TLDR; I built an app called Treasures
To properly meet Treasures and understand what I've been trying to do in the last four months, I need to explain what I have done in the last twenty years.
My father and me. 2004.
My tech journey began at the age of seven when I first encountered my father's computer, a Windows 3.1 machine. Initially, it didn't captivate me much, but there was something intriguing about it.
A few years later, my perspective changed dramatically when I encountered my first multimedia(yes multimedia) device. It could play audio, video, and run games – wow.
I was instantly hooked. I suppose my father noticed the spark in my eyes, which ignited the entrepreneur within him. He began selling computers, inspired by my newfound passion.
Me in our computer store. 1998.
That's how I started using computers. We need to fast-forward 4-5 years to see this kid start programming.
Around mid-school, I noticed that all websites were created with texts, a.k.a. codes. That shocked my tiny brain—how could text convert to an image, right? :)
First, I started with HTML. I built lots of static web pages for myself and my parents. (Sorry, I couldn't find any of my old incredible designs.)
Then, it became too easy, and a new kind of website started to pop up. Yes, the websites with backend and stuff.
I was using Windows, so the first language I learned was ASP (dot net not invented yet), then PHP. While learning those, I was always monkey-patching and didn't really understand how they were working and their limits. Finally, with Node.js, I was hooked again. Now I can use a single language everywhere.
Now I can really develop apps end-to-end by myself, fully.
I started a couple of websites just for fun. They were like 9GAG before 9GAG.
Fast-forwarding 10 years now, I found myself studying design at university, a choice influenced by my tech passion.
I continued to work on some casual websites, and soon they started to pay me for what I loved. That was the last hook for me. This was it. I could live like that.
Then, startups began to emerge, and I felt the urge to start one up too.
After a couple of unsuccessful trials, I realized that I wasn't meant to be a CEO (not in a common sense). I love doing stuff, not just managing. It became clear to me that what we truly need aren't just billion-dollar companies, but tools to make our lives easier and more enjoyable.
Enter Treasures.
As always, it started because I needed it. What I needed was a way to manage my newly forming die-cast model car collection.
I began designing this app at the end of my last employment to fulfill my creative needs almost four months ago.
There was a significant challenge: despite building apps for over 20 years and professionally for over 10 years, including some React Native apps, I had never built a native app before.
Fortunately, I fell in love with SwiftUI. So it began. I was completely immersed, creating custom navigations, routers, and summary calculators. Last month, we released the first TestFlight version. Leading up to the launch, all bugs were fixed, and all tests passed.
After 4 months, now, I'm truly proud to be the owner of this app. Here you go.
What's next?
Currently, I've been focusing on developing a comprehensive database to facilitate the process of adding items across various topics, starting with die-casts first, followed by books, comic books, and music. Eventually, most topics will be supported.
Love to hear your ideas too.
The Club;
I've come to believe that large social media platforms may not endure indefinitely, and as they decline, smaller platforms will emerge, such as Posts.
My partner, Ezgi, and I are dedicated to designing and conceptualizing around the idea of collectibles. We're exploring why people have the urge to collect and share, recognizing that collecting should be enjoyable.
So, we are building this new feature called The Club. Treasures will keep your every collection safe and private until you want to share them with the club. The Club will offer basic social features like sharing and reacting, and we plan to offer messaging so you can trade your items.
Even if you are not a collector, you will probably find this club quite interesting.
Until the next version...