Most developers build cool stuff that never sees the light of day.
Including me.
I spent 3 years building side projects that got zero traction:
→ A productivity app (12 users)
→ A developer tool for API testing (8 downloads)
→ A social media scheduler (literally just my mom used it 😅)
The code was solid. The UX was decent. But nobody cared.
Why?
Because I was building in a vacuum. I had no idea what problems were actually trending globally, what conversations were happening in different regions, or what topics people cared about RIGHT NOW.
I was essentially building based on my limited English-language bubble.
So I did what any frustrated developer would do...
I built a solution.
The Problem That Drove Me Crazy
Every failed project followed the same pattern:
- Get excited about random idea
- Spend 3-6 months building it
- Launch to crickets
- Repeat
I was basically throwing darts blindfolded.
The breaking point came at 2 AM while staring at my latest failed project's analytics...
0 daily active users.
That's when I realized: I needed to understand what topics and problems were actually trending globally BEFORE making any decisions.
Not just on English Twitter or Hacker News.
But across all languages. All regions. All conversations.
What were developers in Japan discussing? What problems were trending in German tech communities? What solutions were people talking about in Spanish forums?
I had zero visibility into any of this.
Building TrendlyAI: The Journey
So I started building what would become TrendlyAI.
The core idea: What if I could monitor trending topics from global news, articles, and conversations across 42 languages simultaneously?
Not predictions. Not guesses. Real trending topics from real sources happening RIGHT NOW.
Month 1: Built the basic scraping infrastructure and multi-language processing (this was HARD)
Month 2: Created the trend scoring algorithm (1-100 scale) and business intelligence layer
Month 3: First live version ready and launched
Building TrendlyAI was intense.
I basically locked myself in a room for 3 months and emerged with a working global trend intelligence platform.
The result? A platform that shows you what's trending globally before your competitors even know it exists.
What TrendlyAI Actually Does
TrendlyAI monitors trending topics from global news, articles, and conversations across 42 languages.
Think of it as having a global newsroom that tells you:
→ What topics are exploding in tech publications worldwide
→ Which conversations are gaining momentum in different regions
→ What problems people are discussing before they become mainstream
For developers, this means:
- Spotting emerging tech trends before they hit English Twitter
- Finding content ideas that developers are actually talking about
- Understanding what problems are trending globally (potential project ideas)
- Creating content that aligns with current conversations
The Real Value for Developers
Here's how developers actually use trend intelligence:
Content Creation:
- Write blog posts about topics that are trending NOW
- Create tutorials on emerging technologies people are discussing
- Build your personal brand around current conversations
Market Research:
- Understand what developers globally are excited about
- See which technologies are gaining traction in different regions
- Identify gaps in current solutions being discussed
Project Validation:
- Before building, check if the problem space is trending
- See what specific pain points are being discussed
- Understand the global conversation around your idea
The Technical Architecture
For fellow developers curious about how this works:
// Simplified version of TrendlyAI's core logic
class TrendDetector {
async getGlobalTrends(options = {}) {
const sources = await this.aggregateSources({
languages: options.languages || ALL_42_LANGUAGES,
regions: options.regions || ALL_REGIONS,
sources: ['news', 'articles', 'publications', 'discussions']
});
const trends = await this.analyzeTrends(sources);
return trends.map(trend => ({
topic: trend.topic,
score: this.calculateTrendScore(trend), // 1-100
competition: this.analyzeCompetition(trend),
opportunity_window: this.predictWindow(trend),
regional_data: trend.regional_breakdown
}));
}
calculateTrendScore(trend) {
// Proprietary algorithm considering:
// - Mention velocity across sources
// - Engagement rates
// - Geographic spread
// - Topic authority and relevance
return Math.min(100, trend.momentum * trend.reach * trend.authority);
}
}
The secret sauce: Most tools only monitor English content.
TrendlyAI monitors trending topics from news, articles, and discussions in Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Chinese, and 37 other languages.
That's where the real opportunities hide.
Why I Open-Sourced the Approach (But Not the Code)
I could have kept this as my personal competitive advantage.
But I realized: every developer deserves to stop building projects nobody wants.
So I built TrendlyAI as a service.
The platform includes:
→ Real-time trend detection across 42 languages
→ Trend scoring (1-100) with competition analysis
→ Opportunity window predictions
→ Regional breakdowns of where trends are hottest
→ Business intelligence layer for strategic decisions
The Validation That Worked
When I launched TrendlyAI, I applied the core principle: build when people are already talking about the problem.
I noticed trending conversations about:
→ "Global market research tools"
→ "Multi-language trend analysis"
→ "Business intelligence platforms"
Result: 38.5% trial conversion rate (industry average is 15-20%)
The timing was right because people were already discussing these problems globally.
For Fellow Indie Developers
Look, building TrendlyAI taught me something crucial:
The best tools solve your own biggest pain points.
My pain point was building projects nobody wanted.
TrendlyAI solved that. For me, and now for 1000+ other developers and entrepreneurs.
If you're:
→ Tired of failed side projects
→ Looking for your next startup idea
→ Building dev tools or SaaS products
→ Creating content that actually gets engagement
You need trend intelligence. Not guesses. Not assumptions.
Real data about what developers are discussing globally RIGHT NOW.
The Honest Truth
TrendlyAI isn't magic.
You still need to:
- Write good code
- Solve real problems
- Execute properly
But it eliminates the biggest risk: building something nobody wants.
And at $19/month, it's still cheaper than most enterprise tools that cost $100-300/month.
I've made more money from trend-aligned decisions in 3 months than from random projects in 3 years.
Try What I Built
TrendlyAI offers a 7-day free trial.
See what's trending in developer communities globally RIGHT NOW.
Build your next project around actual trending conversations.
Stop building in the dark like I did for 3 years.
Your GitHub stars (and bank account) will thank you.
P.S. Building TrendlyAI has been the most rewarding project I've ever worked on. Not just for the business, but because it solved my own biggest problem as a developer.
P.P.S. Building TrendlyAI was the best decision I made as a developer. Not just for the business, but because it solved my own biggest problem.
P.P.P.S. If this resonates, repost it. Help other developers stop wasting months on projects nobody uses. ♻️
Try TrendlyAI Free for 7 Days →
What's your biggest failed side project? Drop it below - we've all been there! 👇
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