Nov 1, 2025 · 3 min read
The space between a great idea and a working prototype is where good ideas go to die. Someone has an inspired conversation, a product manager writes a spec, a designer makes a mockup. And then... it waits. It waits for engineering time, for a slot in the next sprint, for someone to set up a dev environment. By the time the prototype finally gets built, the spark is usually gone.
This isn't just annoying; it slows everything down. Trying new things takes too long, so we try fewer things. We play it safe, experiment less, and move slower.
So we built our own internal prototyping platform called VibeStack. The idea was simple: what if we could make experimenting almost free? What if anyone on the team could turn an idea into something real in minutes instead of weeks?
We didn't want to build another code editor. We wanted something that changed how we work. The platform is built around three ideas.
1. Instant Environments Getting a new project running usually means cloning a repo, installing dependencies, setting up a database, and a bunch of other setup steps. Our platform removes all of that. Click a button, and you get a new coding environment in the cloud. It's ready to go in seconds. So the time from "I have an idea" to "I'm writing code" is under a minute.
2. Everything in One Place Normally, you're switching between a code editor, a terminal, a local preview, and a deployment tool. Our platform puts all of that in one browser window. The editor, file explorer, terminal, and live preview are all together. Changes show up instantly. No saving, no building, no deploying. Just write code and see it work.
3. AI That Actually Understands The AI isn't bolted on as an afterthought. It's built into the platform, so it knows what's going on. It can read your codebase and write new code that fits your patterns. It can see your designs and build components that match. It can read your tickets and understand what you're trying to build.
We built it with MCP connectors that give the AI access to all the tools we actually use. It can pull from Figma, read Linear issues, query databases, browse documentation, and even automate browsers with Playwright. This turns the AI from a code generator into something that actually helps you build the right thing.
The results have been pretty wild. We're moving way faster. But the bigger change is who can build things now.
Our product managers aren't just writing specs anymore; they're building v1. Our designers aren't just making static mockups; they're making interactive prototypes. By making it easy to build, everyone on the team can actually build.
The loop from idea to feedback is now hours instead of weeks. A PM can have an idea in the morning, build a working prototype by lunch, and get it in front of users that same day.
This isn't just a tool; it's a different way to work. The biggest thing holding back innovation is how hard it is to try something new. By making that easy, we've made experimentation the default.
The teams that learn fastest will win. And learning speed comes from how fast you can try things. The companies that can turn ideas into reality the fastest will build the future.