Israeli developer Maor Shlomo has sold Base44, his six-month-old vibe-coding startup, to Wix for $80 million in an all-cash deal announced Wednesday.
The rapidly-growing company was largely bootstrapped and attracted attention early on for its swift traction. Base44 amassed over 250,000 users in just half a year, reaching profitability with nearly $200,000 in earnings in May alone, despite substantial operating costs related to language model tokens.
While initially hailed as a “solo unicorn” candidate—a term describing billion-dollar companies run single-handedly—Base44 employed a modest team of eight individuals, who stand to collectively receive $25 million from the acquisition as part of a retention agreement. Specific terms regarding their tenure to qualify for the payout were not disclosed.
Shlomo, a 31-year-old founder with previous experience in the Israeli tech scene through his former startup Explorium, built Base44 as a side project. The platform allows users to effortlessly create functional web and mobile applications through text-based prompts—a method increasingly referred to as vibe coding. It provides integral components including authentication, data storage, analytics, email, messaging, maps integration, and plans for enterprise-grade security expansions.
The startup quickly gained popularity among both technical and non-technical users, largely spreading via word-of-mouth as Shlomo documented his journey transparently on LinkedIn and Twitter. Its rapid ascent led to partnerships with notable Israeli tech firms, including eToro and Similarweb. Additionally, Base44 recently appeared at an AWS event in Tel Aviv, where Shlomo showcased the startup’s innovative approach to leveraging Anthropic’s Claude large language model, primarily for superior cost-efficiency compared to competitors.
Wix, known for its no-code website creation tools, secures through this acquisition a quickly scaling, profitable solution that strengthens its offerings in the increasingly competitive vibe-coding market. Amid booming valuations for similar startups—such as OpenAI recently paying $3 billion for the more mature Windsurf—Base44 represents a strategic, early investment with strong growth potential.
Reflecting on the sale, Shlomo explained via LinkedIn that the decision to exit—despite Base44’s rapid success while operating without external funding—was necessary to propel its future growth beyond what could be achieved organically. He expressed excitement over the opportunities now available with Wix’s backing and resources.
