The Twenty Minute VC (20VC): Venture Capital | Startup Funding | The Pitch 20VC: Lovable on Hitting $17.5M in ARR in 3 Months | Adding $2.1M ARR Every Week | Hitting 85% Day 30 Retention: Better than ChatGPT | The Story of Europe's Fastest Scaling Company with Anton Osika
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Mar 5, 2025 
In this engaging chat, Anton Osika, Co-founder and CEO of Lovable, shares insights from scaling his startup to an impressive $17.5M in ARR in just three months. He reveals how talent trumps experience and how pre-launch waitlists can skyrocket growth. Osika discusses maintaining an 85% Day 30 retention rate, surpassing even ChatGPT. He also tackles the challenges of competing in the US market from Europe, the potential of AI in software development, and the vital balance between simplicity and feature richness in product design.
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Rejecting Y Combinator
- Lovable rejected Y Combinator, prioritizing focus and talent acquisition over potential dilution and distraction.
- They opted to secure funding and concentrate on building their team in Europe.
Pre-Seed Funding Strategy
- If you dislike fundraising, raise a large pre-seed round to maximize building time.
- If you enjoy investor interaction, consider smaller, iterative rounds.
Rapid Growth and Scaling Challenges
- Lovable experienced rapid growth, reaching $1M ARR per week, and later $2M.
- Despite scaling challenges, they prioritized rewriting the platform for stability and faster shipping.