creating content marketing around AppSumo’s own marketplace. Because Roundups pulls real-time data from AppSumo (via the Impact API) (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)), it can include up-to-date info on pricing and features of those tools. An enthusiastic user noted Roundups “sets AppSumo links has never been easier” (Roundups Review: Loving It - Setting AppSumo links has never ...) – implying they love how simple it is to generate content that monetizes AppSumo referrals. If you already share AppSumo deals, doing it via a content site with SEO could drive more sustained traffic than sporadic social media posts.

• Build and Flip Content Sites: Agencies or entrepreneurs might use Roundups to rapidly build out content on a new website, get it to a stage of earning (even small amounts), and then sell the site on marketplaces like Flippa or Empire Flippers. Content sites are often valued at 30-40× monthly profit. So if Roundups helps you create a site earning $100/month in affiliate commissions, that site could potentially sell for $3000+. The key is quality and traffic – Roundups helps with content quantity and baseline quality; you’d still need to handle SEO promotion. But the speed of content creation could shorten the time to viability for a new site.

• Agency/Freelance Content Services: If you run a digital marketing agency or are a freelancer, you can use Roundups to offer new services or improve margin on existing ones:
• Content Writing Services: Take on clients (bloggers, e-commerce stores, affiliate marketers) who need product roundups or review articles. With Roundups, you can deliver these articles faster and at lower cost. For example, you might charge a client $100 for a 1500-word roundup article. You can generate it in minutes and then spend an hour editing, delivering quality content while effectively paying $0 per article in costs (after your LTD purchase). This scales nicely if you have Tier 3 (unlimited articles) – you’re not constrained in output, just your time.
• SEO Packages: Include AI-generated buying guides as part of an SEO content strategy for clients. Many companies have blogs but lack affiliate monetization – you could still produce comparison posts relevant to their industry which drive traffic or can be used for lead-gen (even if the affiliate links are secondary).
• Managed Affiliate Sites for Clients: You could even run full affiliate sites for clients as a service – they invest in the domain/SEO, you populate content via Roundups and keep it updated. This is a specialized offering, but some businesses (like small e-commerce or brick-and-mortar stores) might pay to have a blog that earns side income via affiliate links to complementary products.

• Monetizing via Ads: In addition to affiliate links, the content created can attract organic traffic that you could monetize with display ads (Google AdSense, Ezoic, etc.). Product roundup articles often have high intent and decent word count, making them good for SEO. If some articles rank well, you not only earn affiliate commissions but also ad revenue from any visitors (even those who don’t click affiliate links). Roundups content is optimized for SEO (Roundups - AI-Powered Affiliate Content Generator | B12) (Roundups - AI-Powered Affiliate Content Generator | B12), which improves the chances of getting that traffic. The combination of ad revenue + affiliate revenue can significantly boost a site’s profitability.

• Lead Generation / Email List Building: By producing valuable buying guides, you could attract readers and get them to sign up for a newsletter (“subscribe for more product recommendations”). Over time, that email list is an asset – you can send them more affiliate content or even your own products. Roundups content can thus act as a lead magnet. For instance, an agency could create a “Consumer tech buyer’s guide” via Roundups, offer it as a downloadable PDF (just convert the HTML output), and use it to capture leads, which they then upsell other services or products to.

Onboarding & Usability

• For Amazon Associates, you simply input your Amazon Affiliate ID (tracking ID) in the settings (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). This is straightforward and documented – it’s the ID found in your Amazon Associates dashboard (usually something like yourname-20).

• For AppSumo’s affiliate program, you’ll need to generate an API SID and Auth Token from Impact.com (the platform AppSumo uses for affiliates) and plug those in (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). Roundups provides guidance on how to get these, and while it’s a couple extra steps, they’ve made it clear for users.

• There’s a “YouTube Tutorials” link in the footer (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI), suggesting they have or are building video guides for users. Watching a quick demo can drastically flatten the learning curve (many AppSumo tools provide webinar replays or how-to videos; Roundups likely does as well or will soon).

• A “Get Support” link (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI) indicates you can reach out for help, likely via email ([email protected]) or a ticket system. Given the small team, support is probably handled by the founders or a very small staff, but the early reviews praise their responsiveness. For example, “Their support team and customer feedback handling via FeatureBase is awesome.” (Roundups Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo) This means users can post suggestions or issues on their feedback board (featurebase.app) and the team actively responds.

• The community Q&A on AppSumo is also a treasure trove of tips. The founder answered many questions clarifying usage limits, how features work, etc., within hours or days. This is a good sign for ongoing support.

• No coding needed. It’s all GUI-based. Even the WordPress integration might just involve installing a helper plugin or enabling XML-RPC and entering your site URL and login once (the specifics may be in their docs).

• Basic affiliate know-how. You should understand what an affiliate link is and have those accounts ready. If you’ve never done affiliate marketing, Roundups still can be used, but you’d want to learn the basics (the tool itself might be part of that learning, as it actually simplifies the hardest part – content creation).

• SEO understanding helps. The tool gives keywords and content suggestions, but if you have a bit of SEO knowledge (e.g. how to choose a good keyword or internal linking), you can maximize the results. However, even without deep SEO skills, Roundups ensures the content is formatted well for search.

• You might need a WordPress site or hosting if you want to self-host content. Non-technical users who don’t have a site could opt to use Roundups’ hosted pages (they provide public URLs for your articles). That requires zero technical setup – just share the link. But for professional use, you’ll likely want your own domain or site.

• Make sure to input your affiliate IDs upfront (to avoid the issue where you generate content and then realize the links aren’t tied to you, requiring regeneration) (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).

