Building software systems prev @amazon | @joinodf | ship-it @fdotinc | @_buildspace s5 winner
SF
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I realised I never shared my full story on X, so here it goes:
> was born in a small village in India
> homeschooled until 6th grade
> graduated high school at age 12
> wanted to be a doctor but couldn't get college admission (min age was 17)
> spent a year trying to get an exception but failed
> pivoted to computer science, got into NIT at age 14
> fell in love with building and problem-solving
> graduated college at age 18
> got into Amazon as a software engineer at age 19
> I was settled atleast as my family said
> but nothing felt settling about it, my heart wanted more..
Full story beautifully covered by @madeitdesi :
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Exactly 4 years ago, I moved to the US.
Not for money, but for freedom.
I love India, but as a woman, I never truly felt free there.
And living in the US has changed me.
I’m more confident, assertive, and unafraid to build something of my own.
I guess there's something in the air 🇺🇸
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SF is crazy, I just had deep tech conversations with my Uber driver.. he drives cause he's gotta self-fund his startup
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WTH just got an email from Garry Tan 👀
not the generic YC emails but directly from the man himself.
what does this mean..
should I apply for the 6th time?
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Honestly, if you’re in tech and not doing hackathons, you’re leaving so much money on the table.
I’ve won $6K in cash + over $100K in credits from just 2 out of 3 hackathons I joined so far
Now I'm joining another virtual hackathon this Saturday.
Let's build and win some $$$ lol
link in the comments..
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i feel like you should only live in SF for 3 months at a time, then leave for a bit and come back.
just to step out of the bubble and stay in touch with reality every now and then.
just came to seattle and nobody’s building voice agents here lmao
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I had great opportunities from India, EU and US. I’m just sharing my story of why I chose the US.
But coming here definitely opened more doors fs and I’m grateful to be surrounded for the boldest and smartest people I know :)
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Got rejected by YC again but gotta be happy about making to top 10% for the first time lol
Next plan? just gonna keep building and shipping things.
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Been trying to become a morning person, but my brain’s like 'nooo we are a night owl' lol
So here I am, up late building my MVP. Who's with me??
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The people who are saying that the restrictions are only coming from family and relatives do not understand that they are restricting because obviously they want to protect us from all those insecure men out there who are making it unsafe for women in India.
Same insecure men are here too dropping abusive comments about a honest person sharing her own story.
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Got this email from Founders Inc, and it hit me.
I’ve been wanting to move to SF for so long. But I can’t just keep waiting for it to happen. I have to make it happen.
So I’ve figured out a way to stay there for two months. No idea what comes after, but I’m taking the leap.
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It's been a whole week in SF and Founders Inc. and this is what I have done so far -
- Learned about launching and marketing.
- Learned about designing intuitive experiences.
- Talked to 10 users for CodeVizer using the Mom Test.
- Talked to founders about pivoting and ideation.
Shout out to @super8n, @sauravpanda, @SavannahFeder and the whole @fdotinc community for the guidance. It's been a great first week.
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I've realised you should never ever postpone starting a company.
AI wave or not, the best time will always be NOW.
If you wait, your lifestyle upgrades with that cushy salary, and it’s way harder to go back.
lowkey jealous of founders who can live out of bunk beds and save on rent.
I had 6 roommates in a dorm throughout undergrad but now I need a fucking room of my own lol.
But I'm glad I’m starting now.
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Got into YC office yesterday for the YC Hackathon.
Everyone there was cracked. Saw some intense discussions and whiteboarding too.
I teamed up on-site, built fast, soaked in inspo and learned how to crush short 8-hr hackathons -
- Pick a problem that you can demo well
- Plan REALLY well before the event starts: idea, design, tasks, how to use/ integrate sponsors and how to demo.
- Don't miss the finalists demos and learn from them. They were chosen for a reason.
These two were my personal favs -
- Turn any camera into a smart monitor that you can set alerts in natural language.
- Billboards that create and swap ads in real time based on local news + twitter feeds
And don't forget to take the mandatory photo with YC logo with your teammates @adi_suresh01 @AkritiKeswani @Laylaliuuu
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Interesting to see how so many women are relating to this and how some men are triggered.
