Inspiration
I wanted a simple, personal tool to manage my professional relationships, job applications, and the thoughts or ideas I usually forget after conversations. Most CRMs are too heavy for individuals, and spreadsheets eventually get messy. I wanted something light, fast, and actually useful especially during networking calls, LinkedIn interactions, and job search cycles.
What it does
Connections works as a personal career CRM that helps you:
Track LinkedIn connections, emails, notes, and meeting takeaways
Manage job applications and follow-ups for students and professionals
Capture voice notes and automatically convert them into structured insights
Generate LinkedIn posts or content ideas instantly
Store everything locally so nothing leaves your machine
How we built it
Frontend: React + TypeScript + Vite
UI: TailwindCSS + Lucide icons
AI Layer: Google Gemini API for voice parsing and post generation
Data Handling: Local state + CSV export
Development: Started from scratch with custom components, modular services, and clean TypeScript structure
Challenges we ran into
Getting real-time microphone input to work reliably in the browser
Making the AI parse natural voice notes into precise, structured fields
Designing an interface that works for both students and professionals
Cleaning and restructuring the code so it feels like a handcrafted project, not auto-generated
Accomplishments that we're proud of
Built a fully functional personal CRM that actually feels simple and usable
Created a smooth workflow for capturing and organizing conversation details
Integrated AI in a meaningful way not gimmicky, but genuinely helpful
Achieved a clean, local-only setup with zero backend required
What we learned
Voice-based data entry can drastically speed up workflows when designed well
AI is powerful, but it needs well-structured prompts and guardrails to stay consistent
A minimal UI often works better than a complex one for productivity tools
Projects feel more natural when built with handcrafted architecture instead of templates
What's next for Connections
Local database support (IndexedDB or SQLite)
Calendar reminders and follow-up suggestions
Automatic tagging and categorization of contacts
Optional cloud sync for users who want cross-device access
A mobile-friendly version for capturing insights on the go
Built With
- api
- lucide
- react
- tailwind
- typescript
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