Introduction

Lovable hit a $6.6B valuation in just 13 months. Here is what actually drove the growth, straight from Elena Verna on Lenny’s Podcast.

What's the problem it solves?

Most teams chase growth by copying channels or tactics. This story shows why that fails. Growth came from a full system, not one trick.

Quick Summary

Lovable grew fast by focusing on how people feel when using the product, not just what it does. In AI, features are easy to copy. Feelings, trust, and love are not.

The team ships extremely fast and builds in public. This creates trust, keeps users close, and turns every product update into marketing. Community plays a huge role. Users help each other, share work, and spread the product without being pushed.

Search is no longer the main growth channel. Social is. Employees, leaders, and users talk online every day. On top of that, Lovable gives away a lot for free so people can feel the value before paying. All of this works together as one loop.

Key Takeaways

• Features are not enough anymore. Emotion matters.
• Speed beats perfection in fast markets.
• Building in public creates trust and reach.
• Community is a real growth engine.
• Social now beats search for attention.
• Giving value first drives word of mouth.

What to do

• Design your product to feel good, not just work well.
• Ship faster, even if it feels uncomfortable.
• Share progress and updates in public.
• Build a real place for users to help each other.
• Push leaders and teams to post on social.
• Let users try real value before charging them.

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