In the world of startups, some journeys begin in Silicon Valley garages. Others begin half a world away. For Amjad Masad, the founder of Replit, the story started in Amman, Jordan — long before today’s headline of $250 million raised at a $3 billion valuation.
Roots in the Arab World
Born in 1988 to a Palestinian father and Algerian mother, Amjad grew up in Amman with a simple computer and a restless curiosity. While the Middle East lacked the vast infrastructure of Silicon Valley, Amjad discovered something equally powerful: the internet as a gateway to opportunity.
As a teenager, he immersed himself in coding, contributing to open-source projects and teaching himself advanced programming skills. Coding wasn’t just a hobby — it was liberation, a way to connect with the wider world.
From Jordan to Silicon Valley
After studying at Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Amjad made the leap to the United States. His first stop was Yahoo, and later, Facebook, where he worked on tools that helped developers build at scale.
But even as he entered the inner circle of global tech, he carried with him the perspective of an outsider. He remembered what it felt like to be a kid in Amman, with big dreams but no access to elite networks. That memory shaped his mission.
The birth of Replit
In 2016, Amjad founded Replit with a bold idea: anyone, anywhere, should be able to code — instantly, without complicated setup. Replit turned the browser into a coding environment, lowering barriers for millions of young people around the world. It was more than software. It was a philosophy: software creation should be borderless.
Hypergrowth and global impact
What began as a small project is now a global platform with over 40 million users. Replit is not just for students and hobbyists anymore — it has become a serious platform for professional developers, educators, and enterprises.
The company’s growth has been explosive. In less than a year, revenue surged from just $2.8 million to an annualized $150 million. This astonishing curve turned investor attention into conviction.
$250M at $3B: A new era
Now, in 2025, Replit has announced its $250 million funding round, valuing the company at $3 billion. The round was led by Prysm Capital, with participation from Amex Ventures, Google’s AI Futures Fund, and long-time backers including a16z, Coatue, Y Combinator, and Paul Graham. But funding is only part of the story. Alongside the raise, Replit unveiled Agent 3, its most advanced autonomous programming agent. Agent 3 doesn’t just suggest code — it can test, debug, and fix it, functioning as a true co-developer.
Why this matters
Replit represents more than a startup success. It represents the power of global talent, the rise of Arab founders on the world stage, and the belief that software creation belongs to everyone. Amjad Masad’s journey — from a Jordanian teenager coding late into the night, to leading a $3B company in Silicon Valley — is proof that innovation is borderless. His Arab roots shaped his mission, and his mission is now shaping how millions create software worldwide.
