Last week I saw Noa, CEO of Vellum.ai, posting a picture from the Bahamas ☀️🏝️ Working, shipping, smiling. Peak “work from anywhere” energy.
I didn’t make it to the Bahamas (I’m not on the team 😅), but I did make it to Cancun — laptop, pool, sunscreen, and code. And yes… I totally related.
So, while testing Vellum, I built a small test app to help my son find good high school summer programs.
The idea is simple:
-> A teen-friendly form (because teens hate boring forms)
-> Quick results from a structured database with popular programs
-> AI helps expand the search with more options and explains why each program is a good fit
It’s not finished yet, and that’s on purpose. I'm just playing around.
I’ve been testing:
Different workflows
Different interaction models
→ one version as a chatbot
→ another as a guided form
Still fixing prompts, still iterating.
But the big takeaway?
Vellum made the integration part feel… easy. And this is the part I really want to highlight 👇
Vellum is not only for people who don’t code.
If you do code, it’s actually amazing.
-> You get integrations ready (DBs, tools, APIs)
-> You don’t stress about security every 5 minutes
-> You can run the workflow step by step
-> See inputs, outputs, timing, logic — everything
That visibility alone is a huge win compared to the “black box” setups we’re used to.
If you’re a small team (or a team of one 🙋♀️) and don’t have 5+ backend engineers… this is honestly a great way to move fast without cutting corners.
I had fun building this, and I really like the idea of AI doing the heavy lifting while we still care about UI, clarity, and real user experience, especially when the users are teens.
AI answers matter. But how you deliver them on the screen matters just as much.
Big thumbs up 👍 for Vellum.
And yes… coding from the pool is officially approved 😎
If you are curious about my test app, here is the link:
https://lnkd.in/ept735HQ
If you’re building with AI, try Vellum.
IT will be easier if you’re doing it in front of the ocean. It doesn’t have to be the Bahamas or Cancun; the feeling still works. If you tried already please share your experience on the comments.
