Stanford Grad's AI Startup 'Launch' Revolutionizes Website Building
Creating a professional online presence often demands significant investment in graphic design and programming, a barrier for many aspiring entrepreneurs and small businesses. However, a Bengaluru-based startup, Launch, is poised to democratize web development by leveraging artificial intelligence, allowing users to build comprehensive websites and web applications in minutes, all without writing a single line of code.
Founded by Stanford graduate Prakash Sanker, Launch went live in June, following a beta release in April. The platform’s core innovation lies in its ability to translate plain English prompts into fully functional digital platforms. Sanker elaborates on this simplicity: “If you are a fitness instructor and you want a website, you can come to my platform. You can say, ‘I am a fitness instructor, I want to create a website to manage my clients, my sessions, and my payments,’ and then, in a few minutes, we basically create an application for you that works.” This intuitive approach places AI at the forefront of disrupting traditional website-building tools.
Sanker’s journey to Launch is rooted in applied mathematics from Stanford University and extensive experience in Silicon Valley with companies like Palantir, Splunk, and Remind. After serving as CTO of Zelp in India and briefly exploring a mental health startup, he identified a significant market demand for accessible web creation tools. Initially exploring the application of large language models (LLMs) to cybersecurity, Sanker pivoted in 2022, recognizing the broader mass-market potential in website and app development. He asserts that the advancements in LLMs over the past two years have made Launch’s capabilities — generating an entire web stack, including backend, authentication, database, and user interface, automatically — feasible in a way that was previously impossible.
The stark contrast between Launch and traditional development methods is its speed. While working with a programmer might take days, Launch claims to generate a functional website in as little as five to six minutes. This efficiency eliminates the need for users to engage with developers, significantly reducing both time and cost. The platform operates on a “pay-per-prompt” model, where each message or instruction sent to the AI to describe or modify the website counts as one interaction. For instance, creating a website for an art business is one prompt, and changing a button color is another.
Despite predictions that AI agents might render traditional websites obsolete, Sanker firmly believes in their enduring relevance. He argues that the smartphone remains the primary screen for most users, fostering a desire for direct, manual interaction with content. Consequently, he anticipates an increase in the number of websites in the future. Launch is already seeing global demand, underscoring the universal need for rapid, AI-powered web development.
Looking ahead, Launch is focused on enhancing its platform’s speed and the reliability of its database, crucial for supporting production-ready applications. Sanker also plans to introduce human support, allowing users to pay for assistance if they encounter challenges or don’t achieve their desired results. Currently self-funded, the startup may soon seek external capital to fuel its expansion. At its heart, Launch is driven by a mission to empower entrepreneurs, particularly in India, to quickly establish their businesses and build a robust online presence.