• When generating a roundup, consider that more products isn’t always better. The base tier allows up to 10 products, but one reviewer pointed out sometimes fewer products lead to a better, more focused article (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). So part of the learning curve is strategic: choose the right number of items and the right niche for effective content.

• If you encounter the large image issue, you may need to manually set some CSS or resize images for now. Non-technical users can simply edit the HTML output and add width="600px" to img tags or use their site’s editor to resize – not difficult, but an extra step to be aware of until fixed.

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service Review

• Data Collected: Roundups collects personal data that you provide at sign-up (like email) and any content you create on the platform (Privacy). They also receive some data from third-party integrations (e.g., if you connect via Google, or import data from Amazon APIs). The personal information is minimal – name, email, and for paid users maybe billing info (address for payment processing) (Privacy).

• Use of Data: The data is used to deliver the service – e.g., remembering your settings, generating your content, emailing you updates (Privacy). Importantly, they state any info collected is “used solely in connection with the delivery of our Services” (Privacy) and they take commercially reasonable efforts to safeguard it. They explicitly say your information will not be sold or given to another company without your consent (Privacy). This is a reassuring clause – no shady selling of your email or usage data.

• Storage & Security: They mention storing data in secure offsite facilities and compliance with international privacy laws (Privacy). In fact, they specify that data is stored in GDPR-compliant storage and management facilities (Privacy). So if you’re in the EU or concerned about GDPR, they are aware of those obligations. They also use trusted third-party processors: for example, OpenAI for content generation, Fly.io for hosting, Cloudflare for CDN, Stripe for payments (Privacy) – all of which are industry-standard services in their domains.

• Content Access: An interesting note – they say you can access all content generated through the service, and they make that data fully accessible to you via the web interface (behind login) (Privacy). Essentially, you own your content and can retrieve it anytime. If you publish your content publicly on Roundups.ai or push it to WordPress, obviously it’s available there too (Privacy). No worrisome claim of “we own whatever content you produce.” They have an affiliate disclosure (as required by Amazon) on hosted pages, but that’s standard and for compliance (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI).

• Data Sharing: They will share data only as needed to provide the service – for instance, sending your content to WordPress means sharing it with WordPress (through their API) by nature, or sending your affiliate ID to Amazon when constructing links. They mention third-party subprocessors; likely meaning if you use a feature, that sub-service might process some data (like OpenAI processing text to generate content) (Privacy). They have a Data Processing Agreement available, indicating adherence to privacy rules when handling personal data (Privacy).

• Opt-Out: Any marketing communication they send has opt-out options (Privacy). So you won’t be spammed unwittingly; you can unsubscribe from newsletters or product updates.

• Payment Info: Payments are processed by Stripe, so Roundups itself likely doesn’t store your full credit card details, etc., reducing security risk on that front (Privacy).

• The Terms of Use (ToU) weren’t fully accessible via crawler, but based on typical SaaS terms and clues from their site:

• Likely they include standard clauses: you must use the service legally, you can’t try to reverse engineer it, no posting illegal content, etc. Since Roundups deals with content generation, they might include a note that users are responsible for how they use the content (e.g., you should follow Amazon’s affiliate rules about disclosures, etc., which Roundups itself helps by including an affiliate disclosure on hosted pages (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI)).

• Lifetime Deal Terms: One concern with LTDs is whether the company reserves rights to change the deal. AppSumo’s contract with them typically ensures that “lifetime” means lifetime of the product or at least 5-10 years minimum as a guideline. There’s no indication Roundups is limiting LTD users artificially – in fact, one of their pros advertised is “lifetime access to the tool, including all future Pro plan updates” (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas). This means LTD buyers should get new features and improvements as if they were pro subscribers, which is good. The ToS likely has a clause that they can modify or discontinue the service with notice – standard in any SaaS (for example, if they shut down in 5 years, they’re legally allowed to – “lifetime” refers to lifetime of the service, not your lifetime personally).

• Usage Limits in ToS: They clearly define the usage limits in the deal (X articles per month etc.). In AppSumo questions, the founder clarified these are per month, recurring (not one-time credits) (Limits | Roundups - AppSumo). The ToS might mention that abuse (like trying to circumvent limits or using automation to mass-generate beyond allowed) could lead to account termination. So as long as you stay within the agreed use, you’re fine. There’s no sign of any hidden “fair use” cap beyond the stated limits.

• Content Rights: Typically, you retain ownership of the content you create. Roundups might have a license to use it for, say, displaying on their site or in marketing (for example, the Recently Published Roundups section on their site (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI) shows user-shared content; by choosing to share, you likely allow them to showcase it). But if you prefer not to share, you probably don’t have to. Check if the ToS has any clause like “we may use your created content for promotional purposes” – not seen explicitly, but wouldn’t be surprising in small print. Regardless, since you can keep everything private (just publish to your own site), you have control.

• Refunds/Cancellations: Since AppSumo purchases have a 60-day refund period, that overrides initial purchase concerns. Post-60-days, there’s no ongoing payment to cancel since it’s LTD. If you were a monthly subscriber, ToS would cover cancellation terms with Stripe.

• Liability & Indemnity: They’ll have standard language limiting their liability (e.g., they won’t be responsible if your site gets penalized by Google or if using the content violates Amazon’s rules and your affiliate account gets banned). No known issues, but just be aware – for example, Amazon has guidelines for content (they generally don’t want you to just copy manufacturer descriptions or have thin content). Roundups tries to create valuable content, but if someone misuses it (spam sites), that’s on the user, not Roundups. Standard indemnification clause likely exists for that.

