Emergent: The AI App Builder for Everyone

Emergent is building the next generation of app development, where anyone can create software with natural language. The platform lets users describe what they want, and Emergent’s AI builds it — from web apps to automations to tools used by millions. In this interview with YC Partner Nicolas Dessaigne, co-founders Mukhund and Madhav Jha share how they scaled to $15M ARR in just three months, what inspired them to make app creation accessible to everyone, and how they see a future where building software is as easy as having an idea. Chapters: 00:00 – The AI Reset: A New Era of Building 00:36 – What Emergent Is & How It Works 01:02 – $15M ARR in 3 Months 03:10 – Building Together as Twin Brothers 04:46 – From Enterprise Agents to the App Builder 07:06 – How Emergent Builds Apps from Prompts 10:02 – Builders from All Walks of Life 17:14 – Raising $23M and Scaling the Team 19:54 – The Billion Builders Future

MukhundguestNicolas DessaignehostMadhav Jhaguest

Oct 16, 202521mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: October 16, 2025
Duration: 21m
Channel: YC Root Access
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Emergent is building the next generation of app development, where anyone can create software with natural language. The platform lets users describe what they want, and Emergent’s AI builds it — from web apps to automations to tools used by millions. In this interview with YC Partner Nicolas Dessaigne, co-founders Mukhund and Madhav Jha share how they scaled to $15M ARR in just three months, what inspired them to make app creation accessible to everyone, and how they see a future where building software is as easy as having an idea. Chapters: 00:00 – The AI Reset: A New Era of Building 00:36 – What Emergent Is & How It Works 01:02 – $15M ARR in 3 Months 03:10 – Building Together as Twin Brothers 04:46 – From Enterprise Agents to the App Builder 07:06 – How Emergent Builds Apps from Prompts 10:02 – Builders from All Walks of Life 17:14 – Raising $23M and Scaling the Team 19:54 – The Billion Builders Future

SPEAKERS

Mukhund
guest
Co-founder of Emergent; previously dropped out of a US PhD program, worked at Google, and founded Dunzo in India before starting Emergent.
Nicolas Dessaigne
host
Host of YC Root Access and YC partner/interviewer.
Madhav Jha
guest
Co-founder of Emergent; CS PhD with prior experience at Zenefits and on Amazon's deep learning platform team (SageMaker).

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of YC Root Access, featuring Mukhund and Nicolas Dessaigne, Emergent: The AI App Builder for Everyone explores emergent’s AI app builder turns prompts into production apps fast Emergent is positioned as an AI app builder that converts natural-language prompts into deployable web apps, mobile apps, backends, and websites with no coding required.

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