Inside the $60,530 Price Tag of a Nurse Startup

Nine months, nearly fifty grand spent, and a lifetime total topping $60K—this is the unfiltered breakdown of what it costs nurses to build Map My Pay

Author

Jason Nunez
September 21, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Hey,

We didn’t “launch an app.”
We’ve been building a system to help nurses stop guessing about money. It’s taken time, cash, and a lot of mistakes. Here’s where we are.

When we started
We began building in 2024 and shipped the first iOS build in 2025. We started mobile-first. That was our first big mistake.

By the numbers (as of Sept 21, 2025)

Users & audience

  • App users: 1,331 total (1,326 active)

  • Newsletter: 2,791 active subscribers

  • Open rate of emails: ~59.7% over the last 4 weeks

  • Click-through rate emails: ~2.4% over the last 4 weeks

Revenue collected

  • In-app subscription purchases: $1,304.64

What we’ve spent so far

Takeaways:

  • Costs peaked in June/July when we paid decided to make the switch to our backend that would allow us to bring our mobile application to our website and allow anyone from around the world to access it.

  • By September, Upwork spend dropped because we have yet to release a $4,000 payment to our old agency for switching our backend.

  • Total shows the price of figuring out the right hiring model.

Takeaways:

  • Agency fees dominated ($33K = 73% of total).

  • Payroll (Senior Software Developer) + tools made up the rest.

  • Nearly $46K spent in 9 months to keep Map My Pay running and improving.

What we got wrong

Mobile first instead of web first
Fixing iOS and Android at the same time slowed us down. A web app would’ve let us ship, test, and improve faster.

Hiring our own employees too soon
Managing full-time staff pulled us out of product mode. Progress dropped. We moved back to a focused agency model and regained speed.

Underestimating QA and onboarding
Some users were blocked from features before they could even see them. That’s on us. We’re tightening permissions, paywalls, and onboarding so people can try the product without having to pay for an upgrade.

What we got right

The problem is real
Nurses need a simple way to see take-home pay after taxes, rent or mortgage, and real costs. The app, the videos, and this newsletter prove it.

We kept building in public
We talk about wins and mistakes every week. That honesty brings the right people in.

How we’re growing

  • Instagram/Short-Form: posting 5–7 days a week

  • YouTube/Long-Form: weekly videos again, plus a live stream weekly or every other week

  • Email: consistent newsletters (like this one)

  • Outreach: Sumeet, my cofounder, is contacting hundreds of nurses and companies for partnerships

Early partners

  • Jaanuu Scrubs: considering providing an exclusive discount for Map My Pay users (no commission to us)

  • Travel agency: $700 to our business for each successful hire we send

What’s next

  • Web app experience that mirrors the mobile app and updates faster

  • Community page upgrades so nurses can share pay, contracts, and tips without the noise

  • Discounts hub inside the app for scrubs, CE, tools, and relocation help

  • Jobs feed tied to real pay and realistic cost-of-living numbers

We’ve got a long way to go. We’re not stopping.

Why I’m sharing this

Because nurses deserve transparency.
We’ve spent $60,530.33 so far to build Map My Pay. We’ve made $1,304.64 in early revenue while we fix the product and earn trust. This is the work. If you’re here for quick wins, this isn’t that. If you’re here to build something that actually helps nurses, welcome.

Try the app and tell us what’s missing.
Every bug report, DM, and email helps us ship faster.

— Jason & Sumeet, Map My Pay

P.S. Want to support the mission?

  • Download the app and leave an honest review.

  • Forward this to one nurse who needs a pay reality check.

  • If your company wants to partner, reply “Partnership” and we’ll connect.

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I’ll even show you how to compare hospitals, filter by pay and shift type, and fast-track your move so you’re not spinning your wheels for another year.

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