Jobless

We built Tinder for jobs. In 30 seconds, you can swipe right, get a match, and instantly start chatting with your potential startup teammate. Job hunting has never been this fast, fun, and effortless.

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Inspiration

Right now, job hunting is intimidating and frustrating. Students send dozens of cold emails, LinkedIn requests, and applications that disappear into a black hole. Founders are buried under job board clutter, wasting hours searching for motivated talent. Both sides are exhausted — and great matches never even meet.

What it does

Jobless fixes this with a conversation-first, swipe-based platform. Students swipe and match with teams they’re excited about. Startups come ready to connect. When there’s a match, chat opens instantly — no cold outreach, no waiting.

How we built it

We built the platform using React, TypeScript, and Vite to create a fast, type-safe single-page app, styled with Tailwind CSS for rapid UI development. For authentication and real-time updates, we leveraged Supabase, which also powers our PostgreSQL database for storing profiles, swipes, matches, and messages. Matchmaking works seamlessly: when a user swipes right, an edge function checks for reciprocity, creates a match record, and spins up a chat thread—delivered instantly via Supabase Realtime. Security is handled with row-level policies so users can only access their own data. Finally, we deploy on Vercel, which provides us with smooth, continuous deployment and preview builds for every iteration. This stack allows us to deliver a lightweight, real-time, and secure experience where users can swipe, match, and start chatting in seconds.

Challenges we ran into

Too many bugs in the back-end, the database was not loading properly.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Built a fully functional MVP in record time using React, Supabase, and PostgreSQL—going from idea to live prototype in just weeks.

Created a swipe-to-match system that feels fun and intuitive, transforming job hunting into a simple, engaging experience.

Integrated real-time chat powered by Supabase Realtime, so users can start conversations instantly once they match.

Successfully pitched and showcased at DevHacks, marking our first public launch and receiving positive validation from students and startups.

What we learned

Through building Jobless, we learned how to design and ship a product end-to-end, from defining user pain points to deploying a real-time app. On the technical side, we gained hands-on experience with Supabase, PostgreSQL, React, and Tailwind, while also tackling challenges like setting up secure row-level policies, implementing real-time chat, and optimizing the swipe flow for speed. Just as importantly, we learned the value of team collaboration under time pressure, how to break down tasks efficiently, and how to balance ambitious ideas with what’s feasible in an MVP. Most of all, we realized that turning job hunting into a fun, swipe-based experience resonates deeply with both students and startups, validating our vision.

What's next for Jobless

Month 1 – Hackathon Launch & MVP

Collect the first 50–100 student signups after the hackathon demo.

Onboard 5–10 local founders/startups to test conversations.

Gather qualitative feedback on swiping, matching, and chat flow.

Month 2 – Campus Activation Run tabling events at ASU with QR codes for instant signups.

Partner with entrepreneurship clubs, hackathons, and incubators to seed the startup side. Iterate prototype based on focus group findings (improve UX).

Month 3 – MVP Rollout Launch no-code web MVP (live swiping + chat).

Aim for 500 active student users and 30+ startup teams.

Measure first match-to-chat conversion rates and refine the onboarding process.

Month 4 – Growth Loops Introduce referral rewards for students (invite friends, unlock badges or extra swipes). Introduce Premium features: Priority Placement & Visibility, Unlimited Matches & Messages, Team Collaboration Tools, Performance Analytics Dashboard Collect case studies of successful matches to promote on social media.

Month 5 – Regional Expansion Expand to UA and GCU using the student ambassador program.

Onboard regional accelerators/incubators to bring curated startups into the platform.

Target 1,500+ students and 75+ active startups across campuses.

Month 6 – Data-Driven Scaling Analyze user behavior (average swipes/session, match rates, chat activity).

Ship improved matching algorithm (based on skills & interests).

Prepare pitch for early-stage funding or accelerator application to scale beyond Arizona.

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