Eugenia Kuyda, the founder behind the viral AI companion app Replika, has raised $20 million in pre-seed funding for her latest venture, Wabi — a social platform that lets users instantly create and share apps through simple prompts.
Dubbed the “YouTube of apps,” Wabi allows anyone — even non-technical users — to type an idea like “build me a fitness tracker” or “create an AI journaling app”, and instantly generate a working mini app they can customize and share. The platform, currently in beta, represents a new wave of AI-native creativity tools, where personal software creation becomes as accessible as posting a video or tweet.
The round was backed by a heavyweight group of angel investors including Naval Ravikant (AngelList), Garry Tan (Y Combinator), Justin Kan (Twitch), Amjad Masad (Replit), Akshay Kothari (Notion), DJ Seo (Neuralink), and Sarah Guo (Conviction).
“Eugenia was early — and right — about AI companions,” said Anish Acharya, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. “It’s rare to find someone with such a strong instinct for what consumers will want next, and we think she’s doing it again with Wabi.”
Making app creation social — and instant
The core idea is simple: remove the technical barriers to building software. “This was really made for people who have nothing to do with coding,” Kuyda explained. “You just describe what you want — like ‘build me an AI therapy app’ — and Wabi builds it. You never see the code.”
The platform’s social layer allows users to like, comment, remix, and follow others’ creations — blending app development with social discovery. Beta testers have already flooded X (formerly Twitter) with examples of custom Wabi apps, from AI pet games to productivity tools. Even Google DeepMind’s Logan Kilpatrick has praised Wabi’s potential.
Kuyda says the social aspect is key: “These mini apps become community or conversation starters. The social layer unlocks so much more creativity and discovery.”
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A new era of “disposable software”
The startup joins a growing ecosystem of AI-driven coding tools like Cursor, Replit, and Lovable — but with a twist. Instead of focusing on developer productivity, Wabi aims to democratize creation itself. Its integrated platform handles everything — from hosting to UI design — removing the need for an app store or backend setup.
Investors see Wabi as a step toward what Acharya calls “disposable software” — small, flexible apps built and discarded as easily as opening a new tab. “The internet has always been about participation,” he said. “It’s strange that it’s built on software, yet so few people have been able to make it. Wabi changes that.”
While still early, the startup plans to use the new funding to expand its product team and refine the platform’s reliability. Monetization isn’t a priority yet — Kuyda says Wabi will remain ad-free, focusing instead on building “delightful” user experiences.
“I built Replika and never had any ads,” she said. “Ads create dark patterns and bad experiences. I want Wabi to feel creative and free.”
A creative revival for the internet
The company’s long-term vision echoes early internet culture — open, playful, and experimental. “It feels like the internet has gotten clinical,” Acharya added. “We all use the same apps, the same feeds. The firm could bring back some of that strange, punk, early web energy.”
If Kuyda’s track record is any indication, Wabi might once again redefine how consumers interact with AI — not as passive users, but as creators of their own digital worlds.
About Wabi
Founded in 2024 by Eugenia Kuyda, creator of Replika, Wabi is a social AI platform that lets anyone create and share mini apps using natural language prompts. By merging no-code tools with a social discovery layer, the social platform turns software creation into a community-driven experience — empowering users to build, remix, and share apps instantly, without writing a single line of code.
