• Base44, a six-month-old vibe coding startup founded by Maor Shlomo, was acquired by Wix for $80 million in cash.
  • The company grew to 250,000 users rapidly, generated $189,000 profit in May, and will pay $25 million to its eight employees as a retention bonus.

In a bold move underscoring the rising power of solo-built startups in the AI age, Wix has acquired Base44, a six-month-old vibe coding platform, for $80 million in cash.

The Israeli startup, founded by developer Maor Shlomo, had rapidly gained attention for its unique approach to no-code app building powered by large language models (LLMs).

Base44 wasn’t entirely a one-man operation. Despite the solo-founder narrative, Wix confirmed that Shlomo had a team of eight employees, who would collectively receive $25 million as part of a retention package.

The company reportedly became profitable within months, generating $189,000 in profit in May alone, despite high LLM token expenses.

The platform attracted 10,000 users within its first three weeks and grew to 250,000 in just six months, all largely through word-of-mouth and Shlomo’s active documentation of the journey on LinkedIn and X.

Vibe Coding for the Masses

Base44 allows users, technical or not, to build complete software applications simply by entering text prompts.

It handles database, storage, analytics, and authentication, along with email, maps, and text messaging integration. A roadmap for enterprise-grade security is also in place.

It’s part of a growing category of vibe coders like Adaptive Computer, but Base44’s breakneck success has stood out.

Shlomo’s previous experience with data analytics firm Explorium and his ties to Israel’s tech scene, including his brother’s AI security startup, helped forge early partnerships with companies like eToro and Similarweb.

The acquisition aligns neatly with Wix’s broader push into advanced no-code tools. Adding a profitable, LLM-powered platform allows Wix to scale its offerings beyond web design, and at a fraction of what giants like OpenAI paid for similar companies.

Edited by Annette George