Daniel Ilin

When I realized that students from 42 are walking around campus to find their friends, I created PeerFinder, a full-stack web application that shows who is online, where they are located on campus, and in which events they are participating. As of today, PeerFinder is used by more than 3000 students. The website is built with React and Chakra UI, and is supported by a Node.js/Express backend that acts as a secure proxy for the 42 API.

In 2019, at the age of 18, I won the nationwide entrepreneurship competition "Startup Teens" in the category "Education & Smart Living". I developed a prototype of a senior-friendly Android smartphone focused on large, easy-to-read buttons, clear instructions, and simple usability, and created a business plan including market analysis, financial planning, and project management, which I presented during the jury pitch in Berlin. The result: 1st place and 10,000 € in seed funding, supported by partners such as Meta, Amazon, Daimler, and Commerzbank. With the introduction of Assistive Access in Apple iOS 17 (2023), it is clear that the idea behind SmartX remains highly relevant today.

Noticing that people were moving towards shorter content, I launched MEME10 back in 2018. I made this Android app when I was 16, and it served up memes in under 10 seconds, predicting the short-video craze we see on TikTok and Instagram now. It reached 1,000+ installs through word of mouth at my high school. This project demonstrates my early understanding of user engagement trends and my ability to independently develop and launch a complete product.