• They respect user data privacy (no selling info, compliant with GDPR) (Privacy) (Privacy).

• They explicitly disclose their affiliate relationships on pages (complying with Amazon’s requirements) (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI).

• They don’t appear to claim ownership of your content; you have access to and control over it (Privacy).

• The biggest “concern” one could note is that it’s a SaaS – so if the service shuts down eventually, your data would be gone. However, since you can export everything, you’re not locked out of your content. The ToS likely says they can terminate service if needed, but that’s an understood risk with any cloud software. Mitigation: always keep backups of your generated articles (which you naturally would if you’ve published them to your own sites).

Pricing & Deal Analysis

• Free Plan: $0/month – allows 2 Roundups per month, with up to 3 products in each (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This is a way to test the waters (likely with some limitations like no WordPress publishing or limited features, but it’s generous enough to try out).

• Lite Plan: $14/month – allows 10 Roundups per month, up to 10 products per roundup (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This corresponds to what an individual blogger with moderate output might need. (10 articles a month is roughly 2-3 per week.)

• Pro Plan: $49/month – allows 50 Roundups per month, up to 25 products each (Roundups - Generate Product Buying Guides With AI). This is a higher tier aimed at power users or perhaps small teams managing multiple sites. 50 articles a month is a very high volume (more than daily posting), so Pro covers serious content producers.

• Tier 1: Lifetime access equivalent to the Lite plan – originally advertised at $59 one-time for 10 roundups/month, up to 10 products each (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). (During a launch promo it might have been $49, as some sources show $49, but it settled at $59) This tier is essentially locking in a $14/mo plan for life. AppSumo listed the deal value as $168 (50 Best AppSumo Lifetime Deals in February 2025), which presumably is the cost of 1 year on the $14/mo plan, meaning you break even in about 4 months. Tier 1 is great for individuals who only need to produce content at a modest rate.

• Tier 2: Lifetime access equivalent to the Pro plan – priced at $169 one-time (per AppSumo listing) for 50 roundups/month, up to 25 products (Roundups - Earn more from your affiliate blogs | AppSumo). This corresponds to the $49/mo plan. The AppSumo “value” was stated around $599 (Roundups - Earn more from your affiliate blogs | AppSumo) (which might be roughly 1 year of Pro plus some extra). At $169, Tier 2 costs about the same as 3.5 months of the $49/mo plan. In other words, if you use it for 1 year, you’ve saved ~(49*12 - 169) = $419 versus paying monthly. And every year after is essentially free. This tier is likely the sweet spot for those running multiple sites or wanting significant content output without limits anxiety.

• Tier 3: Lifetime “Unlimited” plan – priced at $499 one-time for unlimited roundups per month, up to 50 products each (Roundups - Earn more from your affiliate blogs | AppSumo). This was the highest tier for agencies or heavy users. The value was quoted as ~$1,788 (Roundups - Earn more from your affiliate blogs | AppSumo), which aligns with what one might pay for a hypothetical $149/mo unlimited plan over a year (and indeed, $149/mo would likely be the pricing if they sold an unlimited plan normally). At $499, this is a larger upfront investment, but for an agency that might produce dozens of articles across clients monthly, it could pay off within a few months compared to hiring writers or even compared to multiple subscriptions of other tools. One user who bought Tier 3 specifically mentioned they manage multiple Amazon affiliate accounts (which suggests using it across different projects) (I BOUGHT TIER 3 BUT NEEDS TO CONNECT MULTIPLE AMAZON).

• Tier 1 ($59): If you’re a single blog owner, 10 articles a month is plenty for one site (that’s 120 articles a year!). Consider that just one well-performing affiliate article can earn $5-$50+ per month, having 120 of them could, with good SEO, become substantial passive income. Compared to paying a writer or subscribing to an AI tool, $59 is very low. Even compared to generic GPT-4 usage, generating a long article might cost ~$0.50 in API calls; 120 articles = $60 in API cost alone, which Tier1 covers for life. So Tier1 is high ROI if you use it regularly for even a year.

• Tier 2 ($169): For 3x the price, you get 5x the articles per month and more products per article. This is ideal if you have multiple sites or want to build a larger authority site with many sections. In subscription terms, it’s like prepaying ~3 months. Most AppSumo power-users gravitate to at least Tier 2 on tools they plan to heavily use, and here it seems justified – the cost per article capability is much lower. ($169 for 50/month means effectively $3.38 per month equivalent if you spread it over 50 months, and for 50 articles each month that’s like $0.07 per article over time – essentially negligible cost).

• Tier 3 ($499): This tier is for those who want no limits. If you foresee generating content at a very high volume (maybe you run an SEO agency or you plan to spin up many affiliate sites), this ensures the tool will never be the bottleneck. $499 is steep upfront, but let’s say an agency writes 100 articles a month with it (which could easily be $2000+ if outsourced). Even using it for one client project could recoup that. Over a couple of years, the cost per article goes to pennies. The only caveat is $499 is a lot to spend on a tool from a young company – one has to have confidence in Roundups’ longevity and their need for unlimited generation. However, given that AppSumo buyers rated Roundups 4.9/5 (Roundups Questions - AppSumo) and the team seems committed, many did invest at this tier.

AppSumo Pricing

Direct Pricing

User & Expert Reviews

• Ease of Use: Many users praise how easy and quick it is to go from setup to a live article. One user titled their review “The Best!” and noted “Easy to set up, easy to integrate with Amazon and WordPress” (Roundups Review: The Best! - AppSumo). Another said, “Wow! Definitely a keeper! The content seems to be generated very clean & targeted – with so little input from me.” (Roundups Review: Wow! Definitely a Keeper! - AppSumo), emphasizing the minimal effort needed for quality output.

