Lovable acquires Sutro; founder Tomas Halgas and three engineers join the company
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What happened
Lovable announced on September 18, 2026 that it had acquired Sutro, whose team spent five years building a language, compiler and backend platform. Lovable's announcement said the platform made application behavior and rules explicit, with engineering built for security and reliability. Founder Tomas Halgas and three engineers, Max Gfeller, Tony Zhan and Hirad Arshadi, are joining Lovable. The announcement gave no price or other terms, and the Slovak Spectator reported that the price was not disclosed.
Halgas will lead Lovable's technical evangelism, which the company described as making how the technology works understandable to people building with it. The Slovak Spectator, in a report dated September 20, said Sutro has stopped operating as a separate product and that Halgas has moved to Stockholm to work from Lovable's headquarters. It quoted Halgas as saying the engineers and the technologies are moving to Lovable. The Spectator also noted that Lovable raised $400 million in a Series C round in August at a valuation of $13.3 billion, and that this is Halgas's second sale after Twitter bought Sphere, a community app he co-founded, in 2021.
Key points
- Lovable announced the Sutro acquisition on September 18, 2026; no price was disclosed.12
- Sutro's team spent five years building a language, compiler and backend platform.1
- Founder Tomas Halgas and three engineers join Lovable; Halgas leads technical evangelism.12
- Sutro has stopped operating as a separate product, the Slovak Spectator reported.2
- Lovable raised $400M in a Series C in August at a $13.3B valuation, per the Spectator.2
Why it matters
Lovable described the acquired platform as built for security and reliability, so the deal adds engineering depth in an area Lovable ties to trust in the software its users build.
No price or structure was reported, so the deal gives no new valuation mark for Lovable or for Sutro.
The Spectator notes the deal came after Lovable's August $400M Series C at a $13.3B valuation. Neither source says how the acquisition was paid for.
In context
| Round | Date | Post-money valuation | Raised | Led by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | Jul 17, 2025 | $1.8B | $200M | Accel |
| Series B | Dec 18, 2025 | $6.6B | $330M | CapitalG and Menlo Ventures |
| Series C | Aug 12, 2026 | $13B | $400M | Menlo Ventures and Scaleup Europe Fund |
Updated
Fact-check
- Lovable announced the acquisition of Sutro on September 18, 2026.Confirmed by [1] Lovable, whose announcement is dated September 18, 2026. [2] The Slovak Spectator could not be opened (it redirected to a paid bot-access gateway).Verified
- No price or terms of the deal were disclosed.Confirmed by [1] Lovable, whose announcement gives no price or deal terms. The Spectator's statement that the price was not disclosed rests on the writer's read of [2].Verified
- Sutro's team spent five years building a language, compiler and backend platform.Confirmed by [1] Lovable: 'For five years, the Sutro team built a language, compiler, and backend platform.'Verified
- Founder Tomas Halgas and three engineers (Max Gfeller, Tony Zhan, Hirad Arshadi) join Lovable, and Halgas leads technical evangelism.Confirmed by [1] Lovable, which names the four people and says Halgas will lead Lovable's technical evangelism.Verified
- Sutro has stopped operating as a separate product, and Halgas has moved to Stockholm to work from Lovable's headquarters.Stated by [2] The Slovak Spectator per the writer's read; the page was blocked for this check. The product status also appears in the event's research data. The Lovable post [1] does not say what happens to the Sutro product.Partly verified
- Lovable raised $400 million in a Series C in August at a $13.3 billion valuation.Stated by [2] The Slovak Spectator per the writer's read; the page was blocked for this check, and the Lovable post [1] does not mention the round.Partly verified
- Twitter bought Sphere, a community app Halgas co-founded, in 2021.Stated by [2] The Slovak Spectator per the writer's read; the page was blocked for this check.Partly verified
Sources
- [1]Lovable (opens in a new tab)Lovable acquires Sutro to make software easier to explain and easier to trustFor five years, the Sutro team built a language, compiler, and backend platform
- [2]The Slovak Spectator (opens in a new tab)Slovak founder sells second startup
