Builders in Emerging Startup Cities - What They're Building

AI just handed anyone on the planet the ability to ship software. The question of what to ship? Still as hard as ever. Startup Genome tracks 40 startup hubs globally. There are ~1,000 cities with 500k+ people that aren't on that list — and the vibe coding wave is reaching all of them. I wanted to know what's actually happening there. So I went and asked. 2,385 builders across 81 countries and 500 cities responded. From #Kampala to #Tashkent to #Jakarta to #Dhaka. Places that don't make the global rankings but have people quietly building, often entirely on their own. They're not (JUST) building toy projects. 34% are working on productivity and creator tools. 14% on education. 13% on health and wellness. 12% on fintech. Real problems, real markets — in places where those problems are still largely unsolved. Here's what stood out: - 53% are already using Cursor or Lovable to ship. But their #1 problem is still figuring out what to build. - 49% say their biggest blocker is getting real clarity on their idea. Not code. Not capital. Clarity. - 46% want a human expert who actually knows their market — not a generic accelerator, not another AI tool. Someone who's been there. - Only 15% of builders who already have a live product found support that actually helped them. The tools democratised shipping. The question of what to ship is still as hard as ever. I'm mapping this — still early, still talking to builders — and a report is coming. But I wanted to share the first look while the conversations are still live. If you're building outside the major hubs — as a founder, an ecosystem builder, or someone thinking about how to serve these markets — I'd love to hear from you. Comment "in" below, or drop your city and what you're building. I'll share the full report with you directly when it's ready. #vibecoding #emergingmarkets #startups #founders #buildinpublic #AI #solofounder #Indonesia #Philippines #Uganda #Bangladesh #Uzbekistan #Ethiopia #Colombia