Lovable, the AI-powered coding platform from Stockholm, has rapidly grown from a viral open-source project into a unicorn-status startup, now nearing 8 million users within its first year.
TLDR: What You Need to Know
- Lovable has grown from 2.3 million to nearly 8 million users in just four months, with 100,000 new projects built daily
- The company hit $100 million in ARR by June and raised $200 million this summer, valuing it at $1.8 billion
- More than half of Fortune 500 companies use Lovable’s platform to boost innovation and productivity
- Security upgrades and leadership hires point to enterprise focus and global scaling
What Happened?
Lovable’s CEO Anton Osika revealed during the Web Summit in Lisbon that the platform is closing in on 8 million users, up from 2.3 million reported in July. The company has gained serious traction with its AI-powered “vibe coding” model, which allows users to build websites and apps from natural language prompts. Osika said more than 100,000 products are created on Lovable daily, making it one of the fastest-growing developer platforms today.
Rapid Growth, Bold Vision
Lovable began as an open-source tool called GPT Engineer, built by Osika. It quickly went viral, and within a year, Lovable has turned into a full-fledged startup with a valuation of $1.8 billion, thanks to a record-setting $200 million Series A this summer.
The platform’s growth trajectory is stunning:
- $100 million annual recurring revenue (ARR) as of June
- Roughly $2.2 million in revenue per employee, according to online metrics
- From 45 to over 100 employees, including leadership hires from San Francisco
While Osika declined to comment on fundraising rumors suggesting a $5 billion valuation, he stressed that capital is not a barrier. His focus, he says, is on building “the last piece of software”, a product team interface that simplifies everything from user research to feature deployment.
1. Be Replit founder
— Anton Osika – eu/acc (@antonosika) May 16, 2025
2. Have a decade-long head start
3. Watch small EU competitor, Lovable, surpass you in usage and making vibe coding secure
4. Copy it 4 weeks later
5. Bash Lovable for not being secure
Incredible leadership. pic.twitter.com/lKypPvQBoY
Fortune 500s to Kid Coders: A Diverse User Base
Lovable’s impact spans across the spectrum:
- Over half of Fortune 500 companies now use Lovable for rapid prototyping and innovation
- An 11-year-old student in Lisbon used the platform to build a school version of Facebook
- A Swedish couple reportedly makes $700,000 annually from a startup launched on Lovable
Osika credits this reach to Lovable’s intuitive design and its ability to remove barriers for non-coders.
attributing that simplicity to Swedish product sensibility.
The Vibe Coding Revolution
Lovable’s core innovation lies in vibe coding, where users describe what they want, and the AI builds it. It’s a step beyond traditional no-code tools, effectively making the platform accessible to the 99% who can’t code.
This shift has enabled:
- AI-native startup creation with minimal resources
- Rapid prototyping in large companies without engineering bottlenecks
- Democratization of software development for hobbyists and professionals alike
Traffic Dips, Retention Holds
Despite sky-high growth, Lovable has seen some challenges. Research from Barclays and Google Trends indicated that site traffic declined by 40% in September compared to earlier peaks. Still, Osika insists that retention is strong, with spending per user doubling and net dollar retention above 100%.
Enterprise Focus and Security Upgrades
Lovable is doubling down on enterprise readiness. With more corporate users on board, security has become a key priority. After an incident involving the unintentional leak of 72,000 images with GPS and user IDs, the team added multiple security checks before deployment.
Osika confirmed that hiring security engineers is now a top priority. For sensitive applications like banking, the platform still advises involving security experts.
Competitors and Collaboration
Though Lovable uses foundational models from OpenAI and Anthropic, which are also building their own coding agents, Osika remains optimistic about the future.
He emphasizes building the most intuitive human experience, not just competing with rivals. Internally, Lovable promotes a mission-driven culture, favoring quality work over Silicon Valley hustle.
“The best people on my team have kids. They care deeply about what we’re building, and they don’t need to work 12-hour days to prove that,” he said.
Daily Research News Takeaway
What Lovable is doing feels like a genuine shift, not just another tech flash in the pan. I love how it empowers both large companies and everyday creators without requiring deep coding knowledge. That’s rare. From an 11-year-old coding his school’s social network to enterprise teams prototyping billion-dollar ideas, Lovable is showing that the future of software is conversational, collaborative, and deeply human-centered. This isn’t just about vibe coding. It’s about changing who gets to build the future.