Also, when did sharing your story start meaning ‘playing the gender card’?
Exactly 4 years ago, I moved to the US.
Not for money, but for freedom.
I love India, but as a woman, I never truly felt free there.
And living in the US has changed me.
I’m more confident, assertive, and unafraid to build something of my own.
I guess there's something in the air 🇺🇸
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Introducing DanceBuddy 🚀
A web app that helps you learn and practice from any dance video online.
350 people joined over the past 6 weeks.
cc- @_buildspace @_nightsweekends
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just applied to yc (again).
3 mins before the deadline this time lol.
now it's just fun to fill it out regardless of the outcome.
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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about purpose and what kind of work truly brings fulfillment.
I’ve been a software engineer in big tech for 8 years. I am good at it, it pays well, but something still feels missing. That spark that gets you out of bed every morning.
I’ve seen that kind of passion in my mom and my brother. They love what they do and go out of their way to do more. That made me wonder what that kind of work would look like for me.
I tried switching teams, companies and different roles but nothing changed. Then I started building side projects, solving my own problems. I realized I enjoyed those side projects way more than the work I was paid for. I even won hackathons and grants along the way.
That’s when it became clear that I need to build something of my own. But even now I’m still figuring out what exactly to build.
Recently I came across this Japanese concept called IKIGAI. It’s the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can get paid for. I’m still trying to figure out what that intersection looks like for me.
If you’ve found your ikigai, let me know how you discovered it.
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SF guys keep crying about the men to women ratio but refuse to learn how to dance.
like bro, stop complaining.
men who can dance get so much attention. just learn a few party moves before hitting the club next time.
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manifestation works.
being delusional works.
(obviously it only works when you’re putting in the work too)
but when you believe in yourself and your capabilities to the point of delusion,
you end up doing anything and everything to make it work
because not making it work is not even an option.
there have been so many times I’ve achieved exactly what I wanted
just because I was delusional enough and putting in an insane amount of work.
and so many times I didn’t
just because I was holding myself back.
so this is a reminder to self:
never ever doubt myself, even when everyone else does.
always dream bigger, because I can make anything happen.
never think “it won’t happen because of x, y and z”
instead think “what will it take to make it happen?”
and then just go do that.
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I shared my adulting struggles on Reddit a couple of weeks ago, and 73K people resonated with it 😱
So I quickly whipped up AdultingBuddy in 1 week with @Bhrigu_Sr
A voice-based agent paired with a native iOS app
To help you stay on top of your adulting tasks.
#BuildWithVapi @Vapi_AI
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Honestly, if you're in tech, you NEED to participate in hackathons.
It’s the fastest way to build AI products.
And you can win some $$$ too.
I’ve already won $6K in cash + $100K in credits from just 2 out of 3 hackathons I joined so far.
And there’s another one happening this Thursday.
Let's build and win some $$$ lol
Link in the comments..
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> be me
> join a hackathon
> build something useful - Adulting Buddy, an AI buddy that stays on top of your adulting tasks.
> win the community pick category
> impulsively book a trip to NYC
> land in SoHo
> spend all the prize money there
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Ancient startup wisdom from Bhagavad Gita:
“Karmanye vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana.”
Focus on the grind, not the outcome.
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Don’t go to SF.
At least for the summer, if you don’t have to.
Finding housing there right now is a mess.
I spent all my time this past week scrolling through Facebook groups.
A lot of scammers, ghosters, long leases, far-out spots, or super sketchy areas.
You’ve been warned.
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I was getting distracted by anything and everything today but as a solo founder you cannot afford that.
So I started recording the timelapse as a forcing function, and it actually worked lol
Result? I just launched the landing page for CodeVizer! Check it out - the link is in the comments below.
@fdotinc 👀
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H1B $100K fees per year per employee is really gonna impact a lot of tech companies especially startups ..
