Indian Startup Rocket.new Secures $15M from Accel, Salesforce Ventures to Revolutionize App Development
In a significant development for the tech industry, Rocket.new, an Indian startup building an AI-powered app development platform, has raised $15 million in a seed round led by Salesforce Ventures. The funding was joined by Accel and Together Fund, marking a major milestone for the company that has been making waves since its beta launch in June.
According to co-founder and CEO Vishal Virani, Rocket.new aims to scale its annual recurring revenue from $4.5 million to $202.5 million by year-end and $60.7 million by next June. The startup has already achieved impressive growth, with over 400,000 users, including more than 10,000 paid subscribers in 180 countries.
"We are building the first vibe solution platform, which is not just solving a problem of data," Virani said in an exclusive interview. "We're creating a new way for people to build apps without writing code."
Rocket.new's innovative approach allows users to build full, production-ready apps from natural-language prompts, setting it apart from other viral vibe-coding rivals like Lovable, Cursor, and Bolt.
The startup marks a pivot from its earlier venture, DhiWise, which focused on developer workflows. Virani teamed up with Rahul Shingala and Deepak Dhanak to launch Rocket.new, based in Surat, a city known for its diamond and textile industries but far from India's usual tech hubs.
The funding will enable Rocket.new to further develop its platform and expand its user base. "We're excited to partner with Accel and Together Fund to accelerate our growth and bring this revolutionary technology to more developers around the world," Virani said.
Rocket.new's AI-powered app development platform has significant implications for the tech industry, enabling non-technical users to build complex apps without extensive coding knowledge. This democratization of app development could lead to a surge in innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly among small businesses and individuals who lack technical expertise.
The startup's growth trajectory is impressive, with its user base expanding rapidly since its beta launch. As Rocket.new continues to scale, it will be interesting to see how the company addresses the challenges of maintaining quality control while catering to an increasingly diverse user base.
With this significant funding, Rocket.new is poised to make a major impact on the tech industry, and its innovative approach to app development could change the way we build software in the future.
*Reporting by Techcrunch.*