Hey there! 👋 We’re Josh and Daniel — two friends, builders, and dreamers from Austin and Dallas, Texas. And for the next 30 days, we’re throwing ourselves headfirst into something wild, ambitious, and honestly… kind of life-changing.
We’ve joined the World’s Largest Hackathon hosted by Bolt.new, and we’re building a mobile app called Story Hero — an AI-powered storytelling app that helps parents create personalized, safe, and meaningful stories for their kids.
So… What’s Going On?
From May 30 to June 30, we’re competing alongside thousands of creators in a global challenge that’s rewriting the rules of building software.
Bolt.new is a new kind of development platform that uses AI and low/no code tools to turn your ideas into apps — fast. Like, crazy fast. We’re talking days instead of months. It’s not just a builder — it’s a launchpad.
This hackathon isn’t just about prizes (though, let’s be real — the $1M+ prize pool definitely caught our attention 👀). It’s about building something real. Something that solves a problem. Something that ships.
Why We’re Building Story Hero 📚🦸♂️
We both love tech. We both love building things. But more than that, we’re also just really bothered by the fact that so many kids‘ screen time these days is dominated by TikTok and YouTube.
We wanted to create an alternative — one that helps kids fall in love with reading, creativity, and imagination again.
Story Hero is a mobile app that lets parents generate AI-powered stories for their kids, based on their child’s name, favorite animal, age, personality traits — even a photo. The stories are personalized, calming, educational, and, most importantly, fun.
The goal?
- Make bedtime magical again ✨
- Encourage healthy screen time habits
- Promote reading, learning, and emotional growth
- And provide an experience that’s safe, COPPA-compliant, and totally kid-friendly
We’re also donating 15% of all profits to organizations that support children’s literacy and well-being. That’s not marketing fluff — it’s built into our mission.
Our Big, Slightly-Crazy Goal
Build and launch Story Hero on iOS and Android.
Get real users.
Get paid subscribers.
All within 30 days. 😅
We’re targeting the “Make More Money” challenge in the hackathon, which means integrating RevenueCat to handle subscriptions in our app. It’s a chance to not only build a product, but also lay the foundation for a long-term business — one that could change our lives and have a positive impact on families around the world.
Meet the Team 💪
Josh
📍 Austin, TX
🧠 Freelancer & indie maker
🎯 Hoping this becomes a full-time gig
Daniel
📍 Dallas, TX
🧠 Full-time job by day
🎯 Building this to replace the 9-5 grind and go all-in on this dream with Josh
We’ve both worked on dozens of projects before. But this time, we’re focused. All-in. One idea. One month. No distractions. Just passion, caffeine, and a whole lot of Bolt.new.
Why We’re Sharing Our Journey
We believe in building in public.
We believe in putting ourselves out there.
And we believe that someone out there might be inspired by this — to start, to ship, to dream bigger.
Whether we win a prize or not, this hackathon is our chance to commit to something that matters. Not just another throwaway side project — but a real product with real impact.
We’ll be posting updates throughout the month. Wins, fails, behind-the-scenes chaos, and probably at least one all-nighter where we ask ourselves why we thought this was a good idea.
But hey — that’s the fun of it, right?
Let’s build something amazing.
Let’s make kids smile.
Let’s tell stories that matter.
— Josh & Daniel
Team Story Hero