How Rudrank Riyam won Shipaton’s Build in Public Award by sharing every step

Rudrank Riyam, an independent iOS developer from India, participated in Shipaton, inspired by his past achievements, including a WWDC scholarship and an internship at Apple. Motivated to win the Build in Public award, he developed the Meshing app, a tool for creating mesh gradients on iPhones, inspired by frustrations with SwiftUI previews. Initially built as a macOS-only app, Rudrank pivoted to a mobile version and used AI-assisted coding and RevenueCat for monetization. During the competition, he leveraged his active social media presence, including a revived YouTube channel, to document his progress, which ultimately led to his victory. For the upcoming Shipaton, Rudrank plans to develop two apps addressing personal needs: a fitness tracker and a journaling app. His approach emphasizes internal growth over external validation, encouraging participants to focus on consistent building and community engagement, highlighting the invaluable connections formed during the competition.