Gatherly

Framing the Problem

What is the problem you are trying to solve? Who does it affect?

The tech industry has a significant problem with inclusivity and accessibility. Many people, especially women and underrepresented groups, struggle to find welcoming spaces where they can network, learn, and grow their careers. Traditional tech events and hackathons often feel exclusive or intimidating, resulting in less people applying or even searching for these opportunities. Additionally, there aren't enough opportunities for people to get involved in emerging areas like sustainable tech and clean energy. This affects everyone in the tech community - from students just starting out to experienced professionals looking to advance their careers.

Idea Explanation

What is your idea? How does it fix the problem?

Gatherly is our solution to these problems. We've built a comprehensive platform that creates an inclusive ecosystem for the entire tech community. The core idea is to bring people together through carefully curated events, provide access to diverse venues, and create a community . We focus on creating safe, welcoming environments where people can network without feeling excluded or intimidated. The platform includes everything from women-specific events like the Gatherly Women Hackathon to general community workshops that are open to everyone. We also showcase various venue options - from professional coworking spaces to casual cafes - so people can find comfortable places to meet and collaborate.

Implementation

How do all the pieces fit together? Does your frontend make requests to your backend? Where does your database fit in?

The technical implementation is built around a modern, scalable architecture. We use Next.js 14 with the App Router for the frontend, which gives us excellent performance and SEO capabilities. The entire application is written in TypeScript for better code quality and developer experience. We've structured the data flow so that events and venues are managed through TypeScript files, which makes it easy to update content without touching the database. Next.js handles all the dynamic routing automatically - when someone visits an event page, it generates the appropriate URL and content based on the event data. We've also integrated Supabase for future database needs and NextAuth.js for user authentication. The design is fully responsive using Tailwind CSS, so it works perfectly on phones, tablets, and desktops. All the components are modular and reusable, which makes the codebase maintainable and easy to extend.

Challenges

What did you struggle with? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge we faced was the time crunch of the hackathon format. We had so many ambitious ideas for Gatherly - we wanted to build a fully functional platform with user authentication, real-time database connections, event registration systems, and advanced features like messaging and community forums. But we quickly realized that with limited time, we had to focus on the core concept and get the basic functionality working. We had to make tough decisions about what to prioritize. For example, we had to use static data files instead of connecting to a real database, even though we had Supabase set up and ready to go. We also had to simplify the user experience and focus on the essential features that demonstrate the platform's value. It was frustrating to have to leave so many great ideas on the cutting room floor, but it taught us valuable lessons about the importance of scope management. We learned that sometimes the best approach is to build a strong foundation that you can expand upon later, rather than trying to implement everything at once.

Accomplishments

What did you learn? What did you accomplish?

We've accomplished quite a bit with Gatherly. On the technical side, we built a complete full-stack web application using modern technologies that's both performant and maintainable. The responsive design works beautifully across all devices, and we implemented features like dark/light mode for better accessibility. We created a comprehensive event management system with eight diverse events ranging from the women-specific hackathon to general community workshops. The venue showcase system includes six different categories with detailed information about each space. We also built a flexible content management system that makes it easy to add new events and venues without touching the code. Most importantly, we created a platform that genuinely feels welcoming and inclusive - the design and content choices all work together to create an environment where everyone in tech can feel comfortable and supported.

Next Steps

What are the next steps for your project? How can you improve it?

Looking ahead, we have several exciting improvements planned. The immediate priority is adding user authentication and profiles so people can register for events and track their participation. We want to migrate from static data to a real database so we can handle dynamic content and user-generated data like reviews and ratings. We're also planning to add more advanced search and filtering capabilities, including location-based recommendations. For community features, we want to add discussion forums for each event and a messaging system so participants can connect with each other. The ultimate goal is to make Gatherly the go-to platform for inclusive tech community building, where everyone feels welcome and supported in their tech journey.