• Output Quality: Users are impressed with the quality and structure of the articles. One commented that the content “is really fast, yet... works like a charm. The first roundup I generated... was in Spanish and it did it flawlessly” (Roundups Review: Better than expected, but with some bugs). This shows the multilingual ability and coherence of writing met expectations. Another mentioned the formatting: “You can see how attentive they are to our requests...” and complimented the polished results, while hoping the team keeps up with improvements (Roundups Review: A potential game-changer - AppSumo).

• Support & Development: The Roundups team (Josh and co.) earned kudos for their support. Users have specifically pointed out that “their support team and customer feedback handling via FeatureBase is awesome” (Roundups Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo). This means when users submitted feature requests or bug reports, the team responded and likely implemented fixes quickly. For example, one review noted some bugs but said the team was already on it: “It works like a charm... yet it has some bugs” (such as an issue posting directly to a blog), and the founder clarified and addressed it in the comments (Roundups Review: Better than expected, but with some bugs). This agile response has left a great impression.

• Attentiveness to Feedback: A user called Roundups “a potential game-changer” and said, “You can see how attentive they are to our requests, and I feel great about the future, as long as they don't burn out.” (Roundups Review: A potential game-changer - AppSumo). This captures both the enthusiasm and a note of caution – users love the rapid improvements but recognize it’s a small team that needs to sustain the pace.

• Results and Benefits: A review titled “I’m Impressed With Roundups” mentioned “the speed at which you can... upload to your WP site is amazing. Two clicks and it’s posted.” (Roundups Review: I'm Impressed With Roundups. - AppSumo) This user, among others, is already integrating Roundups into their workflow and seeing immediate time savings. Another user mentioned they “know a lot of the marketing for Roundups is geared towards affiliate marketers, but Roundups are perfect for email distribution... easy to digest.” (Roundups Review: Loving It - Setting AppSumo links has never ...), meaning people are finding even broader uses (like email newsletters).

• Minor Critiques: No tool is perfect, and a few users did mention areas for improvement or encountered small issues:
• The image size bug (already discussed) was pointed out by a reviewer and acknowledged.
• One user said “it works...yet it has some bugs” and gave an example in Spanish output, but ultimately still left a positive review (Roundups Review: Better than expected, but with some bugs), likely because the pros far outweighed these initial quirks.
• A couple of reviews hinted at wanting more data sources or features. For instance, someone asked if more affiliate programs would be added (not a complaint, more of a feature request).

• ClientAmp / ThatLTDLife (Dave Swift) – Dave Swift did a hands-on review titled “AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)”. He gave Roundups a score of 6.7/10 (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). His written review (and presumably YouTube video) praised the tool for delivering on its promise of quick content generation and good value at $59, while noting there’s room to improve:
• He showed the content output was “impressive… well-structured articles with clean formatting and professional layout” (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). He tested it on a microphone comparison and a CRM tools roundup and found the design akin to credible tech sites (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).
• He highlighted integration and ease of publishing (WordPress/Ghost) as a strong point (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)) (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).
• He pointed out issues like the image handling (large images) as a major limitation currently (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)), and felt the product selection UI could be better (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)).
• His conclusion: Roundups is a time-saver that provides good value for money, especially for affiliate marketers and bloggers who need to churn out content (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)). A 6.7/10 might sound moderate, but in his scoring system that’s fairly decent for a new product (he is likely a tough critic).
• He recommended it for specific audiences: affiliate marketers, bloggers doing comparisons, and entrepreneurs managing multiple affiliate sites (Roundups Review: AI Creates Affiliate Articles in 3 Minutes (Worth $59?)) – basically echoing the intended use cases.
• Overall, Dave’s review was positive on the core functionality and ROI, with deductions mostly for those few bugs/limitations that hopefully will be fixed soon. The fact he still encouraged considering it at $59 and showcased using it means it passed his litmus test as an LTD worth looking at.

• pcSaaS.com Review – An article titled “Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers” provides a comprehensive breakdown (it reads partly like a promotional review, but it has useful info):
• It reiterates how Roundups “promises to generate SEO-friendly product research reports” and highlights features like customizable profiles, user reviews, pricing data, one-click publishing, etc. (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas) (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas).
• The review lists Pros: easy brand customization, one-click publishing, monetization via affiliate links, lifetime access (for LTD buyers) with future updates, multi-language support (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas).
• And Cons: limited to Amazon/AppSumo data sources (for now), a slight learning curve initially, potential content similarity if one doesn’t customize AI output, and that higher tiers cost more upfront (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas). Notably, these cons are relatively mild; the review suggests the advantages outweigh the drawbacks (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas).
• They conclude it’s a powerful solution for affiliate marketers and that the LTD is designed to provide long-term value (Roundups Lifetime Deal Review: Unbeatable Value for Marketers - pcsaas).
• This review aligns with user feedback that the tool is strong, with most “cons” being things the user can mitigate (like editing for uniqueness).

