From $0 to $3.5M: How This Solo Founder Scaled Base44 and Sold It to Wix for $80M
Product: Base44
Founding Year: ~2024
Product: An AI-powered “vibe-coding” platform that lets users build full-stack web apps via chat, plus visual/manual fine-tuning, no code required.
Founders: Maor Shlomo (solo founder with a small team of ~8 bootstrapped staff)
Current MRR/Profit: Profitable at $189K profit in May, on ~$250K+ net revenue.
1. Solo‑founding & Building in Public
Maor launched Base44 in early 2024 after stepping back from his previous company, Explorium. He built the foundation solo and shared candid lessons on LinkedIn:
This raw transparency fueled viral growth, Omri Hurwitz observed how founder‑led branding and “building in public” acted as an “insane hack” for traction.
💡 Tip: Build in public, share wins, challenges, code decisions, to attract early users and build authentic momentum.
2. Core Product Strength & Iterative Releases
Base44 refined its MVP rapidly. Maor posted frequent progress updates:
Visual Edits: “pixel-perfect” app styling added to chat builds.
AI Controls: custom instructions and file‑freezing for more complex apps.
A founder-led Product Hunt launch and viral LinkedIn exposure from advocates like Oded Sela showcased Base44 as a powerful all-in-one app creator.
💡 Tip: Prioritize development of user-requested UX enhancements. Publish small updates early to maintain momentum.
3. Growth, Profitability & Scaling
So, how did Maor Shlomo launch fast and hit 100,000 users in weeks?
It wasn’t luck... it was strategic validation and blitz execution!
Here’s how he did it:
Number one: he didn’t wait for perfect. Maor launched with a clear, single-purpose MVP. Base44 offered AI agents for software teams... not bloated, just useful. He focused on speed to value.
Number two: he used network momentum. The Base44 team pushed early demos to a warm network, then leveraged that feedback loop publicly. Every improvement got shared—creating buzz, building trust.
Number three: smart positioning. Instead of “just another AI tool,” Base44 positioned itself as an AI engineer that plugs into your stack instantly. That narrative clicked with product teams and devs.
Bonus tip: they launched multiple updates in public. Just scroll their changelog (which you can build yourself using Upvoty)... People saw rapid iteration, which builds belief.
In 6 months, Base44 achieved:
250K registered users, including 10K in its first three weeks.
Breast profitability monthly, $189K profit in May, driven by growth and cost optimization.
Maor shared that affiliate programs, community-driven virality, and enterprise B2B packages were key growth levers. Cost savings predominantly came from switching to Claude 4 and optimizing LLM usage.
💡 Tip: Monitor unit economics closely, optimizing cost-per-user and maintaining profitability can make your bootstrapped SaaS an acquisition magnet.
4. Launching B2B & Community Engagement
Ahead of exit, Maor began rolling out a Team Plan with features tailored to businesses: SSO, SOC2, invoicing, and database control.
He also spearheaded an impact-focused hackathon (“Base4good”) in partnership with monday.com, building goodwill and use cases in the nonprofit sector.
💡 Tip: Introduce B2B offerings early, even a solo founder can benefit from targeting business usage to boost ARR and positioning.
5. The $80M Exit to Wix
In June 2025, Wix acquired Base44 in an all-cash deal valued at $80 million. Of note:
Base44 was effectively bootstrapped and profitable
The deal included retention payouts (~$25M) for the ~8 team members
Maor cited strategic alignment: “Same product category, same vision, same DNA... partnering with Wix triples our chances”
1/ Base44 is being acquired by Wix.
— Maor Shlomo (@MS_BASE44) June 18, 2025
There’s a lot I’d like to share -
probably more than what fits in a single post.
Here are some thoughts, in no particular order 🧵
(picture below - Base44's early days :)) pic.twitter.com/SXMZR2SL5j
Industry leaders like Nathan Latka celebrated the deal:
🔑 Key Takeaways
Founder-led transparency works: public updates drive traction and community.
Ship MVP fast, polish iteratively: prioritize high-impact features that users love.
Manage costs and monetize smartly: profitable from the start, control unit economics carefully.
Layer on GTM: introduce affiliate programs, B2B pricing, and partnerships early.
Know your moment: scale fast but be ready to strike when opportunity arises.