Emergent, a technology company specializing in AI-powered app development for non-technical users, announced Wednesday it has closed a $23 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Lightspeed, with participation from Y Combinator, Together (Founders of Freshworks’ Together Fund), and angel investors including former a16z GP Balaji Srinivasan, Google's Jeff Dean, and Mistral founding team member Devendra Chaplo. This latest funding brings the company's total capital raised to $30 million.
Founded by brothers Mukund and Madhav Jha, Emergent aims to democratize app creation by allowing users to build applications through natural language prompts. The platform abstracts complex technical processes, including API management and deployment, to enable individuals without coding expertise to develop functional apps. Mukund Jha, formerly CTO at Dunzo, stated that the company's vision for agent-based app development, driven by advancements in AI, would become a significant part of the economy.
Since its launch last year, Emergent reports that over 1 million individuals have utilized its platform to create more than 1.5 million apps. The company differentiates itself from developer-focused tools by concentrating on the end-to-end software development lifecycle for non-technical users, including built-in AI agents designed to identify and rectify errors. Currently, Emergent deploys mobile applications using Expo as a client, with plans to introduce its own native mobile app functionality. The platform also employs a universal API key to simplify third-party service integrations for users.
Looking ahead, Emergent intends to enhance its platform with features such as a brainstorming mode for initial app ideation and improved functionalities for app discovery and monetization. While users can integrate payment options like Stripe, they currently require their own API keys. The company operates in a competitive landscape, alongside firms like Canva, Figma, and other "vibe coding" startups such as Vibecode and Rocket, which have also secured significant funding rounds.
Hemant Mohapatra, a partner at Lightspeed, indicated that the firm invested in Emergent due to its strong technical capabilities in making app creation accessible. Mohapatra highlighted Emergent's ability to support the post-development lifecycle, including deployment, sharing, bug fixing, and AI-driven support, as a key differentiator in the market.
