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Vibe coding platform Base44 launches own model as AI startups seek defensibility
Base44, the vibe coding platform acquired by Wix for $80 million a year ago when it was just six months old with a team of eight, is rolling out its own AI model to support app creation via natural language. The move addresses intensifying debate over whether frontier models suit all use cases and if businesses built on others’ models are defensible long-term. Based in Tel Aviv, Base44’s custom LLM, Base1, is initially rolling out with hopes to eventually outperform frontier models. Founder Maor Shlomo said training and owning the model allows “a lot more optimizations on latency, cost, and efficiency.” This could help stay ahead of competitors like Swedish startup Lovable, which reached unicorn status last summer and relies on external LLMs. Shlomo expects other scaled players will also train their own models. According to Jonathan Userovici, a general partner at VC firm Headline, data, distribution, and tech stack are key to defensibility for AI startups. Players with strong brands are leaning into data and infrastructure, and Base44 fits that pattern. Base44 trained Base1 on a dataset from “tens of millions of real user interactions.” The dataset will keep growing, but rivals’ will too. Competition may also come from frontier AI labs like Cursor, xAI, and Claude Code, which have access to data from their own vibe coding tools. But Shlomo believes specialization gives Base44 an edge: “Models are progressing, but they’ll stay very general.” Userovici cautioned against underestimating frontier models, citing legal tech startup Harvey abandoning plans for its own model. He noted inference costs are driving enterprise customers to demand optimized model selection for cost efficiency. Base44’s decision to develop its own LLM stems partly from cost reduction. Shlomo said the goal is a model more aligned, optimized, faster, and cheaper than frontier models like Opus. Owning the model gives Base44 direct control over compute and inference spend, expected to improve margins over time. This is significant for parent Wix, which recently announced 20% layoffs. Base44 has grown headcount since acquisition and passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue a few months ago—less than Lovable’s $500 million ARR, but Shlomo bets the engineering effort behind Base1 will cement Base44 as the only vertically integrated vibe-coding application, owning distribution, data, and infrastructure.