Vibe-coding: Turning prototypes into products

Building software has never been easier for innovators who lack coding expertise. With vibe coding, you can now simply describe your idea and it will be transformed into a real, secure, intelligent mockup… right? Not quite. 

In a world of instant prototypes and AI-generated content, there are so many possibilities but also plenty of uncertainty about what comes next.  

Watch this session with SeedLegals CEO Anthony Rose and Xogito Founder, Gus Spathis, as they explore how founders can transition from vibe-coded demos to investor-ready products (without wasting time or money) and draw the line between solo experimentation and deciding when to bring in engineers.

Key takeaways

Vibe coding changes the game… but it doesn’t finish the job

• Vibe coding allows founders to go from idea to working prototype incredibly fast, without raising money or hiring developers upfront.
• These AI-generated prototypes are designed to be cheap, fast and disposable. Perfect for testing ideas, not shipping final products.
• The problem hasn’t disappeared; it’s just moved later in the journey, from ‘can I build this?’ to ‘how do I make this real?’
• For most startups, vibe coding is a powerful starting point, not the destination.

Security risks can harm promising startups

• Vibe-coded apps often overlook basic security, especially when built by non-technical founders.
• Customer data, payment details, API keys and internal systems can all be exposed without proper safeguards.
• A single security breach can destroy user trust, derail fundraising and scare off investors overnight.
• Founders should cross-check AI-generated code with multiple models and bring in experts before scaling.

Why prototypes break when real users show up

• Most vibe-coded products only support the ‘happy path’ aka the ideal way founders imagine users behaving.
• Real users click randomly, skip instructions, enter unexpected data and forget how they signed up.
• This gap between demo behaviour and real-world usage is where many early products fall apart.
• Turning a prototype into a production app means handling edge cases, failures and messy human behaviour.

The real value has shifted from code to specs

• As AI makes code cheaper and faster to generate, investors care less about how much code you’ve written.
• The true value now sits in the idea, the traction and the clarity of how the product should work.
• Spec-driven development (clearly defining users, flows, goals and integrations) is becoming a core founder skill.
• Strong specs allow both humans and AI to build better products, faster and with less wasted effort.

When to stop experimenting and bring in humans

• Founders should use vibe coding to test ideas, gather feedback and validate demand as early as possible.
• Once users want to rely on the product (or sensitive data is involved) it’s time to involve experienced engineers.
• Today’s production-ready apps can cost a fraction of what they did five years ago if built with modern AI tools.
• The best results come when founders arrive with a clear spec, a validated idea, and realistic expectations about scale.

Agents are the next leap beyond apps

• The future of software isn’t more dashboards and buttons. It’s autonomous agents that act on users’ behalf.
• Agentic AI can connect to email, payments, CRMs and other systems to complete tasks end-to-end.
• This shift forces founders to rethink what their product actually does, not just how it looks.
• Startups that design with agents in mind now will be better positioned for the next wave of AI-driven businesses.