• Video Reviews (YouTube): Several YouTubers in the SaaS/LTD space have reviewed Roundups:
• SaaSMaster (YouTube) – Published a video “Roundups Review – Auto post comparison and vs blogs”. In it, he demonstrates the tool (he usually does live walkthroughs). From the description snippet (Roundups Review Auto post comparison and VS blogs - YouTube), it appears he introduces Roundups and probably shows how to create a roundup and post to WordPress. SaaSMaster typically points out pros and cons; given no huge backlash, likely he was fairly positive. He often includes an affiliate link (as he did for Roundups), indicating he expects his viewers will find it worth buying.
• LearnWire / CrowdedLab / Other SaaS reviewers – Channels like LearnWire, AppSumo Hub, etc., often review these deals. For instance, one video titled “Roundups Review: Transform Blogs Into Cash Machines!” was noted (Roundups Review: Transform Blogs Into Cash Machines! - YouTube) – clearly an optimistic take showing how to make money with it. Another called “Fast and easy way to create high-converting product reviews in just…” (Fast and easy way to create high-converting product reviews in just ...) suggests a tutorial approach. These videos typically show the tool in action and give their opinion. The presence of multiple such videos indicates Roundups generated a lot of interest in the LTD community.
• Dave Swift (ThatLTDLife) on YouTube – likely corresponding to his blog review, he had a video (perhaps on the Taco Truck or his channel) reviewing Roundups with that same “3 minutes” angle. His style is to critically evaluate but also share personal excitement if a tool is useful. Since he gave it a passing score and highlighted use cases, his video would reinforce that narrative.
We can’t cite the exact spoken words without transcript, but generally, these videos collectively show:
• Real-time generation of a post (proving the speed/quality).
• Possibly direct posting to WordPress demo (which likely impresses the audience, as noted in user reviews).
• Comments from reviewers like “this is great for those who hate writing but need content” or “if you have Amazon affiliate sites, this can save you tons of time”.
• Some caution like “don’t forget to add your own twist to the content” or “keep an eye on those images”.
If one wants to watch, these videos are accessible on YouTube (search “Roundups AppSumo review” – you’ll find multiple).

• Product Hunt: Roundups launched there and got to #5 Product of the Day ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt). Comments on PH (from what’s visible) were brief but positive – e.g., “serves the purpose and lets user customize the blog too!” ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt) and “great concept for modern affiliate marketing” ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt). Product Hunt traction indicates a general approval from early adopters outside just AppSumo buyers.

• Reddit & Forums: While not much is documented here, SaaS and affiliate marketing forums likely have threads. The sentiment appears to align with “this is a cool new tool for affiliate bloggers”. We didn’t find any reddit post bashing it (which tends to happen if a tool is poor or a scam), so that’s a good sign.

Due Diligence Report: Founders of Roundups.ai

Josh Barkin & Kirill Shevchenko

Professional Background & Experience

Notable Achievements & Reputation

• Industry Recognition: Josh Barkin is recognized as an expert in the chatbot and AI space. He was featured among “leading chatbot marketing experts,” being described as a “product-focused tech founder with over 6 years of experience in conversational AI” and the creator of Janis.ai (The World's Leading Chatbot Marketing Experts Revealed. - Like Minds). He has been invited on AI/chatbot podcasts (e.g. The Bot Podcast) and contributes to industry publications. His thought leadership pieces have appeared in Medium’s Chatbots Magazine and UX Collective, where he shares best practices for blending human and AI interactions in messaging (An Urban Dictionary For Chatbot Developers | by Josh Barkin | Chatbots Magazine) (Turn a non-responsive chatbot into a delightful conversational experience | by Josh Barkin | UX Collective).

• Product Launch Successes: The founders have a strong track record of launching successful products. Josh’s products have repeatedly performed well on Product Hunt – for example, Roundups.ai itself launched on Product Hunt in January 2025 and was voted #5 Product of the Day (with 266 upvotes) ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt). Earlier, his chatbot tools (e.g. Janis, Botsheets) also garnered positive community attention on Product Hunt. These successful launches reflect positively on the founders’ ability to build products that resonate with users.

• Customer Satisfaction: The founders have earned a good reputation among their user base, particularly in the SaaS and marketing communities. For instance, Josh’s prior product Botsheets (an AI chatbot integrated with Google Sheets) received an excellent 4.96/5 rating on AppSumo, based on 27 verified user reviews (Botsheets Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo). Users frequently praised the quality and support – one reviewer noted the team’s responsiveness, saying “I requested a free ManyChat plugin license via email, [and] Josh Barkin replied within an hour”, highlighting the prompt support culture (Botsheets Review: a feature-rich AI chatbot and a great support team). This hands-on, customer-centric approach has bolstered the founders’ reputation for reliability and service.

• Awards & Endorsements: While neither Josh nor Kirill have public celebrity-style endorsements, their products have received industry nods. Roundups.ai was selected as an “AppSumo Select” deal (Trending AI Deals - AppSumo), meaning the AppSumo team vetted it as a high-quality offering. Josh’s active engagement on Product Hunt earned him “Tastemaker” and “Veteran” badges, indicating community respect ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). These signs point to a positive reputation in tech circles for delivering value through their products.

Company Histories & Outcomes

• Wordhop (2016): An AI-powered chatbot analytics and human-in-the-loop tool. Josh co-founded Wordhop as CEO (An Urban Dictionary For Chatbot Developers | by Josh Barkin | Chatbots Magazine) to help businesses monitor and improve bot conversations (featured on BetaList in June 2016) (Wordhop: Chatbot optimization toolkit | BetaList). Wordhop introduced the concept of Slack integration for bot support. The venture did not become a breakout commercial success, and it eventually pivoted into the next project, Janis. There were no public controversies around Wordhop; it appears to have been a learning experience that fed into Janis’s development.

