Most acquisitions take years. Yet Base44, a bootstrapped AI startup, was acquired by Wix in roughly 500 days. That’s extraordinary. But what’s more valuable for founders is not the speed itself, but the disciplined decisions that propelled it. Let’s explore the real journey.
A Solo Venture, Born from Purpose
Base44 didn’t emerge from a VC-funded incubator or a fancy startup studio. It was born as a side project. Founded by Israeli entrepreneur Maor Shlomo in early 2025, Base44 was his answer to a simple challenge: make software creation as easy as conversational prompts. Within six months, that idea transformed from a one-person experiment into a product bought for $80 million in cash by Wix.
Astonishing Traction, Built in Public
Base44 didn’t rely on paid marketing. Shlomo grew the user base organically by sharing his journey on LinkedIn and X, and within weeks had surged to 250,000–300,000 users, including B2B names like eToro and SimilarWeb.
By May 2025, six months in, the company was profitable—bringing in around $189,000 in monthly profit even after covering substantial LLM usage costs.
This combination—rapid growth, public traction, and early profitability—made Base44 not just a flashy indie project, but a real business.
The WIN Move: Why Wix Made the Acquisition
In June 2025, Wix announced they were acquiring Base44 for roughly $80 million upfront, with earn-outs through 2029 tied to performance. Base44 was to remain a standalone product unit under Wix—maintaining its product trajectory while gaining global scale and resources.
Shlomo summed it up: “Wix is probably the only company that can help us scale and distribute… without slowing down our development.”
Founder Lessons from Base44’s Rapid Rise
This isn’t a story of striking gold. It’s about tactical clarity, disciplined execution, and killer timing.
Ship Fast, Learn Faster
Base44 was launched quickly and refined via real-time user feedback. Watching users reach value instantly became Shlomo’s metric.
Build in Public
By documenting every build milestone, hiccup, and insight openly, Shlomo built trust and relatability before seeking acquisition. He also created a stealth content marketing strategy.
Leverage AI’s Exponential Curve
The platform improved not only with code, but as the underlying language models improved, magnifying every step forward.
Stay Profitable, Stay Lean
No VC cap tables. No external pressure. Just a lean, direct route from startup to exit.
Acquire Momentum, Not Just Deals
By the time Wix entered the picture, performance metrics and product vision spoke for themselves.
Wrapping Up
Yes, Base44’s acquisition in 500 days is rare but not unrepeatable. For founders today, the takeaway isn’t to chase a fast exit. It's to focus on building something that grows, scales, and attracts opportunity on its own terms.
