Eugenia Kuyda, the visionary behind the AI companion platform Replika, has launched a new venture called Wabi, a groundbreaking application likened to YouTube for apps. With Wabi, users can craft and share mini applications effortlessly through prompts, fostering a new wave of consumer AI where personalized software becomes commonplace. The platform, which recently entered beta testing, aims to reshape how users create and interact with applications.
Recently, Wabi secured $20 million in pre-seed funding from prominent investors including AngelList co-founder Naval Ravikant, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, and Twitch co-founder Justin Kan, among others. This substantial investment reflects a robust interest in Wabi’s innovative approach within a competitive market that includes a variety of no-code platforms and vibe-coding tools.
Key Features and Vision:
- Social Integration: Wabi incorporates social features allowing users to like, comment, and remix apps, enhancing community engagement and creativity.
- User-Friendly Design: The platform eliminates the need for technical expertise, automating backend processes like icon creation and database setup, thus lowering the barrier to entry for users.
- Community Focus: Kuyda emphasizes the importance of the social layer in Wabi, which she believes promotes discovery and encourages users to collaborate on app creation.
Wabi’s current offerings include an Explore page showcasing trending apps, with plans for algorithmic personalization in the future. While still in development, Wabi acknowledges the need for user participation in maintaining their created apps, a challenge that is typical in the app development lifecycle.
Kuyda plans to allocate a portion of the funding towards expanding Wabi’s product team and refining the user experience, stating a commitment to avoiding ads to enhance user satisfaction. The vision for Wabi aligns with evolving trends in software use, advocating for "disposable software" that allows users to rapidly create and share applications, much like social media content.
As Wabi continues to develop and attract a user base, its potential to influence the software ecosystem could mirror the transformative journey of platforms like YouTube, shifting from basic user-generated content to high-value, innovative applications that endure in relevance over time.
Inquiries about Wabi’s future growth and monetization strategies suggest a landscape where software creation is democratized, potentially revitalizing the digital space with unique, user-driven innovations.
