BeepBeeep!

Inspiration

BeepBeeep! was inspired by two things: dating apps like Tinder/Bumble, and my real van-life experience. I own both a Sprinter and a Vito, and I’ve driven across Europe chasing waves while working remotely. I wanted to build the kind of app I wished existed on the road: a way to meet nearby nomads, connect safely, and get practical help when needed.

What it does

BeepBeeep! is an invite-only, privacy-first mobile app for vanlifers. It lets users:

• Discover nearby nomads (without exposing exact location)
• Send a “Beeep” to match and start chatting
• Use a Workshop tab to find community helpers and van-friendly local workshops
• Manage visibility and privacy settings
• Upgrade with RevenueCat (Premium + consumable “Honks” for extra Beeeps)

How we built it

I built the frontend in React Native with Expo and TypeScript, using Cursor and Codex to move faster.
The backend is a custom Ruby on Rails 8 API with JWT auth (Devise + devise-jwt), profile/onboarding flows, geolocation-based discovery, swipes/matches/chat, and workshop/help endpoints.

Monetization is integrated with RevenueCat, including subscriptions and consumables, plus backend webhook handling to sync entitlements and balances.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was timing: I discovered the Shipyard Creator Contest late (around February 3), right before a one-week vacation in an isolated barn in the Pyrenees with poor internet.

Another major challenge was keeping frontend and backend evolving in sync while building fast. This was also my first fullstack mobile app with authentication and location-based interactions, so every layer had to work together reliably.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

• Shipping a complete fullstack mobile product under heavy time constraints
• Building core loops end-to-end: onboarding, discovery, matching, chat, help
• Implementing privacy-first location behavior for a sensitive user group
• Integrating RevenueCat with backend sync for a real monetization path

What we learned

• Strong API contracts are essential when frontend/backend move in parallel
• Privacy UX matters as much as feature UX, especially for location-based apps
• Shipping in thin vertical slices keeps momentum under deadlines
• AI copilots are powerful accelerators, but architecture and product decisions still need human judgment

What's next for BeepBeeep!

Next up for BeepBeeep!:

• Real-time chat improvements (WebSockets/push)
• Better trust/safety and verification tooling
• More workshop/help reliability features (ratings, availability quality)
• Stronger analytics and conversion tuning for monetization
• Expanding from MVP into a polished production launch with real user feedback

Built With

• hetzner
• kamal
• react-native
• revenuecat
• ruby-on-rails
• typescript