Emergent Raises $23 Million to Democratize App Development
Emergent, a startup founded by twin brothers Mukund and Madhav Jha, has secured $23 million in Series A funding led by Lightspeed, with participation from Y Combinator, Together Fund, and notable angel investors including Balaji Srinivasan and Jeff Dean. The company has now raised a total of $30 million to date.AI-Powered Platform Enables Non-Technical Users to Build Apps
Emergent’s platform empowers users without programming experience to create fully functional apps through conversational prompts. Unlike many existing no-code tools, Emergent handles complex technicalities such as API integration, deployment, and backend management automatically, simplifying the entire software development lifecycle. Mukund Jha, former CTO at Dunzo, explained the motivation behind Emergent: “We believe agent-based app development will be a major economic driver in the coming decades. Our goal is to make app creation accessible to everyone, removing traditional coding barriers.”Intuitive App Building with Intelligent AI Agents
In practice, the platform guides users through app creation by asking detailed questions to customize features. For example, when building a pet vaccine tracker, the AI agent inquired about pet types, user preferences, and reminder schedules, automatically generating relevant screens and workflows without explicit instructions. This interactive approach allows users to build and test functional apps in under 30 minutes, a significant improvement over other vibe coding solutions that often struggle with prompt execution.“We have developed AI agents that detect and fix errors automatically, so users don’t need to understand coding errors or backend issues,” Mukund Jha noted.
Contents
Emergent Raises $23 Million to Democratize App DevelopmentAI-Powered Platform Enables Non-Technical Users to Build AppsIntuitive App Building with Intelligent AI AgentsRapid Adoption and Platform GrowthExpanding Features and Monetization OpportunitiesPositioning Amidst Growing CompetitionFinOracleAI — Market View
Rapid Adoption and Platform Growth
Since its launch last year, Emergent has attracted over 1 million users who have collectively built more than 1.5 million apps. The startup emphasizes not only app creation but also ongoing app maintenance and deployment, leveraging Expo for mobile client deployment and planning to release a native app builder soon. Emergent also simplifies integration with third-party services through a universal API key system, removing the need for users to manage multiple accounts or credentials.Expanding Features and Monetization Opportunities
Looking ahead, Emergent is developing a brainstorming mode to assist users in shaping app ideas from inception, helping those unfamiliar with app design to ideate effectively. The company aims to enhance app discovery and monetization on its platform. Currently, developers can integrate payment gateways like Stripe using their own API keys, but Emergent plans to streamline this process to facilitate easier revenue generation and app sharing.- Introduce an AI-powered brainstorming tool for app ideation.
- Improve app discovery features on the platform’s homepage.
- Simplify monetization by managing payment integrations internally.
Positioning Amidst Growing Competition
Emergent operates in a competitive environment alongside companies like Canva, Figma, and emerging vibe coding startups such as Vibecode and Rocket. However, Emergent distinguishes itself by focusing on the entire app lifecycle—from creation and deployment to maintenance—powered by advanced AI agents. Hemant Mohapatra, partner at Lightspeed, emphasized this differentiation: “Emergent brings the coding capability bar next to zero and supports users throughout deployment, bug fixing, and app sharing, which sets it apart in the market.”FinOracleAI — Market View
Emergent’s recent funding round underscores strong investor confidence in AI-driven no-code platforms that lower barriers to software creation. By automating complex backend processes and error resolution, Emergent addresses key pain points for non-technical users, positioning itself well in a fast-growing market.- Opportunities: Expansion of the no-code economy, increasing demand for consumer app creation, potential for platform monetization and app marketplace development.
- Risks: Intense competition from established design and coding tools, challenges in user retention beyond initial app creation, and the technical complexity of maintaining seamless AI-driven app support.
Impact: Emergent’s integrated approach to AI-powered app development and deployment represents a significant step forward in making app creation accessible, potentially transforming how consumers participate in the digital economy.
