Discover places and events in your area, refreshed in real-time.
Free on the weekends? Bored? or wanna try new restaurants? try LocalPulse, it is a mobile app that helps you stay connected to your local community by surfacing fresh events, restaurants, news, apartment listings, and tech meetups—all through intelligent web scraping and AI-powered recommendations. Choose from 4 different metro cities in India, coming to your local area very soon!
Built for the Modern Stack Hackathon by Convex.
📺 Video Demo: DEMO_VIDEO
- Pull-to-Refresh Discovery: Swipe down to trigger Firecrawl and fetch the latest local events, news, and places
- AI-Powered Recommendations: Leverages OpenAI's GPT-OSS 120B model via Groq for intelligent event curation and personalized suggestions
- Multiple Categories: Browse local news, restaurants, weekend events, apartment hunts, and tech events—all in one place
- Share with Friends: Send curated events directly to friends via email using Resend integration
- Real-time Updates: Powered by Convex for instant synchronization across devices
- Secure Authentication: Email/password auth with Better Auth
| Technology | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Expo | Cross-platform mobile framework (React Native) |
| Convex | Real-time backend database and API |
| Better Auth | Secure email/password authentication |
| Firecrawl | Web scraping for discovering local events and places |
| Groq | Fast inference for OpenAI GPT-OSS 120B model |
| Resend | Transactional email service for sharing events |
Uses OpenAI's open-weight GPT-OSS 120B model through Groq's ultra-fast inference platform for intelligent event recommendations, content summarization, and personalized local discovery.
Implements dynamic web scraping triggered by user pull-to-refresh actions, searching for fresh local content including events, restaurants, news, and apartment listings across multiple sources.
Serves as the real-time backend infrastructure, storing scraped events, user preferences, and providing instant synchronization across all connected devices.
Provides secure, privacy-focused authentication with email/password flows, managing user sessions and protecting user data.
Powers the "Share with Friends" feature, sending beautifully formatted emails with event details and personalized recommendations.
- Node.js 18+
- Expo CLI
- iOS Simulator or Android Emulator (or Expo Go app)
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/RitamPal26/localpulse.git
cd localpulse
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env
# Add your API keys for Convex, Firecrawl, Groq, Better Auth, and Resend
# Start the development server
npx expo start
# Start the convex backend
npx convex dev
Create a .env file with the following keys:
CONVEX_DEPLOYMENT=your_convex_deployment
EXPO_PUBLIC_CONVEX_URL=your_convex_url
EXPO_PUBLIC_BETTER_AUTH_URL=your_convex_better-auth_url
GROQ_API_KEY=your_groq_api_key
FIRECRAWL_API_KEY=your_firecrawl_api_key
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your_better_auth_secret
RESEND_API_KEY=your_resend_api_key
- Authentication: Users sign up/login with email and password via Better Auth
- Location-Based Discovery: Currently, top four Indian cities are there, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore
- Pull-to-Refresh: User swipes down to trigger Firecrawl scraping for fresh local content
- AI Curation: GPT-OSS 120B analyzes scraped content and surfaces relevant, personalized recommendations
- Real-time Sync: Convex updates the feed across all devices instantly
- Share: Users can email events to friends using Resend integration
Unlike generic event platforms or map apps, LocalPulse:
- Always Fresh: Pull-to-refresh scraping ensures you see the latest happenings
- AI-Curated: Not just a list—intelligent recommendations tailored to your interests
- All-in-One: Events, dining, news, apartments, and tech meetups in a single feed
- Privacy-First: Your data stays yours with Better Auth's secure implementation
Currently, LocalPulse supports Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai. The next major feature will enable custom city selection, allowing users to:
- Type their own city: Search and select from a global database of cities and towns
- Automatic location detection: Option to auto-detect user's current city using GPS
- Multi-city following: Save and switch between multiple cities (e.g., home city + frequently visited locations)
- Regional customization: Tailored scraping sources based on each city's popular local news sites, event platforms, and community forums
- Crowd-sourced sources: Allow users to submit local websites/sources for their cities, expanding coverage organically
This expansion will transform LocalPulse from a metro-focused app into a truly global local discovery platform, making it useful for users anywhere—from small towns to major metropolitan areas.
- Personalized feeds: AI learns user preferences over time to surface more relevant events
- Event reminders: Push notifications for saved events
- Community reviews: Users can rate and review local places/events
- Collaborative lists: Share curated event collections with friend groups
- Offline mode: Cache recent events for viewing without internet connection
- Advanced filters: Filter by date range, price, distance, and category preferences
Built with amazing tools from:
- Convex - Modern Stack Hackathon Host
- OpenAI - GPT-OSS Models
- Groq - Lightning-fast inference
- Firecrawl - Web scraping infrastructure
- Better Auth - Authentication solution
- Resend - Email infrastructure
Made with ❤️ for the Modern Stack Hackathon