• Janis.ai (2017 – Present): A platform to manage bot operations and “train and monitor AI from Slack” for customer service (Customer Service Bot Training : AI customer service). Josh founded Janis (likely evolving from Wordhop) to focus on helping teams integrate AI into chatbot workflows. Janis gained early attention on BetaList and TrendHunter in 2017 (Customer Service Bot Training : AI customer service) and launched publicly around 2018. It allows human agents to collaborate with AI by alerting in Slack when a bot needs help. Outcome: Janis remains active; the service is available (via Slack App Directory and its website) and continues to be used by agencies and businesses to improve chatbot reliability (Manage Bot Operations - Janis.ai - Enhance Conversations With AI). Importantly, Janis did not raise outside funding – it’s been bootstrapped (Tracxn reports no institutional investors) (Janis - Company Profile - Tracxn). While not a household name, it has maintained a niche user base over several years, indicating commitment to long-term support. There have been no known controversies; in fact, Janis bolstered Josh’s standing as a trusted builder in the chatbot community.

• Botsheets (2020–2024): An AI chatbot platform that uses Google Sheets as a CMS. Botsheets was another project from Josh’s venture studio, enabling chatbots (e.g. on websites or Messenger) to read/write data to Google Sheets for dynamic responses. It launched features in stages (AI Writer in Mar 2023, Chat in Oct 2023, Botsheets DB in May 2024 on Product Hunt) as the AI landscape evolved ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). Outcome: Botsheets saw strong adoption in the marketing automation community, boosted by a Lifetime Deal on AppSumo. The deal sold out with excellent feedback – 4.96⭐ average rating (Botsheets Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo) – and users praised its innovation and support. The team continued to update the product during and after the AppSumo campaign (as evidenced by multiple feature launches in 2023-24), showing a commitment to LTD buyers. Botsheets is still in operation (the official site is live and the product is available), now likely focusing on subscription customers after the LTD. No failures or scandals are associated with Botsheets; it’s regarded as a successful micro-SaaS product.

• Other Micro-SaaS Projects: Josh also launched Botdocs (a source of curated datasets for AI training) in 2023 ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) and Dialogflow Templates (pre-built NLP templates) in 2023 ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). These were smaller offerings to complement conversational AI development. They did not become major standalone businesses, but reflect Josh’s continuous experimentation in the AI space. There’s no indication of any controversies with these; they were likely folded under the venture studio’s umbrella and offered as tools/resources to the community.

• Cryptostatus (2017): Kirill created Cryptostatus, a simple crypto portfolio monitoring tool, and launched it on Product Hunt in August 2017 ( Kirill Shevchenko's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). This was an early side project showcasing his initiative and ability to build end-to-end applications. Cryptostatus was a modest project (no evidence of significant commercial development or active users beyond the launch). It doesn’t appear to be active today, but it served as Kirill’s foray into product development and likely helped him gain experience in building and shipping software.

• Professional Roles: Aside from entrepreneurial projects, Kirill’s background includes working as a software engineer in team settings. Notably, he worked at RubyGarage, a well-known software development firm, where he advanced from trainee to a full developer. He contributed to community knowledge (e.g., writing a Ruby digest and quotes on engineering blogs ( Why Mentorship is Important for Developer ) ( Why Mentorship is Important for Developer )). This indicates he has solid professional experience and peer respect as a developer. These roles were not founder positions, but they gave Kirill practical expertise in building scalable software – experience he now applies to Roundups.ai.

• Roundups.ai (2024–Present): Roundups is the first major startup Kirill has co-founded, marking a step up into a leadership role. He joined forces with Josh Barkin after initially prototyping an AI writing/blogging tool on his own ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). Together, they incorporated Kirill’s AI content generation know-how with Josh’s product vision to build Roundups. (More on Roundups in Current Ventures below.)

Investment & Funding History

• Janis.ai: According to startup databases, Janis has not raised any institutional funding or VC rounds (Janis - Company Profile - Tracxn). This implies Josh grew Janis through revenue or personal funding. There were no outside investors whose returns can be evaluated – thus no investor-related controversies. The upside is that Janis could be run lean and pivot as needed; the downside is it remained a smaller-scale business.

• Botsheets: Similarly, no public record of VC funding. Botsheets likely financed development through early revenues and the AppSumo LTD sale (which can act as an infusion of capital). Being an AppSumo Select product also suggests it was positioned as a profitable, bootstrap-friendly business. Investors were not involved, so all accountability remained with the founders and team.

• Roundups.ai: Roundups is very new (launched in late 2024/early 2025). It debuted via Product Hunt and an AppSumo deal rather than with a big funding announcement. There’s no indication of external funding at this time. Instead, Roundups chose the AppSumo Select route (a one-time payment lifetime deal to accumulate users and funds) (Trending AI Deals - AppSumo). This approach often signals a bootstrap mentality – trading equity-free capital (from deal sales) to fuel early growth. It’s possible the team might seek funding later as the product grows, but as of now, no funding rounds are known.

• Other Ventures: Wordhop and other projects under Josh’s belt also do not list any venture funding. In fact, Josh’s career path seems deliberately non-VC-backed, focusing on sustainable micro-SaaS. There are no reports of any financial mismanagement or investor disputes in any of their companies, reinforcing a clean record on the financial front.

Lifetime Deal (LTD) Track Record

• Botsheets (AppSumo Deal): Josh Barkin’s Botsheets was offered on AppSumo in 2023 as a lifetime purchase, and it was very well-received. It achieved a near-perfect user rating (4.96 out of 5 stars) from dozens of verified buyers (Botsheets Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo). Reviewers consistently praised the rich feature set and fast support. Notably, Josh himself was hands-on in support during the deal – for example, promptly providing complimentary licenses and help to users who reached out (Botsheets Review: a feature-rich AI chatbot and a great support team). The product continued to get new features during the AppSumo campaign and beyond, indicating that LTD customers were supported for the long term, not just until the deal closed. The deal eventually sold out (likely a planned closure after reaching a user cap), and Botsheets remains an actively maintained product. This track record suggests honoring LTD commitments and treating the AppSumo community well, which has bolstered Josh’s reputation.

