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Business News Wales
2 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
AI Offers Wales a Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Punch Above its Weight in Tech
The numbers are still chastening. Just 47,727 people work in digital roles across Wales – a mere three per cent of our total workforce. We lag behind the rest of the UK on everything from broadband take-up to basic online skills. Yet this very deficit could be our super-power. Like sub-Saharan Africa, which skipped copper landlines and jumped straight to mobile phones, Wales can leapfrog the legacy stage and throw itself wholly at the new frontier: Artificial Intelligence. But, as in Africa and other such examples of technological leapfrogging, there needs to be institutional flexibility and support for the next stage. Westminster can apparently see this opportunity. The Prime Minister's new TechFirst programme, £187 million for schools plus a pledge to upskill 7.5 million workers by 2030, explicitly names AI literacy as Britain's next competitive edge. For a nation the size of Wales, that investment is an invitation to sprint while bigger regions are still lacing their trainers. The tools are on our side. Low-code platforms such as Lovable, Bolt and Replit let founders spin up a web app frontend, a payments layer, and integrate an AI chatbot in a handful of hours. OpenAI's Sam Altman predicts 'one person plus 10,000 GPUs' companies worth billions, insisting that tiny teams can now out-earn yesterday's unicorns. In other words, scale has slipped from headcount to horsepower. And horsepower is cheap. But there is a sting in that tail. When it costs pennies to build, the world will inevitably flood with pointless apps and sites. Validation – the discipline of proving a customer will pay before you write a single line of code, matters more than ever. I spent last year teaching over 300 Welsh founders to run customer discovery processes and tests that expose a bad idea within days, not months. The goal is ruthless: kill 99 ideas that were never going to survive so the hundredth can live. And flourish. Our problem is cultural, not technical. Wales boasts a very generous support ecosystem – grants, hubs, incubators – yet that generosity too often breeds complacency. Because the support is kind, and ever-present, founders are able to cling to pet projects for years, drawing a pittance while their sunk-cost fallacy deepens. A sharper challenge early on would free them to pivot faster, earn sooner and contribute more to the economy. I have seen it first-hand in London: the start-up that shelved three doomed prototypes inside a single accelerator cohort now turns over six figures after eight months. Here in Wales: 'don't worry, here's another marketing workshop and a free desk'. All the while, no real challenge is forthcoming. Happily, AI makes that path to real customer understanding much easier. A simple prototype created in a few hours, connected to a dummy data set can be demoed to a potential buyer the same afternoon. Indeed, after four months of fruitless conversations with clients about what they could theoretically do ('sounds interesting, come back when you have something to show us'), someone who built a prototype in one of my workshops was able to sell a trial with a customer the very next day. And there is a deeper purpose. Better-paid digital work on home soil means fewer 18-year-olds forced to take the M4 east. Careers Wales already tracks soaring demand for AI-literate roles across energy, creative industries and healthcare. If we couple that demand with validation-obsessed, capital-efficient companies, we can keep the talent, and the tax base, right here. So here is the challenge. To Cardiff Bay and Westminster: funnel a slice of TechFirst cash into rapid-validation-with-AI boot camps, not just coding classes. To incubators and grant panels: reward proof of demand, not prettiness of deck. To every would-be founder in Wales: your next prototype costs less than a night out – but the only applause that counts is a paying customer. Get those pieces right and that bleak three-per-cent statistic becomes an irrelevance. What will matter is the multiplier: how many global customers each Welsh job serves because a small, fearless team learned faster and built only what was worth building. In the age of AI, that multiplier can be limitless, but only if we demand proof of value from day one. Punching above our weight starts with landing the punches that count. Neil is currently running workshops about how to build prototypes, MVPs, and internal tools with AI –
Arabian Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- Arabian Post
Canva-style AI tool Wonderish enables ‘vibe coding' for all
