The widespread availability of AI tools has opened up software engineering to a new wave of users who are keen to create their own applications. However, while large language models accelerate the coding itself, the longstanding challenges of hosting, security, and general development operations remain.

This persistent gap represents a clear business opportunity, though the rapid evolution of the ecosystem makes it difficult to identify the right approach. A notable contender is Modelence, a startup from the most recent Y Combinator cohort, which disclosed a $13 million seed round on Wednesday. The investment was led by Y Combinator, with additional backing from Rebel Fund, Acacia Venture Capital Partners, Formosa VC, and Vocal Ventures.

Modelence is not alone in targeting this space. Industry leaders like Google and Amazon, along with newer entrants such as Shuttle, are all working to address infrastructure complexities. The California-based startup distinguishes itself through its analysis of the core issue.

According to CEO Aram Shatakhtsyan, the fundamental problem lies not in the individual services available, but in the connections between them. This perspective helps explain how a collection of top-tier service providers can still result in a fragile overall system.

“Vercel covers most of your front end, and Supabase covers the database and the layer on top of it. But you still have to stitch the rest of it together,” he noted, describing the current landscape for developers. “In the best case, you get two cloud systems.” Essentially, this fragmented environment leaves significant room for error.

Modelence’s solution is to offer a comprehensive, all-in-one service. Its framework, built on TypeScript, manages authentication, databases, hosting, LLM observability tools, and even includes its own app-builder inspired by Lovable, all designed to reduce friction for developers.

It’s a compelling concept, and its success will depend on attracting a user base. Yet, with the market for development tools evolving at such a breakneck pace, merely keeping up will be a formidable challenge in itself.