Turn Spreadsheets Into Apps Without a Single Prompt: AI Workflows for Founders With Gainable | Rickard Hansson

Will vibe coding kill SaaS companies like HubSpot and Salesforce?

Not soon, according to Rickard. Systems of record hold huge amounts of customer data, and migrating out is painful. They’re also opening up to agentic interfaces. The real risk is to growth: new companies have more nimble options, so these platforms may slide toward pure retention.

Which software categories are most at risk from AI app builders?

Task and project management tools like Monday, Asana, and Trello. Rickard calls them over-engineered for a single job. Teams use about 5% of their features, and that 5% can be rebuilt quickly and tuned on the fly.

How do I turn a spreadsheet into an internal app if I can’t describe what I need?

Start from the data instead of a prompt. The columns, formulas, and tabs already describe your data model, rules, and workflows. Gainable reads that structure and builds the app. You can also run this episode’s skill to produce a blueprint for any builder.

Why do AI-built apps break in production?

LLMs are probabilistic, so they guess, and some guesses are wrong. Code and logic need to be exact. Rickard’s fix is to let the LLM write a spec and have a deterministic compiler produce the code, which guarantees the app runs.

How do I land enterprise design partners with no existing relationships?

Lead with research, not a pitch. Rickard ran honest interview calls, focused on one team’s pain instead of the whole corporation’s, and offered white glove service. Trust built in those calls turned interviewees into pilot customers who paid in feedback.

How many customer interviews do I need to validate an idea?

Five, if they agree. If five people describe the same pain, more interviews won’t change the answer. If they give five different answers, rewrite your thesis and start again. The whole cycle takes a couple of weeks.

How do I stop AI tools from creating data silos on my team?

Put shared apps on one governed platform with the same security and access rules everywhere. Make building and using apps multiplayer, so teammates can see each other’s tools and conversations instead of losing data in private chats.

Should I listen to customers when they request features?

Listen to the pain, then innovate past the request. Rickard warns that “if we had this feature we’d sell more” is rarely true. Dig for what’s underneath, the way the iPad answered a need nobody phrased as “iPad.”

What is Gainable?

Gainable is a platform that turns spreadsheets and legacy business data into finished, secure internal apps without code or prompts. Its engine, Gaia, reads field names, data types, and relationships to build the app.

Who founded Gainable?

Rickard Hansson, a Malmö-based serial entrepreneur. Gainable is his sixth company.

How is Gainable different from vibe coding tools like Lovable or Replit?

Vibe coding tools generate code from prompts, which produces prototypes and unique apps that are hard to secure. Gainable starts from data and uses a deterministic compiler, so every app works and shares the same security architecture.

How is Gainable different from low-code platforms?

Rickard says low-code tools grew so complex that you need expert skills to use them. Gainable requires no building skills because the data defines the app.

Can I turn an Excel spreadsheet into an app with AI?

Yes. Tools like Gainable read your spreadsheet’s structure and build an app around it. You can also use a blueprint skill to map entities, relationships, rules, and roles before building in any tool.

Will AI replace Monday, Asana, and Trello?

Rickard Hansson predicts task management tools are most at risk because teams use about 5% of their features and can now build that 5% themselves.

Is HubSpot threatened by AI?

Rickard thinks large systems of record will survive near term because of their data, but they face slower new-customer growth. HubSpot co-founder Dharmesh Shah’s YouSpot, a solo CRM, shows the pressure from smaller tools.

How much did Airtable sell for?

Bending Spoons acquired Airtable at a $1.285 billion enterprise value, about $2.25 billion in equity value. The deal closed in September 2026, down from an $11.7 billion peak valuation in 2021.

How did Rickard Hansson find his first enterprise customers?

Through research interviews with no sales pitch, which built trust and turned into unpaid pilots with teams at large enterprises.

What podcast featured Rickard Hansson talking about Gainable?

AI for Founders, hosted by Ryan Estes. Find it at aiforfounders.co.