Co-founder of Giselle from Japan
Hey everyone! 👋
I'm Shige, Co-founder of Giselle — an open-source AI app builder we just launched today! This is my first time launching on Product Hunt, and I'm super excited (and a bit nervous 😅).
I'm working remotely from Japan, which means I'm navigating a pretty challenging timezone gap with PT. We've got about 15 hours left in our launch day, and while I wish I could stay awake for all 24 hours, I'm about to take a quick nap to recharge.
We managed to ship Giselle just in time before 2026 — it was a close call! 🎉
I'd love to connect with this community, so let me know:
What are your favorite AI tools? (Your own products are welcome too!)
Have you been to Japan or is there something you love about it?
What's your go-to Vibe Coding style lately?
Looking forward to meeting you all!
Replies
Hi Tadashi, Giselle looks cool, and it's awesome that you made it open source! I'm also preparing for our launch day, could you share what really helped you not to miss a thing? Also, maybe something that worked really well for your launch and what didn't?
My favourite AI tool is Cursor
I haven't been to Japan, but I'd love to see the temples and the architecture in general
Giselle
@davidkaufmann Hi! This was actually my first serious Product Hunt launch, so I was a bit underprepared. Here are a couple of things I wish I had done:
Forum posts go through moderation and can take 12-24 hours to actually appear, so I'd recommend posting at least a couple of days before your launch, not just the day before.
I wish I had been more active in mentioning, commenting on, and reviewing the products that Giselle uses. I only found out about the feature to mention other products after our launch!
Let me know if you ever visit Japan—I'd be happy to share some recommendations!
Congrats on the launch, Shige shipping right before the year ends is always intense.Respect for handling the timezone gap too. Launch days already drain you, doing it across PT is another level. Lately I’ve been using AI more as a thinking partner than full automation shorter loops, quicker learning.Hope the rest of the launch goes smoothly.
Giselle
@syed_hassan9 san, Thanks for your comment!
I fought through launch day on less sleep than usual, but we fell just short and ended up in 2nd place. Really appreciate the support!
Congrats on your first Product Hunt launch, Shige — and respect for pushing through the time zone challenge from Japan 🙌 Shipping just before the year ends is no small feat.
Lately, my favorite AI tools are the ones that quietly remove friction rather than add more complexity. Also, Japan has been on my list for a long time — the mix of culture, design, and tech is really inspiring.
Wishing you and the Giselle team a strong finish to the launch
Giselle
@bashirco san, Thank you so much for the warm message!
Honestly, the time zone battle was tougher than I expected 😅 I didn't anticipate spending my New Year's Eve staying up as late as possible to keep an eye on things — but messages like yours make it all worth it.
"Quietly removing friction" — that's exactly what we're aiming for with Giselle. I believe AI should gently support human creativity without getting in the way, not add more complexity. Really glad that resonates with you.
You should definitely visit Japan! The way technology and tradition coexist here so naturally is something I think you'd find inspiring. Let me know if you ever make the trip!
@codenote Thanks so much, Shige — really appreciate you sharing that. New Year’s Eve launches + time zones are definitely a special kind of challenge 😅 glad it paid off.
I love how you described AI as something that gently supports creativity. That balance between capability and calm is hard to get right, and it’s great to see you aiming for it with Giselle.
Japan is definitely on my list — that blend of tradition and technology is something I’ve always admired. I’ll take you up on that someday 🙂
Wishing you and the team continued momentum after launch