From Solo to Shipped — The AI Builder Directory I Needed When I Started

Build to launch 3x faster with a builder‑first home for projects, people, and practical resources.

Are you building something with AI? Maybe a web app, an automation workflow, a workshop, or your own newsletter?

Do you ever find yourself curious about what those you follow are actually building, but have no easy way to keep track?

That's exactly where I was a few months ago.

I remember staring at my screen, feeling like everyone else was shipping AI products left and right, while I was still stuck figuring out the basics. Building felt overwhelmingly uncertain. I thought this journey was supposed to be solo, just me, my IDE, and whatever AI assistant I could convince to help me.

But then I met

Claudia Ng

during my first few days of building in public. We didn't just exchange pleasantries; we shared what we were building and compared our approaches. That simple exchange made everything feel lighter. A little more real. A little less alone.

It showed me something crucial: connection changes everything.

Since then, I’ve discovered so many brilliant builders. Some had polished products. Others shipped fast with sharp, clever ideas. And some created workflows I still have bookmarked and refer back to.

But here’s what kept bugging me: every time I found someone amazing, I’d lose track. Who was building what again?

I kept thinking: "I wish I could collect them all."

Six months of writing and building has taught me two things:

1. You can never be completely solo. Building is incredibly lonely, and everyone needs a few mental companions along the way.

2. You don’t need to reinvent everything. There’s always someone out there who teaches you something new, who builds in a way that opens your eyes. And sometimes, the best thing you can do is shine a light on their work instead of trying to replicate it.

That’s when it hit me: I don’t just want to follow builders. I want to collect them. Learn from them. Share them. And make it easier for others to do the same.

So I started working on something to help make that happen.

---

The Solution: A Builders Collection

When

Karo (Product with Attitude)

launched StackShelf (a curated digital shelf for Substack creators), a lightbulb went off in my head. What if we had a collection like that, but for AI builders?

So I did what any builder would do: I scanned the landscape.

Yes, there’s Product Hunt, Hacker News, Reddit threads, Hugging Face spaces. They’re great, sometimes. But here’s the pattern I noticed:

• They're all product-centric. The spotlight is always on what’s launched, not who’s building it.

• They’re competitive by nature. Upvotes, front pages, follower counts. It's easy to get lost if you’re not already established.

• They bury the new voices. If you're just starting out, you can post the most brilliant thing, and still vanish overnight.

• And worst of all, they’re not built for ongoing discovery. I kept finding cool tools and workflows, but I couldn’t keep track of the builders behind them.

That’s when I realized: we don’t need another leaderboard.

We need a space that centers people, not just their latest drop.

So I started sketching the idea for vibecoding.builders — a minimal, builder-first platform that does exactly that.

It’s not a place to collect upvotes. It’s a place to collect momentum, to learn from each other, and to showcase the real work, whether it’s polished, scrappy, shipped, or still in progress.

---

What the Platform Actually Looks Like

I kept the vision simple: a home base for discovering builders, not just their projects, but their thinking, their experiments, their vibe.

Here are the three core features:

1. Builders List: A directory of creators across specialties. You can browse profiles, check out their projects, and explore their public content. It’s like a who’s-who of AI builders, without the gatekeeping.

2. Projects List: A searchable gallery of projects, shipped or in progress. You can filter by topic, tool, or approach, and immediately see who’s behind it.

3. Learning Resources: A handpicked collection of the most useful, practical, and mindset-shifting articles I’ve come across. These are mostly newsletters or blog posts, short reads, big impact. They're the kind of pieces I personally bookmark and return to.

Each builder’s profile pulls together their projects, their links, and their best content. No algorithm noise. No upvotes. Just real people and real work, surfaced clearly.

For tech folks wondering: it’s built with Next.js and Supabase, fast, clean, and simple. The goal isn’t to show off tech. It’s to show off builders.

And already, I’ve had amazing people say yes to being included.

The seed of builders

---

Builders Who Inspired the Platform

This platform isn’t just my idea. It’s shaped by the builders I’ve followed, learned from, and reached out to along the way.