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Look mom I made it to Hindustan Times @htTweets 👀
(one of the biggest publications in India)
and the crazy thing is,
It’s all because of building in public,
and sharing my story on this platform.
honestly I was using this platform to just brain dump anything I think.
but I’m slowly realising,
there are real people who read what I write here.
there are real people who get inspired by my stories I share here.
I guess what I’m trying to say is I love this platform @elonmusk
and thanks to shipra from mint who reached out!
ps: I’m getting a bunch of questions after this article on my journey. I will make a separate post answering them all.
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I won the grant for Dance Buddy @_buildspace @_nightsweekends S5
I want to thank @FarzaTV @alec_dilanchian @jeffrey_notes @AidenTb1133256 for all the feedback and guidance 🙌🙌
Letsss goooo, let’s keep shipping.
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Freedom to go where I want, wear what I want, and follow my curiosity.
Once my mind was free of doubts and concerns, I finally had the space to dream bigger.
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Honestly, if you’re in tech and not doing hackathons, you’re leaving so much money on the table.
I still stand by this, having won $6K in cash + over $100K in credits from just 3 hackathons I participated in so far.
Now there's another hackathon happening this Saturday in NYC.
And they have $40K+ (!!) in prize money.
link in the comments..
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to all the broke startup founders in sf, how do you commute here especially at night?
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uff finally found housing in SF.
One that is affordable and checks my criteria.
I'll try to pay forward the help I got.
So sharing what actually helped me, plus tips to avoid getting scammed.
Check the comment.
Also feel free to dm if you're stuck.
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Last month I got hit with a $5000 AWS Bill.....what???
That's why I built an AI agent to help me analyze my AWS account for cost savings with just one click.
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Never ever live too close to your office like less than 2 mins walk.
Trust me, it’s a trap.
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Whoever tells you need to be working 16 hrs a day everyday to succeed is fucking lying to you!!
I’ve been doing 15-16hrs day last couple weeks, with minimal breaks and takeouts every meal and today I feel like shit.
I have zero energy and zero productivity. And I really wanted to work 😭
I guess I need to go back to cooking my own meal, getting the daily exercise in and THEN work.
Even if it means 3 less hours of work. The productivity gain is gonna be worth it.
And if you’re indeed working sustained 16 hrs a day, you are god level, PLEASE send me tips 🙏🙏 I’ll eat or drink anything
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Why do we need to eat like 4 times a day?
I am so fucking tired of thinking about food all day.
I wonder what I need to get from grocery store or what I can eat for breakfast. Then suddenly, it’s time for lunch, snacks and dinner.
And I know many people just eat one or two meals a day, which I end up doing anyway, but then I’m tired all day.
I know adults are supposed to do meal planning and planning in general, and figure out stuff, but how are they doing it all without getting overwhelmed?
I’m almost tearing up writing this and I feel so stuck. Would love some pointers from people who have it figured out.
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teaching myself music and rhythm using ai
you can add any song and it makes a fun lil game to teach you musicality of that song
@shreyansh_jazz @RohitAch1110
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I got an inbound from a mental health clinic today.
They want to partner with me for their clients.
I’m on cloud 9, but I gotta ship ship ship now.
ok bye.
I shared my adulting struggles on Reddit a couple of weeks ago, and 73K people resonated with it 😱
So I quickly whipped up AdultingBuddy in 1 week with @Bhrigu_Sr
A voice-based agent paired with a native iOS app
To help you stay on top of your adulting tasks.
#BuildWithVapi @Vapi_AI
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When you can’t pronounce entrepreneurship but still wanna be an entrepreneur..
So you move to SF and call yourself a Founder :p
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This guy at Founders Inc. is the content guru for all the builders out there @super8n
Here are some things I learned from him today:
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ElevenLabs announcing the same thing as AdultingBuddy is crazy validation lol
onwards and upwards 💪💪
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ok I admit cluely’s marketing is actually insane.
I saw this ad on the street today, laughed so hard and showed it to my friend.
he pointed out the subtext I hadn’t even noticed at first and turns out it was from cluely.
after that I was like yep, these guys know the fking attention game.
respect @im_roy_lee @cluely
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100% Agree. Women’s safety is a global issue.
No place is perfect.
