Startup Graveyard

A spooky, interactive web application for the Kiroween Hackathon that lets you explore defunct startups in a Halloween-themed graveyard and resurrect them with AI-generated revival plans.

Comment

Inspiration

Honored the legacy of failed startups while embracing Halloween spirit—every failure has valuable lessons worth remembering and reimagining.

What it does

An interactive Halloween-themed graveyard where users explore 8+ defunct startups, learn their stories, and generate AI-powered resurrection plans with modern tech stacks, features, wireframes, and go-to-market strategies.

How we built it

Tech Stack: Next.js 16, TypeScript 5, Tailwind CSS v4, Bun Kiro-Powered: Used vibe coding for rapid prototyping and spec-driven development for complex features 12+ Components: Modular architecture with reusable components Custom Animations: 10+ GPU-accelerated CSS animations for 60fps performance 4 hours total (vs. 40-50 hours traditionally) = 10x speedup

Challenges we ran into

Animation performance → GPU acceleration & staggered timings Mobile responsiveness → Mobile-first design with 44px touch targets Accessibility → WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with keyboard nav & reduced motion Audio autoplay → User-controlled with visible mute toggle State management → Lifted state with TypeScript type safety Plan generation → Template system with category-specific variations

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Stunning, immersive Halloween UI that wows immediately 10x development speed using Kiro WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility compliance 60fps performance with Lighthouse 95+ score Comprehensive documentation 100% feature completeness + 6 bonus features

What we learned

AI-powered development is transformative Aesthetics and performance can coexist Accessibility should be built in from the start Mobile-first prevents problems UX is in the details (micro-animations, sounds, cursors) Documentation matters for hackathons

What's next for Startup Graveyard

Immediate: Expanded database, enhanced AI plans, social features Medium-term: Interactive wireframe builder, gamification, educational content Long-term: Incubator integration, public API, VR/AR experience, ML insights

Built With

Share this project:

Updates