The Rundown AI is a free daily newsletter covering the rapid growth of AI. It delivers news and analysis about emerging innovations to over 250,000 subscribers. The company also manages Supertools, built with Super and Notion, offering a searchable database of curated AI tools.
Summary
The Rundown AI is a free daily newsletter on AI innovations started by Rowan Cheung, reaching over 250,000 subscribers. Rowan also manages Supertools, a database of curated AI tools, built with Notion and Super. By providing regular insights, The Rundown AI educates its growing community on how best to use AI to enhance productivity and improve workflows.
About The Rundown AI
- Launched in 2022
- Sector: AI and Technology
- Bio: A free daily newsletter on AI innovations with over 250,000 subscribers. It also manages Supertools, a database of curated AI software.
Key results with Super
- Built a searchable AI tools database with Super and Notion
- Used website embeds to drive newsletter subscriptions
- Attracted sponsors with a pitch deck built with Super
From AI curiosity to a powerful business venture
When Rowan Cheung, a tech enthusiast, first saw the images generated by Dall-E 2, he was more than just intrigued — he was blown away. The AI system's ability to create stunning visuals using just text descriptions gave Rowan a glimpse of what this powerful technology is capable of.
That’s when Rowan became fully immersed in the world of AI and started sharing his findings with friends and family.
“It made them realize the incredible things happening in AI, as it wasn't well-known then. Some suggested I start a YouTube channel or share my thoughts on social media, but I'm more comfortable expressing myself through writing rather than speaking,” Rowan explains.
The further AI explosion after the launch of ChatGPT added more fuel to the fire and motivated Rowan to start something of his own. Encouraged by others, Rowan created a newsletter, a natural fit given his passion for the written word.
He chose The Rundown AI as the name of his newsletter. The concept was simple: send free daily updates on the latest developments in the AI space. As part of his main business, he also set up a tool database called Supertools to track and filter all the different AI apps and plugins that launch daily.
“I can confidently say I'm a big fan of Super and use it extensively,” says Rowan.
During this time, Rowan’s Twitter gained increasing popularity. He turned his newsletters into X (formerly Twitter) threads that caught the attention, and his follower count grew from a thousand to a staggering 300,000 in just six months.
Now, the AI hype is at its peak, Rowan’s newsletter has grown to an impressive 250,000 subscribers. Additionally, Supertools — built with Super and Notion — is thriving.
“I can confidently say I'm a big fan of Super and use it extensively,” says Rowan.
“I have two Super pages now — one for Supertools and the other for our newsletter's sponsor page, which acts as a pitch deck for potential sponsors. Both pages utilize the same template and offer great styling. All in all, Super has been an excellent tool for us.”
Finding a flexible web builder that scales alongside The Rundown AI
Rowan’s approach to his newsletter and the community has been hands-on from the start. He hand-picked the tools and information by listening closely to what the audience wants to learn.
Even today, after his team has grown, Rowan is still actively engaged, whether addressing reader requests or researching the latest AI news.
“We feature about five to ten new tools in our newsletter daily, and Super makes it easy for us to manage and keep track of all the resources. It's been a perfect option for our needs, especially since we use Notion for everything else.”
Before Rowan had a dedicated platform for the AI tool database, it was time-consuming for readers to find particular tools from previous newsletter issues. The readers had their say, and Rowan listened — they wanted a centralized place to access all the tools he mentioned in the newsletter.
“Initially, I addressed this by creating a Notion page with all the tool links and offered it as a giveaway to our audience,” says Rowan.
“Then, someone suggested Super to me, saying I should turn this into a proper website. They thought it would be more user-friendly and could accommodate much more content. I thought it was a great idea and decided to check it out.”
“One Saturday, I spent the whole day working on it, using one of the Super templates. In just a day, I had a minimum viable product (MVP) ready to go,” adds Rowan.
He recorded a demo and posted about it on X, asking who would be interested in testing it. Much to his surprise, the post went viral, and he received many comments and messages from people eager to give it a go.
“I started sending out the link to testers, but I reached the sending limit on X because of the overwhelming response. Clearly, people were interested.”
Effortlessly adopting Super to fuel growth
When Rowan introduced the Supertools platform to his readers, they were delighted. The community wholeheartedly embraced it. Not only that, but the transition was seamless for Rowan's team, too.
When hiring a new Head of Partnerships, integrating Notion and Super into her workflow was crucial. These were and continue to be the two core apps to manage the vast databases of AI tools and general day-to-day business operations.
“The most remarkable thing is that she didn't have a tech background and had never used Notion before, but quickly learned and integrated Super,” says Rowan. “We share a co-working space, and even before we started Supertools, I introduced her to Notion because it's our go-to platform for everything.”
The latest version of the Supertools website is nearly identical to the original, with one notable change — it no longer has a bold heading. This tweak eliminated the need to scroll down to access the database views, instead making everything visible upfront for quick access to filtering tools.
“We decided to use a template that complements our branding's dark theme. Our logo and branding are primarily black and white, and the template aligns perfectly with that aesthetic,” says Rowan.
“Although we made a few minor adjustments to the template, the overall design worked well for our database. It allowed for a smooth user experience, like the zoom-in effect when hovering over the tools. We felt it was the perfect fit and received positive feedback from users who found it clean and intuitive.”
In addition to the database powering the Supertools website, Rowan also uses an embed for his newsletter platform, Beehive. This allows people to subscribe to The Rundown AI newsletter directly from the database site. The result? An addition of roughly 10,000 new newsletter subscriptions.
Delivering tailored AI guidance to a growing audience
The growing number of newsletter subscribers speaks volumes about Rowan's skill in finding the right audience and sharing valuable resources. It also powerfully validates his business concept. Now, Rowan’s focus is on taking his business a step further.
“Readers feel overwhelmed by the constant influx of tools and seek more specific and in-depth content. To meet this demand, I'm working on creating a community and a weekly interactive lesson course,” he says.
“The aim is to break down the tools, explain their use cases, demonstrate how to integrate them effectively, and ultimately improve workflows and productivity. This tailored approach resonates well with our audience as they seek precise guidance and application.”
Alongside this new initiative, he focuses on scaling the newsletter, building a vibrant community, and delivering high-quality content. With high audience engagement, Rowan received useful feedback early on for improving the Supertools website. The comments mostly concerned minor design tweaks, which the team implemented.
“Working with Super on these changes was effortless. We added some custom CSS, but nothing too complex. Super was incredibly helpful and took care of any custom code we needed — its platform makes coding straightforward and convenient, with everything in one place,” says Rowan.
“For me personally, there's no other website builder as user-friendly and efficient as Super. Using Notion daily for hours, I've mastered all its tricks, and with Notion AI now integrated, building a website becomes even more straightforward. I genuinely believe it's the easiest website builder available.”
“The team behind Super is highly responsive, answering any questions I have within 15 minutes, which is amazing. It's one of the reasons why I wouldn't switch to another platform,” he adds.