The goal is to acknowledge the issues and keep pushing for safer, more inclusive spaces everywhere.
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joined this platform 10 months ago.
with just 2 followers.
now 1000x more people care what I say.
that's wild.
thank you for caring.
really. means a lot.
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Farza inspires the hell out of me.
If you're confused about what to work on, here's what I learned from this 2-minute video:
• Stop waiting for that one perfect idea to hit you.
• Be shameless, try out a bunch of stuff. (Yes, even those GPT wrappers)
• Some will turn out to be good, some will be really terrible.
• Most days, nobody will care about what you build.
• Follow this basic framework:
Make something every day → Show others what you made → Repeat
• If you enjoy it for a day, it might turn into a week, then maybe a month, and so on.
• If not, start again.
• But don’t give up. You'll eventually find something you love working on long-term.
i started building stuff at 13
first $100k rev at 15.
first 1m users at 19.
first big boy company at 24.
walked away from it all at 28.
now im 29.
how im starting from zero (again):
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Demo day @fdotinc this Friday... and I’m not ready yet
My Plan?
- Ship the Infra AI agent to the Chrome Store today
(built on top of last week's agent)
- Panic tomorrow while making the demo video
jk jk I'll be fine
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I made your app but for dance.
to get michael jackson feedback on my dance moves.
with @esther_confused
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"But how do you know if it's a good idea though?"
Learned from Founders Inc. today that nobody really knows...
The best way is to build a skateboard first (MVP) - it should actually get people from point A to B though. Then see if they really want to go to point B? (super important).
If they do, THEN build a bike/car (full product) that takes people from point A to B. If not, move on and save yourself some time.
@FurqanR @fdotinc
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when I tell anyone that I finished high school at age 12
and college at age 18,
they either think I’m lying or have so many questions.
this time, someone was cross-referencing my age + work ex
and legit asked for my degree certificate lol.
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LFG!! submitted AdultingBuddy for the @Vapi_AI hackathon and won the community pick category 🙌
huge thanks to everyone who supported the launch
now back to building 🚀
Huge congrats to the winners!
Real-World Applications
• Lavar: $5k
• Talvin: $5k (@NewanV)
Creative Use Cases
• FROSTai: $2.5k (@dgrreen)
• Jiffly: $2.5k
Community Picks
• Adulting Buddy: $1k (@dibbaa_code & @Bhrigu_Sr)
• JobGenie: $1k
• Candling: $1k
• Vapinception: $1k
• LeadSense: $1k
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Last week, I attended the immigration session by @lighthousehq_ and @joinodf
on how to start a company on an O1 or H1B visa, and visa criteria.
Lots of interesting insights.
Happy to share all my notes.
Just drop a comment and follow me so I can DM you.
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I was so locked in ..I didn’t even realize it was Holi today until my family wished me lol
Happy Holi to everyone celebrating 🎉
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just hit 5k people who care what I say here.
its crazy to think I started this account only a year ago.
so thank you for caring 🫶
ps: i don't like the term 'followers'
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People say ideas are worthless, but finding one that solves a real problem and keeps you excited for at least next 5 years is still tough 🤷♀️
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I participated in my first SF hackathon today for ‘cofounder dating’
The hackathon sucked :(
But I guess the ‘date’ went well as we were equally frustrated hehe
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Anyone knows if the O1 visa processing is on hold during the current government shutdown?
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thank you for all the love on my story :)
but honestly huge shout out to this guy,
he is the artist behind the camera.
he is a true storyteller.
he is telling stories through his lens,
of desi founders who are hustling hard
whose stories we NEED to hear
their struggles, their wins, all of it
the stories are what inspire us and keep us going
so just show him love so he can keep doing the incredible work he's doing.
@rohukrs @madeitdesi
I realised I never shared my full story on X, so here it goes:
> was born in a small village in India
> homeschooled until 6th grade
> graduated high school at age 12
> wanted to be a doctor but couldn't get college admission (min age was 17)
> spent a year trying to get an exception but failed
> pivoted to computer science, got into NIT at age 14
> fell in love with building and problem-solving
> graduated college at age 18
> got into Amazon as a software engineer at age 19
> I was settled atleast as my family said
> but nothing felt settling about it, my heart wanted more..
