Until a few years ago, to build a billion-dollar company, a big team and lots of money and time were needed. But now AI has changed the game. Now a single person, with the help of the right idea and some tools, can take his own company to millions. Such founders are now being called solo unicorns. A company created by a single person, whose value can reach $1 billion one day. Do you think this is a dream? But now it has become a reality.
Here is Maor Shlomo, a 31-year-old developer who built a company called Base44 in just 6 months without any funding and then sold it to Wix for $80 million (cash).
Base44: From a side project to a multi-million deal
Base44 started as a side project. But gradually it became one of the most famous stories in the world of “Vibe Coding.” Vibe coding means creating apps without learning coding, just by speaking in normal language. Neither code nor team is needed. Only ideas and AI tools .
Base44 was a platform where any human, technical or non-tech, could create their own complete app by just giving a text prompt. Everything
you need—backend, database, authentication, analytics, maps, email, and even SMS—is available. And all this happens with the power of AI Agents and Large Language Models (LLMs).
In 6 months, Base44 had 2.5 lakh users, and in the month of May alone, it earned $189,000—that too without any investment. Maor posted his complete journey publicly on LinkedIn and X.
AI has changed the game: Now everyone can become a founder
Base44 didn’t rely on a large team or VC funding. It was bootstrapped and lean—just eight employees, all of whom will now receive a $25 million retention bonus as part of the deal. But the engine that drove it? AI! It was found. But the real driver was AI.
AI is doing the work of dozens of engineers—writing code, managing infrastructure, and optimizing performance—so the modern founder can focus on vision and velocity instead of scaling teams or burning money.
Maor says that he has achieved a lot without funding (VC funding), but now with the partnership with Wix, he is ready to grow even faster.
Why did Wix buy Base44?
Wix, a popular no-code website builder worldwide, saw something big in Base44—a future where people could build apps by speaking.
Wix is growing its AI capabilities to enable complete app development.
Wix CEO Avishai Abrahami called this acquisition a major step in the company’s charge to resuscitate the way people produce online.
From Side Projects to Solo Unicorns
Base44 hasn’t become a billion-dollar company yet, and Maor wasn’t completely alone, but this story proves that today, thanks to AI, the gap from idea to execution has become much smaller.
Now, if someone has a vision and the right tools, he can create something big even alone.
So, why can’t the next solo unicorn be completely alone? Maybe not yet… But we’re pretty close now.
We’re not there yet—but we’re getting closer. AI is making it radically easier to launch, scale, and sell products without large teams or funding. The infrastructure is maturing. The tools are getting smarter. And founders? They’re no longer just builders—they’re visionaries and storytellers.
Conclusion
Welcome to the era of the solo unicorn. And who knows? You might be the one creating the next one from your bedroom!
Are you also thinking of starting your own AI-powered startup?