UniCircle

Inspiration

As students, we noticed a gap in collaboration across different university departments. Many talented individuals struggle to find the right team members for their projects, whether in tech, arts, music, or research. UniCircle was born out of a need to connect students beyond their classrooms and help them build something great together.

What it does

UniCircle is a platform that enables students to find collaborators based on their skills, interests, and project needs. It helps students connect across universities, form teams, and work on startups, research, or creative projects efficiently.

How we built it

• Frontend: Developed using React 18 with TypeScript, Vite for fast build/dev server, and TailwindCSS for styling. Integrated React Router for navigation, React Hook Form + Zod for form validation, and Zustand for state management.
  
• Backend: Built on Supabase (PostgreSQL) with Row Level Security (RLS) for data protection. Utilized Edge Functions for email OTP verification and Supabase Storage for file uploads.
  
• Authentication: Implemented using Supabase Auth with Email/Password signup, JWT tokens for session management, and Twilio SendGrid API for OTP verification and email notifications.
• Scalability: Designed with a modern, scalable architecture, ensuring real-time collaboration features and seamless performance across web and mobile platforms.
  

Challenges we ran into

• Implementing real-time collaboration features with Supabase while maintaining security.
  
• Ensuring seamless authentication with OTP-based verification.
  
• Optimizing the UI for a smooth user experience across both web and mobile platforms.
  

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully launched a working prototype with real-time updates and authentication.

• Built a fully functional full-stack web application (used AI for code and structure).
  
• Enabled seamless student collaboration across multiple universities with multiple departments.

What we learned

• Authentication Complexity: Implementing secure and seamless authentication, including OTP verification via Twilio SendGrid API, required fine-tuning.
  
• Database Optimization: Managing real-time updates efficiently with Supabase while maintaining security (RLS) was a crucial challenge.
  
• Cross-Platform Challenges: Ensuring smooth performance on both web and mobile meant optimizing state management and API requests.
  

What's next for UniCircle

• Mobile App Release: Launching UniCircle on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store using React Native Expo for a seamless mobile experience.
  
• AI-Powered Matchmaking: Implementing AI-driven recommendations to suggest the best collaborators based on skills, interests, and project needs.
  
• Expanded University Partnerships: Partnering with universities to onboard more students and foster innovation-driven collaborations.
  
• Enhanced Communication Tools: Integrating in-app messaging and notifications for better project coordination.
  
• Monetization & Sustainability: Exploring revenue models such as premium features, sponsored projects, and university partnerships to sustain and grow the platform.
  

Built With

• edge-functions
• email/password-signup
• frontend:-react-18-with-typescript
• jwt
• otp-verification-via-twilio-sendgrid-api
• react-hook-form-+-zod
• react-router
• sendgrid
• supabase-storage-authentication:-supabase-auth
• tailwindcss
• vite
• zustand-backend:-supabase-(postgresql)-with-row-level-security-(rls)