Two former employees of Google made a counterintuitive decision: they shut down a profitable startup generating more than $2 million a year to rebuild entirely around artificial intelligence. Less than two years later, the new venture is valued at $100 million.
Dhruv Amin and Marcus Lowe, both 33, are the co-founders and co-CEOs of Anything, an AI-driven “vibe-coding” company that reached a valuation of around $100 million following an $11 million funding round, according to a report by CNBC Make It.
The company did not start this way. Its earlier incarnation, Create, operated as a marketplace that connected startups with freelance software engineers, supported by AI tools to help build apps and websites. By most startup standards, it was a success.
A Profitable Business—Until the Ground Shifted
Create was profitable “from Day 1,” Amin told the outlet. But the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 forced the founders to rethink their assumptions. Amin said the product represented an unexpected leap in AI capability and raised a fundamental question: would human software developers still be necessary in the future?
By early 2023, Amin and Lowe concluded that advances in generative AI could eventually automate large portions of coding work. That insight struck at the heart of Create’s business model, which depended on matching clients with human developers.
After months of internal debate, the founders made a decisive move. In October 2023, they shut down the marketplace, laid off half of their seven-member team, and ended relationships with freelance developers.
“Within two weeks, we were back to an empty office,” Amin recalled.
Starting Over—This Time With AI at the Core
Rather than pivot incrementally, the founders chose to rebuild from scratch. Their first step was launching an AI-powered tool capable of generating individual app components, such as forms and calendars.
The larger breakthrough came in April 2025, when they released a product that could build entire online businesses—including backend infrastructure and payment systems—without users needing any coding experience. Alongside the launch, the company rebranded from Create to Anything.
“That was actually the moment where it felt like it really took off,” Amin said. Within two weeks, the company reached a $2 million annualised revenue run rate, he added.
Betting on an Unfinished Market
Amin described the AI coding space as “extremely early” in its evolution, noting that reactions to vibe-coding platforms remain mixed. Even so, he said non-technical users have already built real-world applications using Anything, ranging from AI-powered hairstylist tools to oral health tracking apps.
Looking back, Amin said the decision to shut down a profitable business and “go back to zero” was one of the most difficult choices of his career—but one he believes was shaped by timing.
“It’s a useful founding story now: This company will stick through it, even if the technology shifts, even if the business model shifts. At the time, it was hard. Now, I can say with some pride: You don’t have to just take my word that we’re serious about what we’re trying to do here. We’ve painted it in blood, sweat and tears,” Amin said.
“I hope our hardcore pivots are behind us, at this point. Now, I think we’re just more in the [mindset]: Let’s execute, let’s take advantage of opportunity, and let’s really grow it,” he added.
