We have never built an app before.

Even so, we are entering RevenueCat Shipaton 2026, one of the largest app-building competitions in the world.

Our timeline is 60 days—from August 1 to September 30.

From the initial concept to the App Store launch, the two of us will sprint at full speed.

This post was written on Day 1.

It Started on the Walk Home From the Salon

You look perfect the moment you leave the hair salon. The next morning, you try to style it yourself... and something feels off.

Sound familiar?

The reason is simple: Your stylist has never seen your "everyday" hair.

Since they wash your hair before cutting, all they ever see is your hair after it's been professionally styled.

And there's another problem: You can't see the back of your own head.

It's the part that people look at the most, yet

What We're Building (Working Title: HAIRLOOP)

We are building an app that lets you record a full 360° turn of your hair so you can check it from any angle and share it with your stylist (working title: HAIRLOOP).

Key Features

• Record in 8 Seconds: Simply sit in a chair and do one full turn.
• Flexible Angle Controls: Drag with your finger to check the back of your head from any angle.
• Pinpoint Questions: Pin a note to a specific angle (e.g., "How do I style this exact part?") and ask right there.
• Privacy Included: Built-in face blurring out of the box (works for public posts on Instagram or X, as well as private shares via Setlog or Messenger).

"Get advice on how to look good from every angle—without having to go to the salon."

—That is the core of this app.

The Most Interesting Discovery: "Nobody Was Complaining"

We didn't want to build based on blind assumptions, so we analyzed 1,040 posts on X (formerly Twitter).

Here's a quote we found:

"If the salon finish is a 10 out of 10, home reproducibility drops to a 6."

This was written by a hairstylist about their own work. The frustration was real. And yet, not a single person explicitly posted "I can't see the back or sides of my head." Normally, you'd interpret this as "there is no demand." We saw it the opposite way: "People don't complain about things they cannot see." Whether our hypothesis is right will be proven in 60 days.

If we turn out to be wrong, we promise to write "We were wrong" in a future post.

Build Rules: Keeping It As Simple As Possible

We'll leave the technical details for the next post, but here are our core development principles:

• 36 Still Photos, Not Video: No heavy video files are kept on our servers.
• No 3D Models: Just like the "360° view" on e-commerce sites, we simply swap photos smoothly.
• Inertial Spinning: Release your finger, and it smoothly keeps rotating. That physical "tactile feel" alone is what makes people perceive it as 3D.

60-Day Schedule & Goals

Schedule

• Through Mid-August: Launch the MVP without social features.
• Through Late August: Add social features and monetization.
• September Onward: Keep improving the UI and features based on real user feedback.

Targets

• 1,000 installs in the first week after launch.
• 100 paying users during the competition period.

We will publish the real, raw numbers regarding these goals on September 30.

The Team Behind It: "AMANEKU Studio"

We formed a team called AMANEKU Studio.

"Amaneku" comes from a Japanese word meaning "reaching every corner." We chose it to reflect our desire to build products that reach people all around the world through Shipaton.

Ryu (Business & Marketing)

2nd-year student at Kobe University (Faculty of Human Development and Environment). Member of the university entrepreneurship club, co-founder of Standy Inc. (entrepreneurship education programs for elementary school students), Google AI Student Ambassador, and Notion Campus Leader. Responsible for writing this series.

Nao (Engineering)

1st-year student at Osaka University (School of Engineering, Division of Applied Natural Science). Studies applied physics and semiconductors while interning to implement AI business automation for companies. Started learning vibe coding in June. This is his very first time building an iOS app. From Saga Prefecture. In high school, attended Sol camp in Toronto, Canada, and studied in Singapore through the Tobitate! Study Abroad JAPAN program (9th high school cohort).

We'd Love Your Feedback!

This article series will be updated twice a week until September 30. We will document everything as it happens, including what goes wrong. Because this is our first app, your feedback means everything to us.

Please leave a comment with your thoughts or advice.

Let's run all the way to the finish line together!