People like

Finn Tropy

and

Orel Zilberman

ship fast and build with the kind of clarity and precision I admire. Both have created incredible tools around Substack, and they’ve shown me what’s possible, not just technically, but sustainably. Most importantly, they’ve been welcoming, honest, and helpful, even though we might be potential competitors in building Substack tools. (And, for the record, they’ve earned more from their Substack tools than I have!)

I ran it by

Karo (Product with Attitude)

, because of course, she runs Product with Attitude. Her sharp eyes for builders and products always teaches me something. Her feedback gave me confidence to keep pushing.

I reached out to big names like

Sabrina Ramonov 🍄

, who with over a million followers across platforms and a thriving business clearly didn’t need to be on the list. But I needed her presence more than she ever needed the feature. That she supported the idea meant everything.

Then there are brilliant emerging builders,

Karen Spinner

with her fresh energy and

Mia Kiraki

with her professional expertise.

The amazing projects - big or small

There are also wonderful writers, like

Tam Nguyen

whose post about building web app with AI tools became an instant classic, and

Luan Doan

whose guide on connecting GPT to Notion is one I keep returning to.

And of course, my most amazing circle of AI friends, the quiet builders, the prompt crafters, the tinkerers. They’re not always shipping apps, but their work embodies the vibe coding spirit: move fast, share openly, build what you need, and make it useful.

Even some seriously technical folks who at first raised an eyebrow at the word "vibe coding", they still said yes. They saw the intention. And I’m grateful.

This is what makes the platform meaningful: it’s not just a showcase. It’s a reflection of a shared mentality, one that cuts across tools, skill levels, and follower counts. A builder’s mindset that’s humble, resourceful, and quietly powerful.

The practical learning resources, continued collection

---

Who This Platform Is For

So, why should you care about vibecoding.builders?

Well, it depends on who you are, but I promise, there’s something here for you.

If you're a new builder: This is a place to discover people just a few steps ahead. By visiting their profiles and personal websites, you’ll see what’s possible, how they got there, and to learn from their thinking, not just their results. When you’re ready, it’s also a place where your voice can be heard. No follower count required. No gatekeeping.

If you're an experienced builder: You don’t need more followers, you need more signal. This platform helps people who genuinely want to learn from you find your work. It’s a space to be discovered not by hype, but by usefulness. You’ll get backlinks, exposure, and the kind of readers who stick around.

If you're just curious: Maybe you're not building yet. Maybe you’re learning, exploring, or still figuring out your path. This is a collection of practical insight. Instead of hopping between gurus or chasing shiny tools, you get access to a diverse, evolving library of real builder experiences and learning resources.

If you're all of the above: Welcome. This space is for the in-between. The “not-quite-there-yet” stage. The “trying something new.” The “still figuring it out.”

Because the truth is, we’re all building, rebuilding, and rethinking in public now. And the more we can see each other clearly, the more likely we are to keep going.

It’s not about proving yourself. It’s about showing up.

---

Join Vibe Coding Builders?

By now you might be thinking, "This sounds cool, but vibe coding? Is that really me?"

I get it. I’ve had friends, who are serious, technically sharp builders, laugh and say, "I'm not a vibe coder. I just build." And yet when I ask, "Do you use GitHub Copilot? Cursor? Claude Code? ChatGPT?" they smile. Of course they do.

To me, vibe coding isn’t about aesthetic or trend. It’s a mindset. It’s about building fast, learning in public, and working with AI in whatever way feels natural and useful to you. You don’t need to be a prompt wizard. You don’t need to build the next unicorn. You just need to show up with curiosity and momentum.

So let me ask you:

• Are you a builder working on something?

• Do you want to be discovered for your ideas, not your follower count?

• Do you learn best by exploring how others think, build, and share?

If yes, this platform is for you.

And if you’re not building (yet) but you’re writing about AI, or you've come across a piece that made you go "every builder should read this", send it to me. I’d love to include it in the learning shelf, always linked to the original source, with full credit.

This is a platform.

It’s also a living, breathing collection of people, projects, and wisdom.

It’s a way to make the invisible builders visible.

It’s proof that we don’t have to do this alone.

If you're an AI builder who wants to be featured, or you know someone who should, I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s build this together.