Wabi Secures $20 Million Pre-Seed Funding to Launch 'YouTube for Apps' Platform

Wabi, a new platform enabling users to create and share mini-applications without coding, has successfully raised $20 million in pre-seed funding. Founded by Eugenia Kuyda, known for her prior work with the AI companion app Replika, Wabi aims to democratize app creation, allowing anyone to build personalized software using simple prompts. The funding round attracted a notable list of angel investors, including AngelList co-founder Naval Ravikant and Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan.

The platform, described by Kuyda as "YouTube for apps," launched in beta last month, offering a social environment where users can instantly generate and share mini-apps. "All you need to put in is ‘build me an AI therapy app,’ and that’s it," Kuyda told TechCrunch, emphasizing the ease of use and the absence of coding requirements. This approach positions Wabi within the rapidly expanding "vibe-coding" and no-code AI markets, which have seen significant venture capital interest.

Eugenia Kuyda's track record with Replika, which boasts 35 million users, underscores her foresight in consumer AI. Anish Acharya, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, commented on Kuyda's ability to predict consumer trends, stating, "[Kuyda] was early and right to AI companions, even though it wasn’t obvious at the time." Wabi differentiates itself by offering an integrated platform for creation, discovery, and hosting, bypassing traditional app store models.

A significant portion of the $20 million investment will be allocated to expanding Wabi's product team and subsidizing platform usage as the company explores monetization strategies. Kuyda has expressed disinterest in advertising, noting, "I built Replika and never had any ads... I like creating delightful user experiences." The platform has already introduced social features, allowing beta users to like, comment on, and remix existing apps, fostering a community-driven ecosystem.

Wabi's vision is to make personalized software creation accessible to a broad audience, moving beyond the technical barriers of traditional development. The company plans to introduce personalized onboarding and algorithmic discovery features to enhance user experience. This initiative reflects a broader industry shift towards empowering non-technical users to build and share digital tools, potentially transforming how software is conceptualized and distributed.