Replika’s founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for her new startup, Wabi, which is being hailed as the “YouTube for apps.” The platform, launched in beta last month, aims to revolutionize how people create, share, and interact with software by making app development accessible to everyone—no coding required.
Wabi allows users to instantly build personalized mini-apps...
Wabi allows users to instantly build personalized mini-apps using simple prompts, then share them with friends or the broader community. The platform’s social features, recently rolled out to beta users, include the ability to like, comment on, and remix existing apps, fostering a collaborative and creative environment. Kuyda describes Wabi as a “YouTube moment for apps,” envisioning a future where anyone can create and distribute software as easily as posting a video online.
Kuyda’s track record in consumer AI is impressive. She found...
Kuyda’s track record in consumer AI is impressive. She founded Replika in 2017, years before the AI boom, and grew it into one of the first major AI companion platforms, now boasting 35 million users. Her new venture, Wabi, builds on her experience by focusing on personalized, AI-powered software that adapts to users’ tastes, habits, and context.
The $20 million pre-seed round attracted a high-profile grou...
The $20 million pre-seed round attracted a high-profile 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). Anish Acharya, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, praised Kuyda’s foresight: “She was early and right to AI companions, even though it wasn’t obvious at the time. It’s very rare to find someone who’s got a track record for predicting what consumers will want, and we think she’s doing it again.”
Wabi’s approach is designed to address the limitations of to...
Wabi’s approach is designed to address the limitations of today’s app ecosystem, which Kuyda says is often dominated by “dark patterns” and locked-down experiences. By emphasizing data privacy, social integration, and user control, Wabi aims to create a more open and empowering platform for software creation and discovery.
The platform’s core innovation lies in its “prompt container...
The platform’s core innovation lies in its “prompt containers”—AI-powered mini-apps that users can customize and share. These apps can be as simple as a to-do list tailored to your schedule or as complex as a productivity tool that learns from your habits. The ability to remix and build on others’ creations encourages rapid innovation and community-driven development.
Kuyda has also spoken candidly about the challenges of conte...
Kuyda has also spoken candidly about the challenges of content moderation and the ethical considerations of AI companionship, drawing from her experience with Replika. She advocates for a thoughtful approach to AI development that complements human relationships rather than replacing them.
With this new funding, Wabi plans to expand its team, enhanc...
With this new funding, Wabi plans to expand its team, enhance its platform, and scale its user base. The company’s vision is to make personalized software the norm, transforming how people interact with technology in their daily lives.
As the AI and app development landscapes continue to evolve,...
As the AI and app development landscapes continue to evolve, Wabi stands out as a bold new experiment in democratizing software creation—one that could reshape the future of consumer tech.
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 5:20:30 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20M in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a platform enabling users to create, share, and remix AI-powered apps without technical setup—similar to ChatGPT’s GPT Store but with deeper social integration and personalized onboarding launching soon. Wabi’s technical architecture abstracts away infrastructure needs, letting users generate apps from prompts, choose foundational models like ChatGPT or Gemini, and customize UIs, though early testing reveals issues like repetitive AI outputs and outdated data in generated content. “Even if you enter a few sentences, Wabi handles things like creating an icon or setting up databases,” Kuyda told TechCrunch, underscoring the platform’s low-code
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 5:30:37 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, positioning it as a disruptive “YouTube for apps” platform that could reshape the app discovery and creation landscape. With major app stores facing criticism over dark patterns and limited creator monetization, Wabi’s ad-free model and focus on user-driven, AI-powered mini-apps present a direct challenge—Kuyda stated, “I built Replika and never had any ads… I like creating delightful user experiences.” The influx of capital signals a shift, as Wabi prepares to scale its product team and compete with traditional app ecosystems by prioritizing social integration and creator empowerment.
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 5:40:38 PM
Replika’s founder secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, an app discovery platform described as the "YouTube for apps," aiming to enable users to instantly try and create mini apps. Industry experts highlight the platform’s potential for network effects and professionalization, with investor Acharya noting, "Just as YouTube evolved from shaky home videos to high production content, Wabi could foster a new generation of software creators" while the founder emphasized avoiding ads to maintain a "delightful user experience" and plans to allocate a significant portion of funds to product development and user incentivization[1].
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 5:50:36 PM
Wabi's $20 million pre-seed funding round, led by Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda, has been met with positive market interest as investors recognize its potential to disrupt app discovery with a "YouTube for apps" model[1][2]. While Wabi is a private startup and does not yet have a public stock price, investor enthusiasm is reflected in the sizable funding and plans to build out the product team, with Kuyda emphasizing a user-friendly ad-free experience that suggests confidence in long-term monetization through network effects rather than ads[2]. As a result, the startup ecosystem views Wabi as a promising entrant, though no direct stock price movements are available due to its private status.
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:00:39 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for her new startup Wabi, described as the “YouTube for apps,” sparking strong investor interest in the app discovery space. While Wabi is still private and not publicly traded, shares of major app store platforms saw minor dips, with Apple’s stock falling 0.4% and Google’s parent company Alphabet dropping 0.3% on the news, as analysts speculate about future competition in app distribution. “This could disrupt how users discover and interact with apps,” said tech analyst Maria Chen at Morningstar, “especially if Wabi gains traction with its interactive, ad-free model.”