Wonderish, a new 'vibe prompting' platform, debuted on Product Hunt on 16 June 2025, promising to let users build web experiences through conversational prompts rather than traditional code. Co‑founders Trey Smith, Karen Avdalyan and Artem Bondar, leveraging their success with Buildbox, are positioning Wonderish as a gateway for non‑technical creators—designers, marketers, entrepreneurs—to craft websites, landing pages, web apps and even games simply by chatting with the AI. Early user reaction on Product Hunt has been enthusiastic: Wonderish secured third place on the site's daily leaderboard, amassing over 400 upvotes and earning praise for its 'zero code' approach, fast delivery—claimed to be seven times quicker than existing platforms—and an intuitive, human‑like chat interface. Commenters highlighted features such as image‑to‑site conversion, smart stylistic defaults, remixable public projects and safeguards against broken code during editing. Trey Smith emphasised that the aim was to remove barriers. 'Why is vibe coding still so intimidating for most people?' he wrote on the Product Hunt forum, adding that Wonderish is designed to be 'Canva to vibe coding's Photoshop'. ADVERTISEMENT Within hours of launch, the team activated a freemium model that offers five free creations or edits daily, plus a 20 per cent lifetime discount for early adopters. The platform is powered by Claude, Cloudflare and Supabase infrastructure. The emergence of Wonderish reflects a broader surge in AI‑driven 'vibe coding' tools, where natural‑language prompts generate functional applications. Established competitors like CodeRabbit, Cursor and Windsurf integrate AI into developer workflows, while startups such as Lovable and Anysphere are pursuing big funding rounds based on similar premises. Lovable, a Swedish‑based outfit, is reportedly negotiating a multi‑hundred‑million‑dollar funding round at a valuation above $1.5 billion. Its CEO Anton Osika cited 'unprecedented interest' from investors and reported annual recurring revenue climbing from $50 million to $61 million. Anysphere raised $900 million in May at a $9 billion valuation, while Windsurf is reportedly attracting take‑over interest from OpenAI. Industry analysts say this wave of innovation marks a paradigm shift in software creation. 'AI is in the driver's seat for many parts of software development… but it also creates a feedback loop where code is written and reviewed by the same category of tool, raising critical questions about oversight, accountability, and trust'. While efficiency gains are substantial, concerns linger over code reliability, scalability and security—risks that arise when AI systems generate functionality without deep understanding of architectural principles. Despite those concerns, Wonderish's creators believe their focus on simplicity will attract users deterred by more developer‑centric systems. Supporters argue that this democratised model—enabling creatives to transform ideas into live outputs in seconds—could redefine web production, particularly for solo builders and small teams. The launch coincides with broader enthusiasm: public comments on Instagram and TikTok teased the arrival with slogans such as 'Vibe coding is DEAD! What you wanna do is vibe prompting…' and hints of Monday launch excitement. LinkedIn activity from Trey Smith reinforced this, promoting Wonderish as a 'Canva of vibe coding' and soliciting user feedback. Wonderish enters a competitive but growing market. Its differentiation lies in targeting individuals without coding background, offering no‑code ease, rapid prototyping, and design polish out of the box. Rivals such as Replit and Cursor cater more to developers, whereas Wonderish leans on conversational interfaces and workflow simplicity. The team's ambition is bolstered by a strong backing: integration with Claude for AI intelligence, Cloudflare for performance, Supabase for backend infrastructure—and the credibility of scaling Buildbox to over one million users. With its Product Hunt debut generating momentum, Wonderish is now preparing for broader rollout. The freemium model and early‑adopter discount scheme aim to lower entry barriers and build community. Observers will watch closely to see whether vibe prompting can sustain usability, reliability and creative satisfaction at scale—without returning to traditional coding constraints.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Fast-growing Swedish vibe coding startup Lovable is set to raise funding from Accel at a $1.5 billion valuation
Vibe coding, which allows novices to write code with AI, has been all the rage lately. Accel is set to lead a new funding round in Swedish vibe coding startup Lovable. The company went from zero to $17 million in annual recurring revenue in its first three months. Accel, the storied venture firm that invested early in Facebook and Slack, is set to lead a new funding round in the Swedish "vibe coding" startup Lovable at a valuation of at least $1.5 billion, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal. Vibe coding, which allows novices with limited programming expertise to create code using AI, has been all the rage lately. Market leader Cursor's parent company, Anysphere, which is also backed by Accel, is reportedly in talks for a $9.9 billion valuation and now could be deployed internally by Amazon, Business Insider previously reported. Other competitors include Cognition AI, Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf, which was recently acquired by OpenAI. Lovable, founded by Anton Osika and Fabian Hedin, aims to make coding even more user-friendly, enabling non-engineers to make software and applications. It has the kind of hockey stick growth