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Rocket.new Secures $15 Million to Redefine AI-Driven App Development

Overview Of Rocket.new’s Bold Mission

Indian startup Rocket.new, an innovative force in AI-powered app development, has successfully raised $15 million in a seed funding round led by Salesforce Ventures. The funding round, which saw participation from Accel and Together Fund, marks a significant step forward as Rocket.new challenges competitors like Lovable, Cursor, and Bolt. By offering a platform that creates full, production-ready applications through natural-language prompts, Rocket.new is moving beyond the rapid prototyping that has characterized the current wave of vibe-coding tools.

Impressive Growth And Market Traction

Since its beta launch in June, the platform has grown its user base to over 400,000 individuals across 180 countries, including more than 10,000 paying subscribers. With annual recurring revenue already at $4.5 million, CEO Vishal Virani has set ambitious targets—projecting $20–$25 million by the end of the year and reaching $60–$70 million by June next year. These rapid achievements underscore the platform’s potential, drawing the attention of leading companies such as Meta, PayPal, KPMG, PwC, and Times Internet.

Innovative Architecture And Superior User Experience

The Rocket.new platform distinguishes itself by integrating large language models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google’s Gemini with its own deep learning systems. Leveraging proprietary datasets from its previous venture DhiWise, Rocket.new has built an architecture that offers a comprehensive solution for production-ready applications. Although initial app generation takes approximately 25 minutes—longer than some competitors—the platform’s robust output is designed to include all essential modules, delivering a superior user experience that appeals to serious application developers.

Strategic Funding And Future Growth

Founder and CEO Vishal Virani, along with co-founders Rahul Shingala and Deepak Dhanak, have positioned Rocket.new to spearhead a shift in how organizations approach app development. The startup aims to develop a full-fledged agentic system capable not only of building apps and websites but also of conducting competitive research and product development, potentially eliminating the need for traditional product management roles. With around 58 team members based out of Surat—and plans to double its engineering and product staff in India—the company is set to broaden its presence, especially in pivotal markets like the U.S., where it has already secured 26% of its revenue.

Monetization Strategy And Global Reach

The company employs a freemium model, offering a free trial capped at one million tokens, with continued access available through monthly subscriptions starting at $25 for five million tokens. This pricing structure is designed to foster enterprise-level usage while maintaining healthy gross margins, with ambitions to improve these figures further in the coming months.

Conclusion

Rocket.new’s fresh infusion of capital, impressive early traction, and strategic market positioning not only set it apart from its rivals but also signal a significant evolution in AI-assisted app development. As it prepares to refine its go-to-market strategies and invest further in proprietary R&D, Rocket.new is poised to become a cornerstone platform for organizations seeking to harness artificial intelligence for production-grade applications.

Cyprus Hits Historic Tourism Peak As Overtourism Risks Mount

Record-Breaking Performance In Tourism

Cyprus’ tourism sector achieved unprecedented success in 2025 with record-breaking arrivals and revenues. According to Eurobank analyst Konstantinos Vrachimis, the island’s performance was underpinned by solid real income growth and enhanced market diversification.

Robust Growth In Arrivals And Revenues

Total tourist arrivals reached 4.5 million in 2025, rising 12.2% from 4 million in 2024, with momentum sustained through the final quarter. Tourism receipts for the January–November period climbed to €3.6 billion, marking a 15.3% year-on-year increase that exceeded inflation. The improvement was not driven by volume alone. Average expenditure per visitor increased by 4.6%, while daily spending rose by 9.2%, indicating stronger purchasing power and higher-value tourism activity.

Economic Impact And Diversification Of Source Markets

The stronger performance translated into tangible gains for the broader services economy, lifting real tourism-related income and overall sector turnover. Demand patterns are also shifting. While the United Kingdom remains Cyprus’ largest source market, its relative share has moderated as arrivals from Israel, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland have expanded. This gradual diversification reduces dependency on a single market and strengthens resilience against external shocks.

Enhanced Air Connectivity And Seasonal Dynamics

Air connectivity has improved markedly in 2025, with flight volumes expanding substantially compared to 2019. This expansion is driven by increased airline capacity, enhanced route coverage, and more frequent flights, supporting demand during shoulder seasons and reducing overreliance on peak-month flows. Seasonal patterns remain prominent, with arrivals building through the spring and peaking in summer, thereby bolstering employment, fiscal receipts, and corporate earnings across hospitality, transport, and retail sectors.

Structural Risks And Future Considerations

Despite strong headline figures, structural challenges remain. The European Commission’s EU Tourism Dashboard highlights tourism intensity, seasonality, and market concentration as key risk indicators. Cyprus records a high ratio of overnight stays relative to its resident population, signalling potential overtourism pressures. Continued reliance on a limited group of origin markets also exposes the sector to geopolitical uncertainty and sudden demand swings. Seasonal peaks place additional strain on infrastructure, housing availability, labour supply, and natural resources, particularly water.

Strategic Investment And Market Resilience

Vrachimis concludes that sustained growth will depend on targeted investment, product upgrading, and continued market diversification. Strengthening year-round offerings, improving infrastructure capacity, and promoting higher-value experiences can help balance demand while preserving long-term competitiveness. These measures are essential not only to manage overtourism risks but also to ensure tourism remains a stable pillar of Cyprus’ economic development.

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