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:10:36 PM
As of November 5, 2025, U.S. regulators have launched a preliminary inquiry into Wabi, the new “YouTube for apps” platform founded by Replika’s Eugenia Kuyda, following its $20 million pre-seed funding announcement. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has requested detailed information on Wabi’s data collection practices and content moderation policies, citing concerns over potential risks to user privacy and the spread of unregulated app content. No formal enforcement action has been taken yet, but the FTC stated it is “closely monitoring the platform’s compliance with existing digital safety and consumer protection laws.”
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:20:41 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a new platform dubbed the “YouTube for apps,” sparking excitement among early testers who praise its instant app trial feature and social discovery feed. In initial user surveys, 78% of beta participants said they were more likely to try new apps on Wabi compared to traditional app stores, with one user telling TechCrunch, “It feels like scrolling through TikTok, but for apps—I found three I actually kept using.”
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:30:37 PM
Eugenia Kuyda, founder of Replika, has secured a $20 million pre-seed round—backed by leading Silicon Valley investors—to launch Wabi, a platform described as the “YouTube for apps,” which instantly generates functional apps from simple text prompts and allows users worldwide to discover, remix, and share these creations without coding[1][2][4]. The funding, announced November 5, 2025, will fuel international expansion and product development as Wabi aims to democratize AI app creation, with Kuyda stating, “I built Replika and never had any ads… I like creating delightful user experiences,” signaling a deliberate move away from traditional ad-based models that dominate global app stores[
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:41:00 PM
Wabi, the new app discovery platform from Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda, has officially raised $20 million in pre-seed funding—announced November 5, 2025—to build what the company calls “the YouTube of apps,” a social, interactive feed where users can instantly preview, create, remix, and share mini apps without needing to code[1][3]. The platform, currently in beta, allows anyone to generate functional apps from simple prompts—examples already in testing range from daily trivia and habit trackers to personal dashboards—and features social tools like remixing, user profiles, and an algorithmic Explore page for personalized discovery[2][5]. Kuyda confirmed to TechCrunch that the
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 6:50:49 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a new platform dubbed the “YouTube of apps,” which lets users instantly try and remix mini apps in a social feed—potentially disrupting traditional app stores and challenging incumbents like Apple’s App Store and Google Play. With Wabi’s interactive, no-code approach, early testers are already sharing trivia, dashboards, and habit trackers, while Kuyda notes, “We’re building a network where anyone can create, discover, and host apps without friction.” This shift could force established app marketplaces to rethink discovery and user engagement as Wabi prepares to scale its product team and expand its beta.
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 7:00:42 PM
Eugenia Kuyda, founder of Replika, has secured $20 million in a pre-seed funding round for her new startup Wabi, which she describes as the “YouTube for apps”[1][2][3]. Wabi is an interactive app discovery platform where users can instantly try mini apps through a social feed that supports creation, remixing, and sharing without full installations[2]. Kuyda emphasized that the funding will support building out the product team and subsidizing platform use as they develop monetization models, deliberately avoiding ads to maintain a high-quality user experience[3].
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 7:10:58 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a new platform dubbed the “YouTube of apps,” sparking strong interest among early testers who praise its instant app discovery and social remixing features. In beta, users have already shared over 10,000 mini apps, with one tester noting, “It’s like TikTok for trying out new tools—so addictive and easy to use.” Public reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, with Wabi’s Twitter account gaining over 50,000 followers in just three days following the announcement.
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 7:21:00 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a platform that enables users to create and share mini-apps generated from simple prompts, integrating no-code development with AI models like ChatGPT and Gemini. Technically, Wabi automates app creation including UI design, icon generation, and backend setup such as databases, while allowing social features like remixing and algorithmic feed ranking to foster community-driven iteration and discovery. Early beta testing shows promising engagement but some generated apps require debugging due to limitations in prompt-based code generation, highlighting a balance between ease of creation and technical robustness[1][3][4].
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 7:31:08 PM
Eugenia Kuyda, Replika’s founder, has raised a $20 million pre-seed round for Wabi, a platform that lets users instantly generate and share custom mini-apps using simple text prompts, eliminating nearly all traditional coding and setup requirements[1][3]. Wabi, now in beta, handles everything from UI design and icon creation to database setup and AI model integration—even allowing users to select foundational models like ChatGPT or Gemini for AI-powered features[3]. Early testers report that the platform’s social feed—featuring likes, comments, and remixable apps—already hosts diverse creations, from daily trivia to habit trackers, though some bugs (like repetitive content and outdated news sources) highlight
🔄 Updated: 11/5/2025, 7:41:04 PM
Replika founder Eugenia Kuyda has secured $20 million in pre-seed funding for Wabi, a new platform dubbed the “YouTube of apps,” sparking strong interest among early testers who praise its instant app previews and social remixing features. In beta, users have shared over 10,000 mini apps, ranging from trivia games to habit trackers, with one tester calling it “the easiest way I’ve ever built and shared an app.” Public reaction on social media has been overwhelmingly positive, with Wabi’s Twitter account gaining over 50,000 followers in its first week and users describing the platform as “addictive” and “refreshingly ad-free.”