• Other LTDs: Roundups.ai itself launched with an AppSumo Lifetime Deal in early 2025 (as an AppSumo Select offering) to jumpstart its user base (Trending AI Deals - AppSumo). While Roundups is still in its early days, the initial feedback from LTD buyers is positive – it’s currently rated around ~4.9/5 on AppSumo (based on early reviews) and users highlight its usefulness in generating affiliate content. Given Josh’s prior behavior with Botsheets, it’s likely he and Kirill will continue to support Roundups’ LTD users with updates and improvements. No red flags have appeared in the first weeks of the Roundups deal; on the contrary, the AppSumo Select status indicates trust that the founders will deliver sustained value.

• Janis.ai: Janis was not sold as a lifetime deal (it’s more of a B2B tool with subscription model), so there’s no LTD history there. However, its longevity (operating since 2017) implies that long-term support is part of Josh’s ethos, as Janis still serves users years later without being abandoned.

Public Presence & Thought Leadership

• He writes and speaks about AI, bots, and SaaS. Josh has published articles on Medium (through Chatbots Magazine and other outlets) sharing insights on conversational design and “bot ops.” For example, he’s written about designing fallback experiences for chatbots and how to blend human support with AI (Turn a non-responsive chatbot into a delightful conversational experience | by Josh Barkin | UX Collective). His Medium profile tagline, “Building conversational AI platforms since 2016,” reflects his long-term commitment (An Urban Dictionary For Chatbot Developers | by Josh Barkin | Chatbots Magazine).

• Josh has been interviewed in industry podcasts and YouTube shows. In a 2019 chatbot podcast, he discussed making chatbots smarter with Janis.ai (Make Your Chatbot Smarter with Janis.ai - Interview with Josh Barkin), and he’s been quoted in articles on chatbot trends (e.g., the LikeMinds piece where he explained Janis’s value (The World's Leading Chatbot Marketing Experts Revealed. - Like Minds)). These appearances convey expertise and have helped build his personal brand among marketers and developers interested in AI.

• On social platforms like Product Hunt, Josh is very active. He has hunted or made over a dozen products there ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt), and he engages with the community (as evidenced by his detailed maker comments during Roundups’ launch ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt) ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt)). His follower count on Product Hunt (500+ followers) and badges (Top 5 Launch, Veteran) highlight his credibility ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). He’s also present on LinkedIn and X (Twitter), where he shares updates about his products and AI insights, further establishing thought leadership.

• He maintains an active GitHub and Medium account for sharing knowledge. His GitHub profile describes his engineering focus and links to tech articles he’s written (kirillshevch (Kirill Shevchenko) · GitHub). For instance, Kirill has authored blog posts like “Build Messaging Between Ruby/Rails Applications with ActiveMQ” (Build Messaging Between Ruby/Rails Applications with ActiveMQ), demonstrating his willingness to educate and contribute to open-source discussions.

• Kirill has participated in developer conferences/meetups. In 2019, he gave a talk on event-driven architecture at a Ruby meetup (RubyWine) ([RubyWine #1] Event-Driven Architecture and Messaging Patterns ...), and he’s contributed content to the Ukrainian developer community (DOU.ua portal). These activities, though not widely publicized globally, show that he’s respected among peers and stays on top of tech trends – particularly relevant now that he’s building AI-driven applications.

• On Product Hunt, Kirill is a registered maker and has earned some badges through the Roundups launch (Top 5 Product etc., under the team). His profile tagline “Excited about LLMs and AI” and interaction there (answering user questions alongside Josh) illustrate that he’s stepping into a more public role as a co-founder ( Kirill Shevchenko's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt). While he may not have the same public notoriety as Josh yet, within engineering circles he has a solid reputation for technical competence.

Legal or Ethical Concerns

• No Lawsuits or Fraud Allegations: There is no public record of lawsuits involving the founders personally or their companies. Searches did not reveal any accusations of fraud, intellectual property disputes, or other litigation tied to Wordhop, Janis, Botsheets, Roundups, or any related entity. The founders have operated in good faith as far as public information shows.

• Customer Complaints: Aside from standard product feedback, we found no serious complaints about unethical behavior. No reports on forums of the founders mistreating customers or engaging in scams. In fact, user sentiment is largely positive (as noted, customers often praise their support). This indicates a clean reputation in their business dealings.

• Ethical Conduct: Both founders appear to follow ethical business practices. For instance, they have been transparent about what their products can and cannot do, and they have not been involved in any known “bait-and-switch” tactics. Kirill’s professional background in reputable companies and Josh’s longstanding community involvement suggest they value integrity. We also found no issues like data privacy scandals or misuse of user data related to their products.

• Personal Conduct: There is no indication of personal misconduct. (One irrelevant search result that appears for Kirill is about a chess player with the same name involved in cheating allegations – this is a different individual entirely and unrelated to Roundups.ai’s co-founder.) For the actual Kirill Shevchenko in tech, and for Josh Barkin, there’s a lack of any negative press, which is a good sign.

Current Venture: Roundups.ai & Strategic Outlook

• Identifying the Need: The idea for Roundups sprung from Josh’s real-life experience in helping his 89-year-old father compare products online. Josh realized that many people (and content creators) face the challenge of doing extensive product research to make purchase decisions ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). Combining this with his observation that “roundup” style articles consistently rank high on Google for queries like gift ideas or top gadgets, he saw an opportunity for an AI solution. This customer-centric thinking is consistent with Josh’s background in solving user pain points in conversation and support – only now applied to content creation.

