Emergent

What do they actually do

Emergent is a web platform where you describe an app in plain English and an AI agent generates working software: UI, database, authentication, backend logic, tests, and a live preview. From the same interface, you can edit files in a built‑in editor, push code to GitHub, and deploy a production URL. Deployments typically complete in about 15 minutes, and deployed apps incur a recurring credit cost while hosted (help docs; features).

The system runs in scoped “tasks”: you prompt what to build, the agent asks clarifying questions, plans the work, wires integrations (e.g., Stripe, GitHub), runs tests, and attempts obvious fixes. Credits meter the AI work (planning, coding, testing, deployment); monthly plans include credits and you can top up as needed. Credits are only consumed when the agent runs, and the docs list specific costs (e.g., per‑deployment, per‑app hosting) (features; pricing).

In practice, it’s strong for rapid prototypes, internal tools, or MVPs on its opinionated stack; complex projects often use the GitHub export to finish locally. Users report two common frictions: unpredictable credit burn when agents loop or retry, and needing manual stepping or restarts during longer sessions (tutorials/features; user reports; Reddit).

Who are their target customer(s)

• Non‑technical creators and solo founders: They want to ship without hiring developers. Today they face unpredictable credit costs and limited built‑in discovery/monetization, which makes launching and sustaining an app harder.
• Indie hackers and solo developers: They need a fast MVP with real code and GitHub pushes, but complex logic often requires exporting and finishing locally; agent retries during iteration can consume more credits than expected.
• Product managers and non‑engineering teams (internal tools): They need governed, secure builds with SSO, roles, auditing, and predictable maintenance/costs. These are in progress but can be gaps for enterprise rollouts today.
• Agencies, consultants, and designers building client prototypes: They need predictable pricing and reliability for client work. Agent loops and manual fixes can spike credits, and deployments incur ongoing credit costs while hosted.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Onboard motivated users from founder networks and YC contacts with 1:1 sessions and a credit grant to guarantee a shipped app; capture live demos and GitHub exports as proof the platform produces runnable code (features; pricing).
• First 50: Run targeted demos and hands‑on workshops across Product Hunt, Indie Hackers, HN, Discord/Reddit; publish short tutorials and ready‑made templates; add a small referral credit to reduce friction and amplify a few strong case studies via press/tutorials.
• First 100: Offer fixed‑price pilot packages for agencies and solo founders to address credit unpredictability; partner with no‑code/creator communities on workshops; launch a simple in‑platform template marketplace and basic discovery/monetization so early creators can earn, using exported GitHub projects and customer evidence to convert cautious teams.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Emergent participates in the low‑code/no‑code and AI‑assisted app development market. Gartner projected the worldwide low‑code development technologies market at $26.9B in 2023 and continuing to grow, with LCAPs the largest component (Gartner press release).

Bottom-up calculation:

Initial serviceable market: (a) 150k paying creators/indie teams globally at ~$300/year ARPA ≈ ~$45M; plus (b) 50k small/mid‑market internal‑tool teams at ~$3k/year ≈ ~$150M. Combined early SAM ≈ ~$200M, expandable with enterprise features and monetization/discovery.

Assumptions:

• Creators willing to pay $20–$40/month on average when they can deploy and monetize.
• 50k small/mid‑market teams with budgets for governed internal tools at $2k–$5k/year.
• Excludes very large enterprise deals and broader app‑economy take rates, which could expand SAM significantly if discovery/monetization mature.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Bubble: Popular no‑code web app builder with visual design, database, workflows, and hosting aimed at non‑technical founders; a go‑to baseline for building and shipping without code.
• Retool: Internal tools platform used by product and ops teams to assemble apps from components with data connectors, RBAC, and enterprise governance—strong in the enterprise/internal tools niche.
• StackBlitz Bolt: Prompt‑to‑full‑stack code generation in the browser with an AI agent that builds runnable apps—positioned close to Emergent’s “agent builds code you can run” workflow.
• Vercel v0: Generates React/Next.js UI from prompts and ships production‑grade components into dev workflows; while UI‑focused, it’s widely adopted by developers as an AI starting point.
• Builder.ai: Service‑plus‑platform that assembles apps from reusable components with human oversight; targets non‑technical buyers who want a turnkey path from idea to delivered app.