that enamors tech investors, going from zero to $17 million in annual recurring revenue in its first three months with 30,000 paying customers. Lovable declined to comment on the funding round, which is still not finalized and could change. Bloomberg previously reported the valuation of the round. Only a few months ago, Lovable raised $15 million in pre-series A funding led by Creandum, a European early-stage firm. Other investors included Charlie Songhurst, who sits on the Meta board, as well as Thomas Wolf, cofounder of Hugging Face. The US has dominated funding for AI startups, something Lovable aims to change. In a blog post, the company said it "may be Europe's fastest-growing AI startup" and that it was "proving that world-class AI companies can emerge from Europe—and win on the global stage." Read the original article on Business Insider Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Business Insider
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Fast-growing Swedish vibe coding startup Lovable is set to raise funding from Accel at a $1.5 billion valuation
Accel, the storied venture firm that invested early in Facebook and Slack, is set to lead a new funding round in the Swedish "vibe coding" startup Lovable at a valuation of at least $1.5 billion, according to multiple sources familiar with the deal. Vibe coding, which allows novices with limited programming expertise to create code using AI, has been all the rage lately. Market leader Cursor's parent company, Anysphere, which is also backed by Accel, is reportedly in talks for a $9.9 billion valuation and now could be deployed internally by Amazon, Business Insider previously reported. Other competitors include Cognition AI, Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, and Windsurf, which was recently acquired by OpenAI. Lovable, founded by Anton Osika and Fabian Hedin, aims to make coding even more user-friendly, enabling non-engineers to make software and applications. It has the kind of hockey stick growth that enamors tech investors, going from zero to $17 million in annual recurring revenue in its first three months with 30,000 paying customers. Lovable declined to comment on the funding round, which is still not finalized and could change. Bloomberg previously reported the valuation of the round. Only a few months ago, Lovable raised $15 million in pre-series A funding led by Creandum, a European early-stage firm. Other investors included Charlie Songhurst, who sits on the Meta board, as well as Thomas Wolf, cofounder of Hugging Face. The US has dominated funding for AI startups, something Lovable aims to change. In a blog post, the company said it "may be Europe's fastest-growing AI startup" and that it was "proving that world-class AI companies can emerge from Europe—and win on the global stage."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Swedish AI startup Lovable in talks to raise $100m
Lovable, an AI startup focused on streamlining software development, is in discussions with US investors to secure at least $100m (Skr959m) in funding, Bloomberg reported. The round could potentially value the company at $1.5bn or more, the publication said citing sources familiar with the situation. These talks are said to be at an early stage, and the terms may change, the report added. Founded in 2023, Lovable's technology enables individuals without programming knowledge to create apps and websites. It is part of a growing trend of "vibe coding" services that have garnered significant interest from investors and customers. Lovable co-founder and CEO Anton Osika said his startup is seeing 'unprecedented interest' from investors but did not comment on specific funding terms. 'We're in a great position where we don't need cash,' Osika stated. 'The landscape is very good for us right now.' The startup, with a team of 28, has seen rapid sales growth. In May, Osika announced on LinkedIn that Lovable had surpassed $50m in annual recurring revenue, just six months after launching its first product. The company's annual recurring revenue has now reached $61m. Lovable focuses on users with minimal coding experience, with two-thirds of its users having 'little to no' coding knowledge. Lovable currently serves 130,000 paying customers, charging $25 for a pro subscription and higher rates for enterprise accounts. Its business offerings now account for one-fifth of sales and are 'growing very quickly', according to Osika. Previously, Osika co-founded the e-commerce startup and described Lovable as Europe's fastest-growing company. Despite its growth, Lovable has faced challenges. In May 2025, Semafor reported security vulnerabilities in apps created by Lovable's AI. Osika stated that these issues have been resolved and additional security features have been implemented. He suggested that apps developed by Lovable's AI could be more secure than those built by human engineers, comparing it to the safety record of self-driving cars. To date, Lovable has raised $22.5m in funding from backers including European venture capital firm Creandum, early-stage investor Antler, and Adam D'Angelo, an OpenAI board member. "Swedish AI startup Lovable in talks to raise $100m" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
