How I Built My First Startup (Comment Bounce) As A Software Engineer In 2024

Even though I am a software engineer, I have always been an entrepreneur at heart. Comment Bounce, for me, was a great expression of all the knowledge I have gained over the years. My career started out as a full-stack engineer working with React and Node. I have transitioned to frontend-focused work since then, and it felt amazing getting back to my roots and seeing the entire picture when developing features. I really felt like I had an itch that needed to be scratched and I am fully satisfied with the launch of the product.

The Tech stack:

Anyone who follows Marc Lou (my favorite YouTuber), you will understand he is a large influence in my thought process for choosing the stack. I went with tech that I already know. I didn’t need the latest and greatest to get an MVP out. There is also no need at all to start out in debt and pay for UI libraries when great stuff is already out there.

NextJS – Frontend + API
NextUI – UI elements
Tailwind – CSS/Styling
Supabase – DB
Stripe – payments
Vercel – hosting
OpenAI – AI

The Comment Bounce background:

After spending years working in various tech companies (mainly startups), I noticed a common problem that many of them faced – dealing with negative comments on their online ads and brand management in general. These comments not only reflected poorly on the brand but also discouraged potential customers from engaging with the content.

I realized that manual moderation of these comments was not only time-consuming but also ineffective, as negative comments could slip through the cracks and cause harm before they were removed. This sparked the idea for Comment Bounce – an automated solution that would use AI to detect and hide comments with negative user intent on Meta ads. A problem I am familiar with and know how to solve was the perfect mix for my first startup.

Building Comment Bounce from the ground up was no easy feat. I spent countless late nights and weekends developing the algorithm that would power the software since I had a full-time job the whole time. I did my best to train the AI model to accurately detect negative sentiment, distinguishing between spam and genuine feedback. This was my first foray into AI and my opinion is working with OpenAI is EXTREMELY easy.

Once the AI model was up and running, I began the process of integrating Comment Bounce with a few beta-testing clients. I collaborated with a few companies who were willing to beta-test the software, providing valuable feedback that helped me further refine the product.

Launching Comment Bounce was a proud moment for me. Seeing something that I had conceptualized and built from scratch come to life and make a positive impact for businesses was incredibly fulfilling. I was not only able to help companies protect their online reputation but also save them time and resources that would have otherwise been spent on manual moderation.

Moving forward, I have big plans for Comment Bounce. I aim to expand its capabilities to cover other social media platforms beyond Meta, such as Twitter and LinkedIn. I also plan to integrate more advanced features, such as sentiment analysis and trend detection, to provide even greater value to our clients.

As I reflect on the journey of building my first startup, I am grateful for the challenges and obstacles I faced along the way. They have not only made me a better engineer but also a more resilient entrepreneur. I look forward to the future of Comment Bounce and the opportunity to continue innovating and improving the way businesses manage their online presence. I have some really cool ideas on what features to add to the platform, and would love to hear feedback from anyone who could use the product! Lastly, I will be launching the product on Product Hunt sometime soon, so keep an eye out for that!