Sidechat – Where Side Projects Spark Connection

Inspiration

I wanted to build a space for solopreneurs and indie hackers working on side projects to easily connect, share feedback, and find ideas through industry-based groups. Platforms like Reddit and Discord are powerful, but not designed specifically for this kind of focused, builder-first interaction. I thought there was room for something cleaner, more tailored, and less noisy.

What it does

Sidechat lets solo builders discover industry-specific groups, post ideas, give and get feedback, and join real-time conversations with like-minded people. It combines Reddit-style discovery with Discord-inspired live chats—structured by actual industries (like AI Tools, Wellness, or Investing Apps), not random subreddit names or generic servers.

How we built it

I built Sidechat using bolt.new, aiming to fully utilize a one-shot prompt to rapidly create a front-end interface without needing a backend. All user data, posts, and chat are mocked with local state and JSON, making it easy to swap in real data later. Styling is mobile-first with a dark grey base and maroon highlights.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was structuring something that felt familiar (like Reddit/Discord) while still being its own thing—cleaner, less chaotic, and more useful for builders. Organizing the groups in a way that wasn’t overwhelming but still comprehensive required balancing inspiration from industry standards like RBICS with usability.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Using a single one-shot prompt in Bolt to create a complete, multi-screen UI with profiles, live chats, post feeds, and industry categorization was a fun and efficient challenge. It came together exactly how I envisioned it.

What we learned

I learned how far you can take a well-written prompt in a one-shot environment. Structuring your thinking clearly up front—design, layout, data mock structure, and tone—can unlock fast and high-quality output, especially for idea validation.

What's next for Sidechat

I'd love to integrate basic backend functionality, user auth, and actual message persistence. Long-term, it could evolve into a niche discovery and support tool for the builder community—with real traction in side project circles.

Built With

• bolt.new