Roots.

Roots turns time-tested human practices into personalized, science-backed daily habits, using immersive audio and an AI guide to close the gap between knowing and doing.

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Inspiration

Modern life overloads us with information but leaves us disconnected from practice. Roots was born from a simple observation: people don’t need more content — they need integration.

Tereza spent extended time immersed in an Indigenous community in the Amazon, observing grounded daily practices that regulate the nervous system naturally. At the same time, her academic background in Human Geography and Environment & Development, along with experience in a female health-focused optimization startup, gave her a scientific lens.

I (Krystof), as a developer, saw the opportunity to responsibly translate this lived knowledge into a minimalist, usable mobile product.

Roots is our attempt to build a respectful bridge between embodied wisdom and modern technology.

What it does

Roots is a minimalist AI coaching app that helps users:

  • Regulate their nervous system through short, guided practices
  • Move from reflection to small daily actions
  • Access a structured library of ancestral-inspired tools
  • Receive personalized AI guidance grounded in the current practice
  • Support the Indigenous community that inspired the project

The experience is intentionally calm, simple, and focused — no dopamine-heavy gamification.

How we built it

Roots is a cross-platform mobile app built with:

  • React Native + Expo
  • RevenueCat for subscriptions and entitlement management
  • AI integration (context-aware guidance per practice)
  • Local-first architecture for fast MVP delivery

The core system:

  • A structured content library (stories, science, practices)
  • AI Guide with contextual prompts
  • RevenueCat-powered subscription model (Monthly, Yearly, Lifetime)
  • Entitlement gating for “Roots Pro”

The MVP includes:

  • Core library browsing
  • AI contextual chat
  • Paywall with RevenueCat integration
  • Subscription restore flow
  • Structured unlock model

Challenges we ran into

  • Translating lived, relational wisdom into a digital format without over-simplifying it
  • Balancing minimalism with enough feature depth to satisfy the brief
  • Designing a paywall that feels aligned with values, not manipulative
  • Navigating ethical positioning regarding Indigenous collaboration

Time constraint (4-week build window) forced strong prioritization.

Accomplishments we’re proud of

  • Fully working RevenueCat integration
  • Functional cross-platform MVP delivered within hackathon timeframe
  • Context-aware AI Guide integrated with structured content
  • Ethically positioned monetization model
  • Clear alignment with Simon’s “Minimalist AI coaching in your pocket” brief

What we learned

  • Minimalism is harder than complexity
  • Ethical storytelling matters just as much as technical execution
  • AI is strongest when constrained and contextual, not generic
  • Clear positioning beats feature overload

What’s next for Roots

If continued beyond the hackathon:

  • Deeper user personalization (values, focus areas)
  • Guided sequences (“Go deeper. Stay grounded.” journeys)
  • Cloud sync + cross-device progress
  • Community-supported funding transparency
  • Long-term ethical partnership structure with the Indigenous community

Roots is not about consuming wisdom. It’s about embodying it.

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