Full story beautifully covered by @madeitdesi :
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I really wanna be a morning person.
and today marks day 7 of waking up early and getting out of bed by 7:30AM
so far its helping me feel less rushed and actually nourish my body with the most important meal of the day before I start work.
but ..I’m not as productive as before. my body is still used to working late nights.
here’s to hoping my productivity hours shifts by day 30 ✌️
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make something people want?
nah.
i’m making something i desperately need.
and i’m excited to see how much it’ll help me 😁
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Waking up early and eating breakfast has been the biggest struggle of my adult life.
But today is Day 28 of waking up by 7 am and having breakfast without panicking ✌️
I'm not competing with anyone else. If you think 7 am is not early, it's okay..
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today I went to a dance class and the fun intro question was 'which celebrity alive you’d want to meet?'
most ppl were naming movie stars,
and me being a founder I straight up said Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas.
most people there had no idea who he was,
even tho most of them were in big tech
that's when I was like damn, I really do live in this SF/X tech bubble..
but tbh as much as I love dancing, I also really love my tech bubble so I’ll own it lol ✌️
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Literally touched grass today after being locked in for 4 weeks..
And I realized how much I've grown in these last 4 weeks.
Grateful to all the people I met and the conversations I had during this time
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To all the technical folks out there -
I'm curious, how do you keep your backend infrastructure cost in check? like on AWS/Azure/GCP etc.
Please comment or DM. I would love to learn more.
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Can someone please tell me.. how is time flying by so fast??
2nd week in SF and Founders Inc is already over….
Now only 2 more weeks left for [ship-it]
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danced after almost a month today.
and if you know me, dance is my meditation.
i am feeling super clear-headed now.
gonna build straight for the next 10 hrs.
and ship. ship. ship.
@ashtro07 @n_sri_laasya
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today a stranger in seattle told me they felt fire and passion in me towards my product
made my day 🥹
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Builders only want their launch posts to go viral
But the algorithm doesn’t want that lol
Gonna lock in on building for a while 📴
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i am presenting this today @fdotinc in front of 700 people!!
are you coming?
ps: wish me luck lol
Last month I got hit with a $5000 AWS Bill.....what???
That's why I built an AI agent to help me analyze my AWS account for cost savings with just one click.
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incorporating a company is so confusing 😭
and one mistake = minimum $300 to fix 💀
been staring at the submit button for last 2 weeks lol
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MyNextFood is now live. Made with lots of love for people who have special diets 🫶🫶
Try it out today. Link is in the comments below.
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chat, i'm looking for a super creative designer for my app DanceBuddy 🕺
it helps people learn any viral dance with ai.
dance is special to me, it gives me an edge.
and i want every dancer using it to feel that same magic.
i guarantee this will satisfy your creative side like nothing else.
bonus points if you love dancing.
dm me or @esther_confused your most creative work if you’re interested :)
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Creating my first iOS app, and I don’t get why we need to submit the app for review just to share a public TestFlight link??
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the interview is in Hindi but since the story is very personal we decided to do it in my native language.
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Blocking the noise is easier said than done.
But physically locking the phone away is helping✌️
Feel free to dm me if you want this lock too lol
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minutes after putting it out there, I was invited for my first women founder & vc meetup at FoundHer!!
learned more about pivoting and fundraising,
and most importantly, left inspired after talking to some badass women.
more proof that manifestation works.
just put things out in the universe or on twitter lol.
thanks for the invite @_guglielmo
I LOVE talking to other women founders.
The confidence, drive, and the way they talk about their business and mission is unmatched.
Always leaves me feeling inspired and motivated.
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Resources for furnished + short-term stays in SF:
furnishedfinder.com
dorelsf.com
908colivingsf.com
vybeliving.com
directorysf.com
linkspaceapp.org
If you don’t find something from the above, you might have to dive into facebook groups.
Start with this one: facebook.com/groups/31768815…
I didn’t get accepted myself yet, but a friend found a place through it.
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