AI-powered coding tools like Cursor, Replit, Claude Code, and Lovable are helping developers write many lines of code every day to ship products faster. However, app makers still have to rely on either shipping full beta versions of their apps or using simulation software to gauge how upcoming features will work.
Blok, a company that is coming out of stealth, allows developers to use AI to simulate different user personas to test an app’s features and learn how to make their apps better.
The company was founded by Tom Charman and Olivia Higgs in 2024. Both have been serial entrepreneurs and worked on startups together as well in areas including travel and learning.
Founders Tom Charman and Olivia Higgs Image Credits: Blok
To date, the startup has raised $7.5 million across two rounds. Its seed round of $5 million was led by MaC Venture Capital, with participation from people working at Discord, Google, Meta, Apple, Snapchat, and Pinterest. Blok’s pre-seed round was with Protagonist with participation from Rackhouse, Ryan Hoover’s Weekend Fund, and Blank Ventures.
Marlon Nichols, Managing GP at MaC Venture Capital, said that Blok is often compared to Otptimizly and Amplitude, but those tools are more reactive. He said that Blok is edging them out by providing a predictive layer of testing for apps.
“We backed Blok because we believe product development is at an inflection point. Teams are shipping faster than ever, but they’re still making critical decisions based on A/B tests and gut instinct. Blok’s simulation engine flips that model — giving teams the ability to predict user behavior before a single line of code is written,” he told TechCrunch over email.
Higgs said that the need for testing is increasing as the complexity of interfaces has increased over time. She mentioned that they interviewed more than 100 product engineers to understand problems faced by product teams.
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“There is a real need for increased testing because the bar for visual interfaces is getting a lot higher. We’re seeing people interact with technology through chat, through voice. So if you’re introducing visual UI [elements] into the mix, you have to make sure that you are not introducing unnecessary friction into a user’s workflow,” she said.
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