Why You Care
Ever wished you could just tell your phone to create a custom app for you, no coding required? What if building software was as easy as uploading a video? This isn’t science fiction anymore. Eugenia Kuyda, the visionary behind the successful AI companion Replika, has launched Wabi. This new system promises to let anyone instantly create and share mini-apps using AI prompts, making personalized software a reality. This could fundamentally change how you interact with system, moving beyond pre-built apps to tailor-made digital tools.
What Actually Happened
Eugenia Kuyda, known for launching Replika in 2017 years before ChatGPT, has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for her latest venture, Wabi. This significant investment comes from a list of prominent angels, according to the announcement. Wabi is currently in beta and is being described as the “YouTube of apps.” It functions as a social system where users can employ simple prompts to generate mini-applications instantly. The goal is to allow anyone, regardless of coding knowledge, to create and share personalized software. This initiative marks another consumer AI shift, as the company reports, towards making personalized software the new norm.
Why This Matters to You
Imagine needing a specific tool but finding no existing app quite fits your needs. Wabi aims to solve this by putting app creation directly into your hands. You won’t need to learn complex programming languages or understand intricate creation cycles. Instead, you’ll simply describe what you want, and Wabi’s AI will build it. This means your ideas for helpful, unique apps can become reality with ease.
For example, imagine you want a simple app to track your daily water intake with a specific reminder schedule. Instead of searching app stores, you could just prompt Wabi. “This was really made to help people who have nothing to do with coding or the tech world to very quickly create apps from their daily lives,” Kuyda told TechCrunch. This direct quote highlights Wabi’s core mission to empower non-technical users. Do you think this ease of creation will lead to a flood of , niche applications?
Wabi’s Key Differentiators:
- Integrated system: Combines creation, discovery, and hosting.
- No App Store Required: Direct sharing and access.
- Prompt-Based Creation: Build apps using natural language.
- Social Features: Like, comment, and remix existing apps.
The Surprising Finding
What’s particularly striking about Wabi is its ambitious funding for a pre-seed round: $20 million. This substantial investment, especially at such an early stage, signals immense confidence from top-tier investors. It challenges the common assumption that only fully developed products with traction can attract such significant capital. Anish Acharya, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, remarked, “It’s very rare to find someone who’s got a track record for predicting what consumers will want, and we think she’s doing it again.” This suggests investors are betting on Kuyda’s unique foresight in consumer AI. They believe she can once again identify and capitalize on an emerging trend, just as she did with Replika’s AI companions.
What Happens Next
Wabi has already begun rolling out social features to its beta users, as mentioned in the release. These features include the ability to like, comment on, and remix any existing app. Users can also check out profiles to see what others have built or enjoyed. This indicates a strong focus on community and collaboration, mirroring platforms like YouTube where user-generated content thrives. Looking ahead, we can expect Wabi to further refine its AI creation tools and expand its social functionalities in the coming months. For example, imagine a future where a small business owner creates a custom inventory app in minutes. My advice for you is to keep an eye on Wabi’s public launch. Consider exploring its beta if you have an app idea you’ve always wanted to build. The industry implications are significant, potentially democratizing software creation and fostering a new wave of personalized digital tools.