A Swedish AI startup hit $200M ARR in under 12 months, raised at a $6.6 billion valuation, and did it with a TikTok strategy so simple it looks like a joke.
We're talking about Lovable. And their playbook is worth studying.
The Company
Lovable lets anyone build full-stack web apps from text prompts. No coding required. Founded by Anton Osika in Stockholm, it launched at Slush in November 2024 and became, by most measures, the fastest-growing software company in European history.
The numbers are absurd:
- $10M ARR in 60 days with 15 people
- $100M ARR in 8 months
- $200M ARR four months after that
- $6.6B valuation after a $330M Series B led by CapitalG and Menlo Ventures
- Over 100,000 new projects built on the platform daily
Product-market fit explains the velocity. But product-market fit alone doesn't explain 5M+ views on TikTok from a developer tool. That part was engineered.
The Format: "I Built Netflix in 1 Minute"
Lovable runs at least 9 TikTok accounts pushing a single, repeatable video format.
The structure is dead simple:
- Split-screen layout. App preview on top, creator building on the bottom.
- Creator opens ChatGPT, asks it to write a Lovable prompt.
- Pastes the prompt into Lovable.
- Shows the app "building itself" in real time.
- Hook: "I BUILT NETFLIX IN 1 MINUTE" or "Rebuilding Spotify in under 60 Seconds."
That's it. Same script. Same flow. Same format. Deployed across a dozen accounts with different creators.
Why This Format Wins
It exploits three psychological triggers simultaneously:
Familiarity. Everyone knows Netflix, Spotify, Uber. When you say "I rebuilt Netflix," people stop scrolling because they already have an emotional connection to the reference.
Disbelief. The claim is intentionally outrageous. Nobody believes you built Netflix in 60 seconds. But that disbelief is exactly what keeps them watching.
The bait-and-switch. Videos start with ChatGPT, something every viewer recognizes. Then they reveal Lovable, the actual product. By the time the viewer realizes it's an ad, they're already engaged.
Comment Farming as a Growth Engine
Here's where it gets clever.
These videos are designed to provoke developers. The "apps" shown are obviously just front-ends. They don't have real backends, databases, or authentication. Any developer watching knows this immediately.
So they comment. Aggressively.
"There's no back-end." "This is just a front-end." "This wouldn't survive a single real user."
Lovable doesn't care. They want these comments.
Every angry developer comment is algorithmic fuel. TikTok's algorithm weighs comments heavily, especially long, passionate ones. A video with 500 comments from triggered developers will outperform a video with 5,000 passive likes every single time.
The formula: controversial claim + technically flawed demo = mass engagement from the exact audience you want to reach.
The developers commenting "this isn't real" are the same developers who will eventually try Lovable to see what it actually can do.
Geographic Arbitrage for Creators
Lovable recruits creators primarily from African countries and smaller EU markets. This isn't random.
The logic is straightforward:
- Lower creator costs. A creator in Lagos or Nairobi costs a fraction of a creator in LA or London.
- Authentic content. These aren't polished influencers reading teleprompters. They're real people building things on screen, which performs better on TikTok.
- Scale without budget blowout. When you're running 9+ accounts, creator costs add up fast. Geographic arbitrage lets you maintain volume without burning through your marketing budget.
The result: a single account like @rohxns pulled nearly 2 million views on its own.
The Multi-Account Surface Area Play
Running one TikTok account is a single lottery ticket. Running 9+ is buying the whole roll.
Each account gets its own independent shot at the algorithm. When one account's video gets picked up, it doesn't cannibalize the others. It just means more surface area for discovery.
Lovable also tested supplementary formats across these accounts:
- Mass-clip strategy: Chopping founder podcast appearances into short-form clips distributed across multiple accounts
- Slideshow posts: Quick visual demos of apps built with Lovable
- Street-show concepts: On-the-ground demonstrations (mixed results, but they tested it)
Not everything worked. But with enough accounts running enough variations, something always hits.
The Playbook, Deconstructed
Here's what Lovable actually did, stripped to its core:
- Found one format that works. Split-screen, "I built X in Y minutes."
- Replicated it across 9+ accounts. Same script, different creators.
- Recruited affordable creators globally. Cost arbitrage without sacrificing authenticity.
- Engineered controversy. Made intentionally provocative claims to trigger comment engagement.
- Used a familiar entry point. Start with ChatGPT (known), pivot to Lovable (unknown).
- Let volume do the work. More accounts, more posts, more chances to break through.
None of this is genius-level creative. It's systematic execution of a volume-based distribution strategy.
Why This Matters
Lovable didn't become Europe's fastest-growing startup because of one viral video. They became it because they treated TikTok distribution like a repeatable, scalable system.
One winning format. Multiple accounts. Affordable creators. Engineered engagement loops. Relentless volume.
This is exactly the playbook we build and automate for clients at 8x. Not hoping for virality, but manufacturing the conditions that make it statistically inevitable.
The only question is whether you're going to run this playbook manually across 9 accounts with spreadsheets and DMs, or whether you're going to let infrastructure handle it.
We know which one scales.
