From idea to Proof of Concept under 1-Hour

Hackathon Build:
Ancient Rise

Built by Steph Hnat. From starter to bake, Ancient Rise helps you track, learn, and refine your sourdough process while exploring ancient grains and traditional techniques.

View the app
50

Minutes

5

Lovable Credits

3

Core Feature(s)

$0

Monthly Maintenance

Problem statement

Home bakers struggle to consistently make great sourdough because the process is complex, timing is critical, and there’s no simple way to track starter health, recipes, and fermentation steps in one place.

Solution

Built by Steph Hnat

UI Designer (Design Systems) at PNC Bank

Ancient Rise brings the entire sourdough process into one simple system, helping home bakers manage the complexity and timing that often lead to inconsistent results. By combining a starter tracker, recipe collection, and step-by-step process timing in one place, it gives bakers clear visibility and control from feeding to final bake. Paired with guidance on ancient grains, the platform turns a scattered, trial-and-error process into a more structured, repeatable, and confidence-building experience.

Key features included:

  • Basic authentication
  • Live database
  • Grain guide
  • Starter tracker
  • Recipe collection
  • Process timing

Process

We ran a focused 50 minute hackathon — brainstorm, build, test, and share — powered by Lovable.

Step 1 – Brainstorm

First, Steph spent a few minutes to think of an idea. We kept the scope intentionally small.

Step 2 – Prompt Design

Over the next five minutes, she completed a prompt template to use as her Lovable build script.

Step 3 – Build

Then, Steph copied and pasted the completed build script directly into the Lovable.

Step 4 – Test

After, she tested his app manually and fixed anything that needed polish.

Step 5 – Share

Finally, Steph shared his demo with the group for a critique with actionable feedback.

Outcome

Steph’s app and presentation were exceptional and won 3rd place.

Key Results

Speed to Market

Delivered a POC in under an hour, cutting typical development cycles (2 week sprint) by 98.75%.

Solves a real-world problem

Combines familiar baking tools into a single, structured system, that makes a traditionally scattered process feel simple and intentional.

Impact

Ancient Rise helps people reconnect with how food is made, preserve traditional knowledge, and build healthier, more intentional habits through baking.

Judge’s Feedback

“Ancient Rise takes the mystery out of the starter and turns sourdough science into a delicious success story.”