App Minded

In this episode, Nina Kolari shares her experience participating in the She-Builds hackathon, a competition aimed at empowering women in tech. She discusses her motivations for joining, the challenges she faced while developing her app, and the importance of community support during the event. Nina reflects on the significance of post-launch work and the iterative process of app development, emphasizing the need for constant testing and adaptation. She also shares insights on the judging process and the lessons learned from her hackathon experience.TakeawaysShe-Builds is a hackathon for women, with over 900 participants.
Joining hackathons can help overcome procrastination with hard deadlines.
Community support is crucial during hackathons.
Changing ideas mid-hackathon can lead to innovative solutions.
Post-launch work is essential for app success.
Using AI tools can enhance the app development process.
Clear target customer identification is key to app success.
The hackathon experience fosters collaboration and networking.
Judging in hackathons can be a massive undertaking.
Reflecting on experiences helps improve future projects.titlesEmpowering Women Through Hackathons
The She-Builds Experience: A Journey of Innovation

00:00 "I may have won this hackathon."23:28 "Execution is key."30:06 "The community is really the best."

00:00 Introduction to She-Builds Hackathon05:47 The Journey of Idea Development15:59 The Importance of Post-Launch Work32:06 Judging and Competition Insights41:34 Reflections and Lessons Learned

In a world where health crises can strike unexpectedly, Deepti Bahel shares her extraordinary journey from kidney failure to tech entrepreneur. After facing the life-altering challenges of dialysis and a transplant, Deepti turned her pain into purpose by leveraging AI to create innovative solutions for kidney health. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating chronic illness or seeking inspiration in adversity.

Join host Nina Kolari as she engages with Deepti, a kidney transplant survivor and data engineer, who reveals how her personal experience ignited her passion for building apps that empower others. You’ll discover the pivotal moment that led Deepti to develop Nourishly, an app that simplifies meal planning for kidney patients by generating recipes tailored to their dietary restrictions.

Deepti dives into her journey of resilience, sharing insights like:

• How she transformed her battle with chronic illness into a mission to help others.
• The challenges she faced in managing her health and how technology played a crucial role in her recovery.
• The importance of community support during her toughest times and how it inspired her to give back.

This episode highlights the urgent need for accessible health solutions and the power of technology in personalizing patient care. As Deepti’s story unfolds, you’ll understand that the intersection of healthcare and technology can lead to groundbreaking innovations that address real-world problems.

Perfect for healthcare professionals, tech enthusiasts, and anyone facing their own health challenges, this conversation will leave you inspired and motivated to take action. Tune in and learn how one woman’s journey can reshape the future of health technology!

Deepti Bahel is a kidney transplant survivor and founder of Medimate Foundation, dedicated to improving the lives of those with chronic health conditions through innovative tech solutions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deeptibahel/
Website: https://deeptibahel.base44.app/ 

Lucas built an app in Paris that was growing steadily until one TikTok changed everything. The video brought in 5,000 new users, including 3,000 in a single day. Suddenly, his app was getting more attention than he ever expected, and his database was struggling to keep up.

Today, the app has over 14,000 users and handles around 40 bookings a day.

In this episode of App Minded, we talk about how Lucas built and launched his app, what happened when it went viral, the technical challenges of sudden growth, and what he's learned along the way.

If you're building your first app with AI, wondering how to find users, or trying to figure out what happens after launch, this conversation is for you.

About App Minded

Hosted by Nina Kolari, App Minded features conversations with people building and shipping apps with AI, often without a traditional technical background.

New episodes featuring real builders, their experiences, mistakes, and lessons learned.

🎧 Listen to App Minded: https://appminded.co

Subscribe for more conversations about building apps with AI.

In this solo Q&A episode of App Minded, I’m answering six of the questions I get most often about building apps with AI, from choosing what to build and which tools to use to what you actually need to learn and why I’ve chosen to build multiple apps.

00:52 Should I build a mobile app or a web app?

02:40 Should I build for iPhone, Android, or both?

05:47 Which platform should I use to build my app: Lovable, Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, Base44 or something else?

10:40 Do I need to know how to code before I start?

16:13 If I were building my first app again today, what would I do differently?

22:31 Why am I shipping multiple apps instead of sticking with one?

Along the way, I talk about why constantly switching tools can hold you back, what I think AI app builders should learn instead of obsessing over code, why architecture, databases and security matter, what shipping your first app teaches you, and what I’ve learned from building 12 apps in 12 months.

If you have a question about building, shipping or marketing your app, send it in for the next Q&A episode.

El shares what she learned about app ideas, AI tools, marketing, and getting products into the world.

With no technical background, El has built multiple apps using AI app-building tools. Along the way, she discovered that creating the app is only one part of the process. Finding a real problem, understanding your audience, marketing the product, and learning from what doesn’t work matter just as much.

El’s first app taught her the difference between building and solving a problem

One of El’s early apps helped people organize pickleball games, including court times, prices, reminders, and payments.

