Hack the Valley - wow

This is a submission for the MLH x DEV Writing Challenge

What I Built

Money decisions can feel overwhelming, especially when financial tools assume everyone already knows the complicated things to make wise decisions with making money. I wanted to build a calmer, more approachable way for people at different stages of life to learn about money and make a plan.

That idea became Velora, a financial learning and planning experience designed to meet people where they currently stand, whether they’re just learning what a stock is or thinking about growing their portfolio regardless of their experience.

I learned that a “finance app for everyone” can easily become confusing for people. The same concept needs different explanations and interactions depending on who is using it.

Try it NOW: https://veloraafin.vercel.app/

• The kid account UI is much more game-like, and there's the learn section, while the Adult and Teen account UI's has more colour-theme options and has the AI-automated trading tool. It's easy to understand, so you should be able to create an account (starting money is your current networth/bank balance) and start making money (paper)

Velora is a cool prototype built on public, real stock data. The AI is experimental and while it used real-time data, they are predictions, and they are not guaranteed. It's good practice though.

I also learned that external APIs introduce real product constraints: keys must be configured correctly, provider quotas can run out, and failures need to be communicated clearly. A reliable experience requires more than a successful API call.

Demo

Here is the demo I made with ElevenLabs as the voice:

Partner Technologies

I integrated Google Gemini into Velora core functionality. Connecting Gemini with the application allowed me to explore how large language models can provide useful, context-aware outputs within a user-friendly interface.

Working with Gemini gave me hands-on experience integrating AI into a software project, understanding the importance of input structure, and ensuring outputs fit the application's purpose. Building under the hackathon time limit also challenged me to balance functionality with usability. This experience strengthened my understanding of how genAI can upgrade applications when used thoughtfully.

Hackathon Experience

I built this project for Hack the Valley. I teamed up with Rugved, a friend my age. I met and connected with people of diverse ages, from highschool, university or even graduates with real full-time jobs! It was really fun, and the one thing I would remember most is the sleepless nights we put into our projects, with everyone else doing the same!

Until next time,
--> Mayur Joshi