Kombai, a pioneering startup aiming to simplify the process of converting UI designs to code using artificial intelligence (AI), has emerged from stealth mode and announced an impressive $4.5 million seed funding round. The funding was led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Foundation Capital.
The demand for superior user interfaces has been driven by rapid hardware advancements and software evolution. As startups and tech giants alike strive to develop distinctive user interfaces, front-end developers often face challenges in swiftly coding these unique designs. Kombai’s innovative AI model, designed to address this issue, is set to be released for public research this week.
Founded by former Mindtickle executives Dipanjan Dey (CEO) and Abhijit Bhole (CTO) in April 2022, Kombai utilizes a collection of deep learning and heuristics models to tackle various aspects of interpreting UI designs and generating code. The AI model intuitively understands the design and generates the corresponding code.
Kombai follows a step-by-step approach to generate UI code. It clusters logical elements, creates streamlined div structures, optimizes CSS for minimal hardcoded attributes, and segments the generated code into easily comprehensible components. The AI also identifies patterns, loops, conditions, and variables. Additionally, publicly available multi-modal large language models (LLMs) are employed to refine specific segments of the auto-generated code.
The AI-generated code is made up of approximately 95% output from Kombai’s AI model and under 5% from LLMs. Despite involving several background steps, Kombai’s model delivers results within seconds, saving significant time for front-end developers.
Developed code can be downloaded or copied directly into developers’ integrated development environments (IDEs). It’s customizable to suit individual requirements and seamlessly incorporated into existing codebases.
As the demand for front-end development rises, Kombai aims to make the process enjoyable and efficient for the millions of developers worldwide. The startup envisions becoming the “reverse Dall-E for UI design,” referencing the AI model that generates images from textual descriptions.
Kombai currently requires front-end developers to have a Figma account or integrate Figma’s API token to access designs. However, the model’s potential integration with other design tools like Adobe XD is under consideration.
The seed funding round involved 20 angel investors, including undisclosed SaaS CEOs and CTOs, along with a few late-stage investors.
Kombai intends to utilize the funding to expand its team, invest in research and development, improve base models, and enhance compatibility with various developer libraries and frameworks. This innovative approach has the potential to transform UI coding and streamline the front-end development process, allowing developers to focus on more complex tasks.
