Base44 acquisition: solo founder to $80M Wix exit in six months

Six months. That is how long Maor Shlomo had been running Base44, a bootstrapped AI app builder he started alone as a side project, before Wix bought it for a reported $80M in cash (unverified, TechRadar). Most acquisitions reward years of growth. This one rewarded momentum, and the momentum kept going: by March 2026 Wix described Base44 at about $100M ARR (media-reported, MarketBeat).

Why did Maor Shlomo build Base44?

Shlomo, a repeat founder, wanted non-developers to build working internal tools and apps by describing them, with the database, auth and hosting already included so there is nothing to wire up. The pain is the gap between generating code and running an app: most non-developers get stuck on databases, users and deployment.

How does Base44 work?

Large language models generate the app, running on a built-in backend: data, users, permissions and hosting. Because the backend is part of the platform, generated apps work immediately. The user describes what they want and gets a running app, not a code project.

How was Base44 built?

He built it alone as a side project, launched in early 2025, without outside funding. Building alone kept decisions fast and costs low, and bundling the backend meant there was one integrated product to maintain rather than a code generator plus a list of third-party services. Team size is not disclosed; Shlomo started solo and hired a small team before the sale.

How did Base44 market and sell itself?

He grew it through word of mouth and posts on X and LinkedIn, user showcases, and partnerships with communities of non-technical builders.

Pricing is freemium with monthly plans based on message and usage credits. The free tier lets non-technical builders try the product before paying, and credits scale revenue with how much they build.

What challenges did Base44 face?

A solo founder in a hot category faces well-funded competitors, including Lovable and Bolt.new. Selling to Wix in June 2025 traded independence for resources. The reported $80M price is unverified, which is a caveat for anyone citing it; the later earn-out and ARR figures come from Wix’s own disclosures.

How much revenue does Base44 make?

Wix described about $100M ARR on its March 2026 earnings call, which implies about $8.3M a month (media-reported, MarketBeat). ARR at the end of 2025 was about $59M (media-reported, MarketBeat). Wix paid $38M in earn-out payments in Wix shares in Q1 2026 (media-reported, Globes). Total revenue is not disclosed.

The timeline: launch, bootstrapped, in early 2025; sold to Wix for $80M in cash in June 2025 (unverified); about $100M ARR per Wix in March 2026.

Why did Base44 work?

A solo founder can build a category product with AI tooling. “Batteries included” lowered the barrier for non-developers, because nothing needed wiring up. And strategic buyers pay for momentum early: Wix bought a fast-growing product that fit its website-building business.

What can founders learn from Base44?

A solo founder can build a category product with AI tooling.

“Batteries included” lowers the barrier for non-developers.

Strategic buyers pay for momentum early. If a larger company needs your category, fast early growth can be worth more to them than years of steady revenue.