As the year draws to a close, we’re winding down with one last look at the incredible momentum driving the developer tools world. Whether it’s groundbreaking funding news, powerful AI tools, or ways to make life easier for developers, this week’s newsletter is packed with stories that remind us why this space is so exciting.
This time of year, it’s easy to reflect on what’s been achieved while also looking ahead. To everyone working tirelessly to build the next big thing (or just keeping things afloat during release cycles!), we see you, and we’re cheering you on.
This one is not to be missed….
🏆 Funding Wins
Gentrace’s $18m Series A Sparks Collaborative Innovation
Collaborative testing just got a major boost! Doug Safreno, co-founder and CEO of Gentrace , announced an $8M Series A funding led by Kojo Osei at Matrix Ventures. Alongside this milestone, Gentrace is launching Experiments, a groundbreaking collaborative testing environment for LLM product development. This tool has already empowered clients like Quizlet and Webflow to amplify testing by 40x, making generative AI products more reliable and efficient. Safreno credited the team, investors, and customers for their trust and collaboration on this journey to improve LLM product quality. Brilliant work Gentrace!
Discover more about Gentrace and Experiments here.
Stainless Shines with $25M Series A
Stainless announces $25M Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz. Stainless’ AI-driven SDK generator is transforming API development by enabling companies like OpenAI and Cloudflare to create polished, type-safe SDKs in minutes. The platform’s innovative approach has gained millions of weekly downloads, proving its impact on developer experience. Founder, Alex Rattray expressed gratitude to the team, investors, and clients, “This milestone isn’t only about funding—it’s a vote of confidence in the future and vision we’re building, and we’re grateful for the partnership of our investors, customers, and community.” We’re loving this news – well done!
Explore Stainless’ vision and offerings here.
Commonware Secures $9M to Rewrite Blockchain Development
Commonware is rewriting the rules of blockchain development with a $9M funding round co-led by Haun Ventures and Dragonfly Capital. Led by former Ava Labs VP Patrick O’Grady introduces an “anti-framework” approach, offering modular building blocks that let developers fine-tune blockchains to their exact needs. Unlike traditional frameworks, Commonware eliminates constraints like predefined block types or execution rules, unlocking unprecedented flexibility. Their Simplex Consensus tool is just one of several innovations poised to redefine blockchain construction, moving developers beyond one-size-fits-all solutions to tailored networks that better serve their users. Brilliant work Commonware!
Learn more about Commonware’s “anti-framework” here.
Stigg Redefines SaaS Monetization with $17.5M Series A
Stigg has raised $17.5M in Series A funding, led by Red Dot Capital Partners, to expand its modular monetization platform. Frustrated by how rigid billing systems stalled growth and delayed GTM strategies at New Relic, co-founders Dor Sasson and Anton Zagrebelny created Stigg to solve this problem. Their platform enables SaaS companies to implement dynamic pricing models—like usage-based billing and AI credits—without overhauling infrastructure. Trusted by Webflow and Miro, Stigg empowers teams to adapt pricing instantly, keeping pace with the evolving SaaS market. And the excitement from the team is palpable – congrats Stigg!
Learn how Stigg is transforming SaaS pricing here.
🚀 3, 2, 1… Launches
Reflex Introduces Reflex Cloud for Effortless App Hosting
Led by co-founder and CEO Nikhil Rao , the Reflex team is making app development and deployment simpler than ever with the launch of Reflex Cloud. This platform allows developers to deploy and manage Reflex apps effortlessly. With just one command—reflex deploy—your app can go live in minutes.
Reflex Cloud offers free and paid tiers, including features like custom domains, one-click authentication, and on-premise hosting. Its unified dashboard provides insights into app performance, resources, and logs. Thousands of teams are already using Reflex for data/AI apps, internal tools, and customer-facing platforms, and Reflex Cloud extends that simplicity to hosting.
SmythOS Launches Agent Weaver to Accelerate AI Innovation
SmythOS, co-founded by Michael Umansky and Alexander De Ridder , is transforming enterprise AI with its unique Operating System that connects specialized agents to streamline complex workflows. Their latest feature, Agent Weaver, takes this a step further, enabling users to build fully functional AI agents in under a minute using simple prompts—no coding required.
This new tool has been praised for making AI automation more accessible and flexible. Early adopters have highlighted its no-code approach, intuitive interface, and cross-platform integrations. SmythOS is now live on Product Hunt, inviting the community to explore its capabilities and share feedback.
Discover SmythOS and support it on Product Hunt.
Defang Simplifies Cloud App Development
Defang Software Labs, co-founded by Prakash Sundaresan and Lionello Lunesu, is now live, offering developers a simpler way to develop, deploy, and debug production-ready cloud apps. With one-click deployment and seamless integration across AWS, GCP, and DigitalOcean, the platform is designed to save time and reduce complexity.
It also features AI-powered debugging, utilizing OpenAI agents to provide targeted solutions for deployment issues. With an intuitive CLI and over 60 sample projects, Defang equips developers with the tools to accelerate their workflows and bring ideas to life quickly.
Check out Defang on Product Hunt.
Lamini Unveils Classifier Agent Toolkit for Scalable Data Solutions
This week, CEO Sharon Zhou, PhD announced the launch of Lamini’s Classifier Agent Toolkit (CAT), a tool designed to simplify large-scale data classification with LLM-powered agents. CAT handles tasks like ticket triaging, sentiment analysis, and chatbot optimization, delivering high accuracy while reducing manual work.
Copy.AI has already seen 99.9% accuracy and a 75% reduction in manual effort with CAT. Compatible with AMD and NVIDIA GPUs and open models like Llama 3.3, CAT offers an efficient, cost-effective solution for developers tackling classification challenges.
Learn more about CAT and get $300 in free credit.
🔦 DevTools of the Week
This week’s DevTools of the Week is a unique treat for developers—ElevenLabs’ AI Engineer Pack. Offering over $50 in credits for each of 20 top-tier AI dev tools, this pack is designed to empower experimentation and innovation without financial constraints.
The pack includes tools from ElevenLabs, Mistral AI, Perplexity, Supabase, PostHog, Intercom, Black Forest Labs, Fern (YC W23), Hedra, Mintlify, Neon, Clerk.com, Prolific , Lovable, DeepReel, Wordware (YC S24), Hugging Face, Humanloop, Replicate, and Jam.dev.
AI development costs can escalate quickly during testing and prototyping phases. This initiative ensures developers, whether seasoned pros or first-timers, have access to essential resources for building with AI.
Explore the AI Engineer Pack here.
Eleven Labs AI Engineer Pack
That’s a wrap for this year for our DevNewsletter! From innovative tools to groundbreaking funding stories, it’s clear the dev tools space isn’t slowing down anytime soon. As we head into 2025, we’re taking a moment to recharge, reflect, and maybe even explore some of the tools we’ve shared (keep an eye out for next week’s special edition).
Have a great end to your week!
