
Maor ShlomoFounder & CEO
In this interview, Base44 founder Maor Shlomo shares how he built an AI-powered app development platform from scratch, grew it to hundreds of thousands of users, and sold it to Wix for more than $80 million in just six months. He discusses building as a solo founder, leveraging AI to move faster than larger competitors, growing through community-driven marketing, and why speed, simplicity, and user feedback were critical to Base44's success. Maor also reveals his approach to product development, bootstrapping, and building in the era of AI.
Founder Stats
- AI, SaaS, Technology
- Started 2023
- $100K–$500K/mo
- Solo Founder team
- Israel
About Maor Shlomo
Maor Shlomo is the founder of Base44, an AI-powered application development platform that enables users to build software using natural language. Previously, he founded Explorium, a data-focused startup that raised over $130 million in funding. After stepping away from his previous venture, Maor returned to his passion for product building and launched Base44 as a bootstrapped solo founder. Within six months, the platform attracted hundreds of thousands of users and was acquired by Wix in a deal valued at more than $80 million. Today, he continues to focus on empowering creators and entrepreneurs through AI-driven software development.
Interview
August 4, 2025
What was your motivation for starting Base44?
Did you plan to grow Base44 into a big company from day one?
What did you learn from your previous startup, Explorium?
What’s your advice on being a solo founder?
How did you stay productive as a solo founder with ADHD?
What were the first few steps you took to get users?
How did you validate Base44 early on?
Did your Product Hunt launch help much?
What was the most effective growth strategy?
What didn’t work for growth?
What’s your take on MVPs today?
What’s one big lesson you learned about user onboarding?
How did you build such a fast product alone?
What was your main tech stack?
Why did you decide to sell Base44 to Wix?
What kind of person did you hire first?
Table Of Questions
Video Interviews with Maor Shlomo
Solo founder, $80M exit, 6 months: The Base44 bootstrapped startup success story | Maor Shlomo
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