Vibe coding is redefining who can build software. By enabling code generation through natural language prompts, it’s quickly gained traction among startups and indie developers. But the biggest opportunity lies ahead: the enterprise.  

The rapid rise of Lovable — which recently raised a $200mn Series A at a $1.8bn valuation — illustrates the remarkable progress of vibe coding. Having backed the Swedish startup at the seed stage, I see this as just the beginning. What’s next? A fundamental upheaval of who can build software — a cultural shift set to transform entire industries.    

The vibe coding revolution

The disruptive power of vibe coding is already evident. More would-be founders can develop software today, which means a bigger potential talent pool and new catalysts for innovation. Creative entrepreneurs with amazing product ideas will no longer be stalled by a lack of coding expertise or access to developers.

The significance of this cultural shift shouldn’t be overlooked. If technical strength is no longer enough to stand out, the spotlight shifts to user experience. User-centric design and community-building will emerge as the primary measures of success. Consumers stand to benefit most, as the vibe coding era ushers in companies that emphasise exceptional experiences and intuitive interactions.

The appeal of vibe coding to tech founders and indie developers — exemplified by Lovable’s rapid growth — is understandable. It aligns perfectly with the “move fast and break things” mentality that favours speed, aesthetics, and agility over processes. 

Enterprises could also reap the benefits. By using vibe coding to empower non-technical employees, they could produce new apps for internal and external use cases. This could ease the cost and resource constraints of today’s development status quo, which depends on in-demand technical skills and talent. 

But “could” is the key word here. Vibe coding today clashes with the realities of enterprises, shaped by regulation, risk aversion, and stringent demands for security, compliance, and auditability. 

It’s no secret that current vibe coding projects create a lot of technical debt. This friction means vibe coding apps aren’t quite ready for enterprise use. However, the vibe coding startups that adapt to enterprise demands stand to capture a significant market opportunity.

The enterprise opportunity

To crack the enterprise market, vibe coding platforms and products will need to show comprehensive audit trails that can explain everything built by the AI.

This transition is already becoming a reality. Github CoPilot, for example, strikes a great balance between autonomous code suggestions and edits with checks and balances, creating a professional-grade AI coding product for mainstream industries. Vibe coding startups can replicate this for enterprise users who lack the coding knowledge of GitHub users.

This presents a big opportunity for first movers like Lovable, as well as emerging players who can tailor verticalised solutions to enterprise needs. Once the risk-based concerns are addressed, companies can realise the potential of slashing software build costs to near zero. Better products will flood into the enterprise market. They’ll either be built with vibe coding, offer enterprise users ways to apply vibe coding in their roles, or provide a combination of both.

The improvements to user experience and product quality threaten legacy enterprise software providers, which have long relied on cumbersome and inflexible solutions. Vibe coding holds the potential to disrupt this stagnant model, fostering a more productive and innovative enterprise software landscape.

From an investor perspective, vibe coding startups remain highly compelling due to their disruptive potential. Investors will closely monitor startups’ ability to retain users and transition beyond initial pilots to sustained, long-term adoption — a crucial indicator of success. Demonstrating sustainable growth post-launch — especially by moving into the enterprise mainstream — will be key to building further investor confidence.

The next phase of vibe coding

Vibe coding has upended traditional software development, showcasing promising results in startup ecosystems. By making it easier to build great products, it can elevate digital user experiences across countless use cases.

The next test for vibe coding startups is breaking into the enterprise market. There’s every reason to think that first-movers like Lovable, as well as new players, can rise to that challenge — and take the vibe coding revolution to much greater heights. The future is bright.