Overview
Machroui is a startup discovery and ranking platform for the MENA ecosystem, positioned as a Product Hunt for the region's founders. Founders list their startups for free, the community votes, and a leaderboard surfaces the highest-ranked ones to investors and operators.
Votes reset weekly, which makes the leaderboard a recurring event rather than a permanent ranking. At the time of writing the platform carries 5 startups across 14 sector niches including AI, fintech, gaming, and education.
Problem
Discovery platforms usually rank by whoever pays. Machroui takes the opposite position, stated on the homepage as "No pay to win, ever": listings are free and ranking is driven entirely by community votes.
The weekly reset is the mechanism that makes that credible. A permanent ranking rewards whoever launched earliest and accumulated the most votes; a weekly one gives every new listing a real chance at the top, and turns the board into something worth checking again.
Architecture
The backend runs on Supabase, using its Postgres database. The interface is English with an Arabic toggle. Listings carry AI-generated summaries, and top-ranked startups receive featured placement.
Tech Stack
Next.js on the frontend, Supabase on the backend for Postgres, authentication, and storage in one service.
Trade-offs
Free listings mean no listing revenue. The "no pay to win" position rules out the most obvious way a directory makes money. What it buys is a leaderboard that reflects community interest rather than budget, which is the only reason anyone would trust the ranking at all. A directory that sells its top slots is an ad unit, not a leaderboard.
A weekly reset trades cumulative signal for freshness. Resetting votes discards the historical record of what the community rated highly over time. In exchange, the board stays live and gives late entrants a genuine shot, which matters far more when the platform is young and the listing count is still small.