The problem? People were already happy organizing games through text messages. The app offered more structure, but the problem wasn’t painful enough to make people change their behavior.

That experience changed how El approaches app ideas. Instead of assuming something is useful, she now researches what people actually need before building.

Her approach changed when she stopped relying on prompts alone

Early on, El thought building with AI meant describing an idea and letting the tool create it.

Now she does much more preparation. She creates an app summary, defines the ideal customer, limits the first version to a handful of features, and thinks about what can wait for later versions.

We talk about the tools she has experimented with, including Lovable, Bolt and Claude Code, and how her building process has evolved.

Building an app is only half the work

One of El’s biggest lessons has been the importance of marketing and distribution.

“The marketing and getting it out to the masses is the other half. Building the app is one half.”

Her experience with SkullChat showed how unpredictable launching can be. After months of building, she launched, got an early user, and then the app broke.

We talk about finding users, building in public, organic marketing, and why launching an app is really the beginning of learning from real users.

Good app ideas can come from surprisingly simple places

The Last Monday grew from a retirement countdown spreadsheet a friend was using. El turned the idea into an app that sends daily messages as retirement gets closer.

She also built her own version of an AI dictation app in around 20 minutes after finding a prompt online.

Her projects show that app ideas don’t need to start with groundbreaking inventions. They can come from personal needs, inefficient processes, or simply thinking: I could build that.

More women need to see themselves as app builders

El also talks about why she wants more women building with AI.

Through her workshops, she has watched women with no traditional technical background turn their own experiences into app ideas and working products.

Her advice for anyone still watching tutorials and wondering if they’re ready is simple: stop consuming and start building.

You learn by building, testing, failing, fixing and shipping.

Can you build a real app with AI without a technical background? And what happens after you actually ship it?

In this episode of App Minded, Nina Kolari talks with Barbora Svobodova, a biochemist turned tech entrepreneur and co-founder of Xroad Studio, an AI-powered content creation and distribution platform.

Barbora shares how she moved from science into tech, learned to build apps with AI, and built the first version of Xero Studio in Cursor. That version eventually grew to around 70,000 lines of code before she decided to scrap it and rebuild from scratch.

We talk about what that experience taught her about AI app development, vibe coding, product-market fit, user feedback and feature bloat. Barbora explains why she now builds around what paying customers actually use rather than what she thinks they might want.

We also get into one of the hardest parts of launching an app: distribution. Barbora shares how Xero Studio got its first customers, why content distribution became a major part of the product, and why building the app itself is only one part of creating a successful software business.

We also discuss the opportunities AI is creating for non-technical founders and women in tech. You no longer need a traditional software development background to test an idea, build an MVP and put a real product in front of customers. But building is only the beginning.

In this episode:

• Building an app with AI without a technical background
• Going from biochemistry to tech entrepreneurship
• Building Xero Studio with Cursor and AI
• Why Barbora scrapped her first 70,000-line version
• Using customer feedback to decide what to build
• Avoiding feature bloat in app development
• Finding your first paying customers
• Content creation vs. content distribution
• Marketing and distribution for new apps
• Compliance and regulations when building software
• Why community matters when learning to build
• Women building apps and businesses with AI
• What Barbora would do differently starting again

App Minded is a podcast about people turning ideas into real apps with AI. We talk about what they built, how they built it, what worked, what didn't, and how they find customers after they ship.

AI is becoming part of how we work, but many professionals are still figuring out how to use it without feeling overshadowed by it. In this episode, Cynthia Vazuqez, AI strategy consultant and founder of Lead with Impact, shares her philosophy of amplification over automation and how she uses AI to enhance skills, solve problems, and build impactful apps.

Cynthia Vazuqez describes herself as a lifelong learner who has trained over 1,800 professionals on integrating AI into their workflows. Her approach is simple: AI should accelerate human potential rather than replace it.

• Enhancing Efficiency: AI tools can streamline work. When Cynthia first used AI for proofreading communications in high-stakes environments, she found it saved time while improving the quality of her work.
• Learning and Growth: AI can act as a thought partner, challenging you to think critically and creatively. Asking the right questions can uncover insights and fill gaps in your knowledge.

Cynthia’s journey into app development began with a desire to create tools that bring clarity and support people in their daily lives. One of her first projects was an app designed to help users focus on their weekly goals while accounting for personal factors that affect productivity.

• Personalized Goal Setting: The app considers users' mental and emotional states alongside their commitments, then suggests what to prioritize.
• Holistic Approach: By considering personal circumstances, the app helps users balance their goals with their well-being and recognize when rest may be needed.

Cynthia emphasizes that building apps isn’t just about launching. It’s about learning and iterating. Platforms and tools constantly evolve, requiring builders to adapt their designs and functionality.