• Genesis of the Team: Josh discovered Kirill online because Kirill had already been building an AI blogging tool independently ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). This is a crucial synergy – Kirill’s prototype and technical know-how in AI content generation provided a starting point for Roundups. Their partnership capitalizes on Josh’s product vision and affiliate marketing knowledge and Kirill’s engineering of AI content workflows. Essentially, Roundups.ai is the convergence of Kirill’s LLM (Large Language Model) expertise with Josh’s SaaS business experience.

• Technology & Data Strategy: Learning from Janis and Botsheets, which integrated third-party platforms (Slack, Google Sheets, etc.), the founders designed Roundups to integrate with major ecosystems. They chose to plug into Amazon’s product catalog and AppSumo’s software marketplace as initial data sources ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). This decision shows strategic reuse of proven affiliate infrastructures – both Amazon and AppSumo have existing affiliate programs, so Roundups built-in the ability for users to seamlessly generate affiliate links and earn from day one ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). Their past familiarity with AppSumo (as partners selling products) likely helped in crafting this affiliate integration. Furthermore, their experience with SEO and content (Josh has a background in growth hacking and user experience) guided them to ensure the AI outputs are optimized for search discovery ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt).

• Product Features & Vision: Roundups.ai’s feature set (AI research, content generation, customizable guides, WordPress export, etc.) reflects a blend of the founders’ prior projects:
• From Botsheets, they carried forward the idea of easy content automation and integration (Roundups can export to blogs similar to how Botsheets integrated with chat interfaces).
• From Janis/Wordhop, they brought the philosophy of human-in-the-loop: Roundups allows users to edit and refine the AI-generated guides, adding their personal touch ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). This echoes Josh’s belief that AI should augment, not replace, human input – a theme in his earlier conversational AI work.
• Kirill’s backend skills ensure the platform handles data from multiple sources and user traffic efficiently, while his interest in microservices could mean Roundups is built to scale to new data sources (they’ve hinted at future expansions to other domains like restaurants, travel, real estate guides, etc. ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt)).

• Go-to-Market & Community Strategy: The founders leveraged what has worked for them before: launching on Product Hunt to gain buzz, and offering a lifetime deal on AppSumo to onboard an initial community of power-users/affiliates. The Product Hunt launch was successful (#5 of the day) ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt), validating market interest. The AppSumo Select deal provided not just funds but also a built-in community of early adopters who are likely to give feedback and evangelize the product. This playbook of community-driven growth is something Josh mastered with his previous SaaS – it lowers marketing costs and builds advocacy early. On the platform itself, they are not trying to create a new social network but rather integrate with existing channels. As Josh noted, the aim is to make it easy for creators to publish Roundups on platforms where their audience already is (blogs, LinkedIn, etc.), rather than force a new destination ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt). This pragmatic approach shows they learned from past experience that meeting users in their current workflow yields better adoption.

• Monetization and Sustainability: Roundups’ business model (affiliate revenue for users, and presumably subscription or premium tiers for the software) is informed by the founders’ history. They understand SaaS revenue streams and also how affiliates work. By ensuring that users can make money using Roundups, they tap into a powerful incentive for customer retention. This aligns with Josh’s prior focus on delivering clear ROI to users (e.g., Janis saved support costs, Botsheets generated leads – now Roundups generates income for bloggers). The choice to have a free plan with upsells was also mentioned ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt), which indicates a freemium strategy they likely adopted from observing what worked in other marketing tools.

• Ethos and Team Motivation: In Josh’s own words on the Product Hunt forum, “Positive feedback and spreading the word will only help keep the team motivated” ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt) – highlighting that they are very feedback-driven. Their strategy is to iterate Roundups based on real user input, something they consistently did with prior products (for example, rapidly adding features to Botsheets in response to user needs). Culturally, this stems from their background of running lean startups where listening to users is key to survival.

• Josh Barkin – Personal Site (Bio) (Josh Barkin - Toronto, Canada); Product Hunt Profile ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt)

• Kirill Shevchenko – GitHub Profile (Bio) (kirillshevch (Kirill Shevchenko) · GitHub); Product Hunt Profile ( Kirill Shevchenko's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt)

• Like Minds industry feature on chatbot experts (Josh/Janis) (The World's Leading Chatbot Marketing Experts Revealed. - Like Minds) (The World's Leading Chatbot Marketing Experts Revealed. - Like Minds)

• Product Hunt – Roundups launch page and comments ( Roundups - Product Information, Latest Updates, and Reviews 2025 | Product Hunt) ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt) ( Roundups : p/roundups | Product Hunt)

• TrendHunter news blurb on Janis (founding and concept) (Customer Service Bot Training : AI customer service)

• Chatbots Magazine (Medium) – Bio note on Wordhop (Josh as co-founder/CEO) (An Urban Dictionary For Chatbot Developers | by Josh Barkin | Chatbots Magazine)

• AppSumo – Botsheets deal listing and user reviews (Botsheets Reviews 2025: Verified Ratings, Pros & Cons - AppSumo) (Botsheets Review: a feature-rich AI chatbot and a great support team)

• Tracxn startup data – Janis funding info (Janis - Company Profile - Tracxn)

• AppSumo – Roundups Select deal info (Trending AI Deals - AppSumo)

• Product Hunt – Botsheets and other Josh products timeline ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt) ( Josh Barkin's profile on Product Hunt | Product Hunt)