Weekly Update 🎉: Introducing Nabb
TL;DR
Here’s what’s happened over the last two weeks:
- Backend restructuring: Shifted to a more dynamic content ingestion system for better scale
- Frontend entering QA: We're testing features and refining the UI
- Growth nearing 1K: Hit 930 Instagram followers in May; now aiming for 2K by launch
- Big brand shift: We’ve officially renamed the app to Nabb
Hi Everyone,
After a week of travel and a nasty virus that knocked me out, I wasn’t able to send last week’s update. So here’s a two-week catch-up—and there’s a lot of progress to share.
Development Updates
We’re making meaningful progress on both ends of the product. While in Austin last week, I met with the dev team to align on improvements to the backend infrastructure. We’re moving from rigid, source-specific routes for link ingestion to a dynamic, scalable system—one that can handle a wide variety of content types without needing custom logic each time.
On the frontend, we’re preparing to begin QA testing on completed components. There’s still plenty to build, but the pieces are starting to click together, and we’re closing in on something that feels like a final product.
Growth Updates
We wrapped May just shy of our 1,000 follower goal—930 and climbing. That said, we’ve hit a bit of a plateau. One post continues to drive strong results at ~$5/day, but the account’s overall growth has slowed.
It’s becoming clear that I’ve pushed the account about as far as I can solo. Just like with engineering, it’s time to consider bringing in professional help to unlock the next level. The goal is still to hit 2K followers by launch, but we’ll need more firepower to get there on time.
Brand Updates
This is a big one: Matchbox is now Nabb.
Here’s the backstory:
While Matchbox served us well during the MVP phase, it was never meant to be the long-term name. It came with too many issues—existing trademarks, high competition across search and social, and limited flexibility as the product evolved. So we got to work finding a name that could carry us into the future.
We wanted something that was:
- Easy to say and spell
- One to two syllables
- Functional as both a noun and a verb
- Unique, but still recognizable
- Clear of trademark conflicts
- Unused by other apps
- SEO-friendly and domain-available
- And ideally available as a
.appand/or.com
After dozens of candidates, Nabb was the clear winner.
It’s simple, confident, and future-proof. It hints at the core functionality of the product—nab it now, action it later—but also has room to grow into a broader ecosystem. And with clean domains in hand (nabb.app, nabbapp.com, and others), we’re positioned to own the name across platforms.
We’re also updating the app’s internal language:
- Submissions were "Matches" → now called "Saves"
- User databases was their "Matchbox" → now their "Memory"
This Week’s Focus
- Development: Finalize the approach for RAG search and enable QA testing in Expo
- Growth: Share a new update video spotlighting the Nabb rebrand and product momentum
- Brand: Finalize and publish website, complete App Store application, and prepare for pre-order listing
Looking Ahead
Last week’s session in Austin was productive—not just for short-term development goals, but for reaffirming the long-term vision. Nabb isn’t meant to replace your other apps—it’s meant to make them work together.
Imagine saving a New York Times article about a hiking trail to Nabb and having it instantly available as a route in your workout app. That’s where this is headed. By creating a structured memory for your digital life, we’re laying the foundation for seamless cross-app actions driven by your personal context.
The more we build, the more excited I get. Thanks for following along—we’re getting close.
Pat