How Non-Tech Founders Are Shipping Real Apps with AI
An Interview with Viral Shah, Co-founder & CPO of Databutton
Uncharted Snippets - What Actually Matters This Week 🔥
The smartest takes I found this week:
Payroll startup Rippling is suing rival Deel for espionage, claiming Deel planted a spy who dug through Slack messages and hid evidence in a bathroom stall. Deel calls it nonsense, but either way, HR just turned into a Netflix thriller.
Forget syntax. Forget debugging. AI is changing how software gets built. Vibe coding is about telling an AI what you want and watching it happen.
Marketing Measurement Is Broken 🎯
Attribution is dead. Experiments get skewed. MMM can’t predict what hasn’t been tested. MESI fixes that.
AI Is Changing the No-Code Game
No devs. No limits. No more excuses.
AI is rewriting the rules of software, and Databutton is leading the charge.
No-code tools made building easier. But they also came with walls. Limits that kept non-technical founders stuck.
Databutton tears those walls down.
AI writes the code. You focus on building the product.
That’s why Databutton is one of Europe’s fastest-growing startups.
See Databutton in action
Corbin Brown breaks it down better than anyone. Watch how Databutton works and why it’s changing the software development game.
My Interview with Viral Shah, Co-founder & CPO of Databutton
I sat down with Viral Shah, Co-founder of Databutton, to talk about AI-powered coding, no-code, and the future of building software.
Q: What is Databutton?
Viral Shah: Databutton is the AI coder for non-techies. We built it because too many smart people with great ideas get stuck at “I don’t know how to code.” If you know what you want to build, why should writing software hold you back?
Q: “Vibe Coding” is a new bold tagline. What does it actually mean?
Viral Shah: It means building software with AI instead of manually writing every line of code. You describe what you need, and AI figures out the technical details. Because you’re working so closely with the AI, iteration is insanely fast. You don’t have to map everything out upfront. You can experiment, adjust, and sometimes land on something even better than what you originally imagined.
Q: No-code tools often hit a wall when things get complex. How does Databutton avoid that?
Viral Shah: Most no-code platforms limit you to pre-built components. Databutton doesn’t. It writes full-stack code in React and Python, the same way a professional developer would. You’re not dragging and dropping within a closed system. You’re working with an AI that builds software to your needs.
Q: What’s the wildest thing someone has built on Databutton without writing a single line of code?
Viral Shah: Someone built a 3D product configurator for custom wardrobes that streamed the model creation live inside a web app. The AI generated a 3D model piece by piece in real time. Watching it happen was surreal.
Building, Selling, and Getting Users
Q: What’s it like building an AI startup in Europe?
Viral Shah: I think building an AI startup in Europe is amazing and in many ways the place to be. We're seeing a proper democratization of what is possible across regions, especially with the pace of innovation in both the Nordics and China. Being resource constrained and creative is an edge.
Q: What’s been the hardest moment so far?
Viral Shah: It’s not one moment. It’s the constant reality of pushing against the world to make this work. I have two incredible co-founders. Without them, this would be impossible.
Q: Who is Databutton for and who isn’t it for?
Viral Shah:
✅ Perfect for: Non-technical founders building SaaS. Small business owners who want software to work for them instead of being locked out of it.
❌ Not for: Developers inside an existing dev team.
Q: Biggest myth about AI-powered no-code tools that needs to die?
Viral Shah: That AI will turn everyone into a builder. It won’t. Most people don’t code because they don’t want to, not because they can’t. AI helps you move fast, but shipping an app still takes time and effort. That last 20 percent is where reality kicks in. That’s why we made our AI agent more autonomous and offer app completion services.
Q: What’s actually working for Databutton’s GTM strategy?
Viral Shah:
✅ YouTube converts because buyers search for solutions there. Instead of just posting content, show real use cases and walk through solutions.
❌ Product Hunt. Too many AI tinkerers, not enough serious builders.
Q: Is Databutton going viral, or are you fighting for every user?
Viral Shah: The biggest unlock has been word of mouth. LinkedIn visibility and organic YouTube content are driving the most discovery.
Q: What differentiates Databutton from other tools?
Viral Shah: We've always been focused on the intersection of real business apps and enabling non-techies to realize them. That results in differences between us and others because we've had a one-stop-shop mentality. Almost any type of app you can imagine can be built by Databutton's agent. It has an entire online development environment with a console, logs, ability to build and test backend Python APIs, and a lot more. The agent handles deployment for our customers onto our infrastructure, too.
What’s Next?
Q: Everyone says AI is the future but what’s actually exciting you?
Viral Shah: AI-human collaboration. The goal isn’t to make everyone a full-time builder. It’s to create an AI builder that just does the work. The newest reasoning models, like DeepSeek R1 and Claude 3.7 Sonnet, are pushing this forward in a big way.
Q: What’s the moonshot feature you’d like to build?
Viral Shah: I’d make it possible to work with the Databutton AI agent inside Slack or a live hangout. Instead of typing instructions, you’d have a conversation with AI while it builds your app.
Q: Where is Databutton in 5 years?
Viral Shah: It’s the equalizer for small businesses worldwide. That’s the mission. That’s where we’re going.
Bonus: Fun Founder Questions
Q: What’s a book on AI, startups, or growth you swear by?
Viral Shah: The Lean Startup. People spend too much time building and not enough time testing whether anyone actually needs what they’re making. This book drills that into you.
Q: Go-to tool (besides Databutton) that makes your life easier?
Viral Shah: Screen Studio. It’s perfect for making clean, polished demo videos fast. I’ve also tried every AI video editor, and none of them get it right. Someone needs to build one that understands editing style and storyboarding at the same time
Q: Current TV show or podcast obsession?
Viral Shah: Severance. It’s finally back, and the wait was worth it. Hot tip: follow Lumon Industries on LinkedIn.
The Founder’s Take
Q: If someone’s on the fence about building an app with Databutton, what would you tell them?
Viral Shah: If you have an idea or a problem that software can solve, build it now. No excuses. No waiting. The tools exist. Use them.
End of Interview
My Key Takeaways from Databutton Interview
✅ AI coding beats no-code.
✅ AI won’t make everyone a builder.
✅ YouTube > Product Hunt.
✅ AI doesn’t replace people.
✅ Best time to build? Now.
Checkout this Databutton’s blog on how to make an app with AI in 6 steps.
What I Persoanlly Like About Databutton
Most no-code tools help you build. Databutton helps you ship.
✅ Human + AI Collaboration – AI speeds things up, but humans still matter. Databutton gives you AI-powered coding with human support when you need it. You’re not stuck when things get complex.
✅ Custom Domains & Deployment – You’re not just building an app. You’re launching a real product. Databutton lets you deploy to a custom domain with zero dev hassle. No third-party hosting headaches.
✅ Built for Business, Not Just Hobbyists – Many no-code tools are playgrounds. Databutton is a launchpad. Whether you’re an indie founder or a business owner, this is built to get your idea live and working.
The Human + AI Collaboration is what makes Databutton different in my opinion.
My Final Thoughts
Building software isn’t just for developers anymore.
AI coding and no-code tools are making it easier than ever to turn ideas into real apps. But building is only half the battle.
The hardest part is getting people to care.
AI removes barriers, but execution still wins.
Until next week—keep building, no fairytales required.
Martin, Chief Ranter at Uncharted
P.S. This week's track "Rebellion" by Arcade Fire