• Understanding Tool Limitations: Builders need to understand the tools they use. Cynthia learned firsthand how platform credit systems can create unexpected costs when they aren’t managed carefully.
• Embracing Change: The tech landscape moves quickly. Keeping up with new features and capabilities can improve both the quality and efficiency of your builds.

A crucial part of app development is identifying real problems worth solving. Cynthia encourages aspiring builders to look at their own experiences for potential app ideas.

• Personal Experience: Many useful apps start with a problem the founder has experienced or witnessed. Cynthia’s app for federal employees navigating career transitions grew from seeing colleagues struggle during layoffs.
• Market Research: Before building, look at what already exists. Understanding competing solutions helps refine your idea and identify where you can offer something better.

Transforming your passion for app development into a successful venture can be a challenging yet rewarding journey. In this blog post, we’ll explore the insights shared by Chiara Barden, an experienced HR professional turned AI enthusiast and app developer, during her conversation with Nina Kolari. Chiara's unique perspective on app development, particularly her journey in creating the AI Treasure Hunter app, offers valuable lessons for aspiring developers and anyone interested in leveraging AI in their projects.

Chiara Barden's background is diverse, ranging from HR to AI. With over 20 years in the HR space, she transitioned into app development fueled by her passion for technology and personal experiences. Her story exemplifies how a background in one field can provide unique insights into another, particularly in tech. Chiara emphasizes the importance of understanding the needs of your target audience, a principle she applied when developing her app.

The idea for the AI Treasure Hunter app stemmed from Chiara's childhood experiences of thrifting with her family. The desire to know the worth of items during these trips inspired her to create an app that helps users discover the value of thrifted goods. This personal connection to her app's mission highlights how personal experiences can drive innovation and creativity in app development.

Chiara's approach to AI is rooted in her belief that technology should empower users rather than overwhelm them. She has developed workshops that teach both students and professionals how to utilize AI effectively without the intimidation often associated with tech tools. By simplifying AI concepts, Chiara ensures that her audience can harness the power of AI to enhance their productivity and creativity.

1. Identify Your Audience: Understanding who will use your app is crucial. Chiara's focus on thrifting enthusiasts guided her app's features and functionality.
2. Draw from Personal Experience: Your unique background can inspire innovative app ideas. Chiara's childhood memories directly influenced her app's concept.
3. Simplify Technology: Make technology accessible. Chiara’s workshops show that teaching users how to engage with AI can demystify the process and encourage adoption.
4. Iterate Based on Feedback: Chiara continually refines her app based on user feedback, illustrating the importance of adaptability in app development.

Creating an app is more than just coding; it's about understanding the user's needs and drawing from personal experiences to create something meaningful. Chiara Barden's journey highlights the potential for anyone, regardless of their technical background, to make an impact in the tech world. As you embark on your app development journey, remember to stay curious, seek feedback, and let your experiences guide you.

• Understand your audience and their needs.
• Use personal experiences as a foundation for your app ideas.
• Teach and simplify technology for better user engagement.
• Iterate and adapt based on user feedback for continuous improvement.

Find more about Chiara on her website https://www.betterbydesignai.com/

In this conversation, Christina Moore shares her experience participating in a hackathon where she developed an app. She discusses her preparation strategies, the importance of community support, the emotional journey during submission, and the valuable feedback she received. Christina reflects on her growth as a developer and her future aspirations, including plans for her app and her career.

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In this conversation, Samantha Black shares her journey from being an education professional to becoming an app developer without a technical background.

She discusses the challenges she faced while building her apps, the tools she used, and the learning process involved in navigating app development and submission.

The conversation highlights the importance of problem-solving, the role of AI in development, and the continuous learning curve that comes with creating technology solutions for educational purposes.

In this conversation, Nina Kolari and Samantha Black explore the journey of app development, particularly focusing on the empowerment of women in tech. They discuss the challenges and innovations in creating apps, the importance of marketing strategies, and the value of feedback and iteration. Samantha shares her experiences in launching her app, Earnling, and emphasizes the significance of starting projects even when one feels unprepared. The discussion highlights the unique perspectives women bring to tech and the practical solutions they create to address everyday problems.

Find more about Samantha's app Earnling here.

Takeaways

Samantha transitioned from education to app development.
She created an app to help her daughter with math homework.
The app development process involved significant problem-solving.
Samantha used AI tools like Claude to assist in coding.
Navigating the App Store submission was a complex process.
She learned from bugs and challenges during development.
Samantha emphasized the importance of financial literacy for kids.
The coding aspect was easier compared to marketing the app.
AI tools can enhance the learning experience in app development.
Samantha's journey reflects the power of perseverance and continuous learning. You have to have the patience and the idea.
The gap between being a developer and having a good idea is smaller.
Women can just sit down and fix problems now.
It's so cool to watch what women create.
Don't let your ideas stop you from launching.
Ship before you think you should.
You just have to be willing to learn.
Pinterest is the secret weapon to success.
It's important to recognize your accomplishments.
Feedback is crucial for improvement.