The startup world has been buzzing with discussions about how AI can enable a new era of 'solo unicorns' — individual founders building billion-dollar companies alone. While that level remains aspirational, Israeli developer Maor Shlomo demonstrated that the idea isn’t entirely out of reach.
Shlomo recently sold his six-month-old, bootstrapped vibe-coding startup Base44 to Wix for an impressive $80 million cash deal, confirmed by Wix on Wednesday. Though not a true solo effort — Base44 employed eight people — the company’s rapid growth and lucrative exit underscore how lean, AI-powered teams can build value fast.
As part of the acquisition, the employees will share $25 million of the total purchase price as a retention bonus, though Wix did not disclose full details on payout timelines. The sale has become a hot topic within the vibe coding community, a niche space where developers use coding to evoke mood and creativity.
In just six months, Base44 reportedly grew to 250,000 users, reaching 10,000 within its first three weeks. Public posts by Shlomo reveal that the startup was already profitable, generating $189,000 in profit in May even after high LLM token costs, which he openly shared online.
The Base44 acquisition aligns with Wix’s strategy to expand into vibe coding and AI-assisted website creation, strengthening its market position in a rapidly evolving space.
Read the official announcement here.