Building Lovable: $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people | Anton Osika (CEO and co-founder)
Executive Summary
Lenny's Podcast episode, sponsored by Sinch and Persona, in which Lenny Rachitsky talks with Anton Osika, co-founder and CEO of Lovable, about reaching 10 million ARR in 60 days with 15 people. Osika describes Lovable as a personal AI software engineer built for the 99 percent of people who do not write code - his mother among them - after a lifetime of friends asking him how to find a software engineer. He explains the name through his product bar: not a minimum viable product but a minimum lovable product, then a lovable product, then an absolutely lovable one. On scaling with 15 people, he credits one driver - people love the product - and says he now hires generalists, obsessing over how many skill sets each person brings, with the stated goal of building the last piece of software anyone has to write. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this summary highlights the growth story and hiring philosophy; the live demo and pro tips are not covered. These are Osika's own claims and views, not independently verified.
Key Takeaways
60 days, 10 million
Lovable hit 4 million ARR in four weeks and 10 million in two months with 15 people - Europe's fastest-growing startup at the time.
For the 99 percent
His mother does not write code; Lovable exists for everyone who has ideas but no engineer.
The last software
The stated mission: build the last piece of software anybody has to write.
Lovable, not viable
His naming logic - the best word for a great product is lovable, so that became the product bar.
One growth driver
Asked how they scaled so fast with so few: people love the product, full stop.
Generalists win
He would now build product teams by maximizing how many skill sets each person carries.
Empowerment effect
Designers and PMs prototype real products; some become founders because of it.
The Conversation Breakdown
60 days, 10 million
⏱ Untimed topicLovable hit 4 million ARR in four weeks and 10 million in two months with 15 people - Europe's fastest-growing startup at the time.
For the 99 percent
⏱ Untimed topicHis mother does not write code; Lovable exists for everyone who has ideas but no engineer.
The last software
⏱ Untimed topicThe stated mission: build the last piece of software anybody has to write.
Lovable, not viable
⏱ Untimed topicHis naming logic - the best word for a great product is lovable, so that became the product bar.
One growth driver
⏱ Untimed topicAsked how they scaled so fast with so few: people love the product, full stop.
Generalists win
⏱ Untimed topicHe would now build product teams by maximizing how many skill sets each person carries.
Empowerment effect
⏱ Untimed topicDesigners and PMs prototype real products; some become founders because of it.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Minimum lovable product - Osika's bar
Ship at the level of lovable, then raise it; viable is too low a bar.
Generalist stacking - his hiring model
Score candidates on the count of skill sets, not depth in one.
Bottleneck removal - his market lens
Build for the people whose bottleneck was finding someone who codes.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Rewrite your product bar from viable to lovable for the next release.
- ✓List the skill sets each of your next three hires should combine.
- ✓Name the bottleneck your customers hire you to remove.
- ✓Ask whether a non-technical user could get value from your product today.
Notable Quotes
“The best word for a great product is that it's lovable”
“People love the product. That's the driver of the growth”
“we're building the last piece of software”
The One Thing to Remember
Anton Osika's Lovable playbook: build for the 99 percent who can't code, hold the bar at lovable not viable, and hire generalists who bring many skill sets.