DEV Community

Cover image for I Stopped Planning and Just Shipped — Here’s What Happened
Shreshth Goyal
Shreshth Goyal

Posted on

I Stopped Planning and Just Shipped — Here’s What Happened

I Built FundLap in a Weekend to Fix Mutual Fund Overlap — Now It's Helping Thousands Optimize Their Portfolios

The Problem No One Was Solving

Most mutual fund tools either hide critical insights, lock them behind paywalls, or overwhelm users with complexity.

As a data-obsessed investor, I found this deeply frustrating. I wanted something simple, powerful, and free — something that showed me the real picture of my portfolio, including the overlap that kills diversification and the fees that quietly drain returns.

FundLap started as a weekend experiment. Today, it's a free public platform built for serious investors, finance-curious developers, and anyone who wants to take control of their mutual fund strategy.

Try it at 👉 fundlap.com


From Frustration to First Build

A few months ago, I was trying to compare a few large-cap funds. Despite having different names and narratives, I realized they were holding the same top 10 stocks, in nearly identical proportions.

Even worse, I couldn’t find a free tool that highlighted this overlap clearly — especially not in a way that helped me decide what to do next. I didn’t just want analytics; I wanted actionable insights.

So I sat down on a Friday night and started building something lightweight. Two days later, FundLap was live.

It’s not just a product — it’s a belief: Investors deserve clarity.


Building as a Developer, Thinking Like an Investor

This wasn’t a YC-funded sprint or a 6-month roadmap. I’m a solo dev who writes TypeScript on weekdays and fiddles with data visualizations at night.

I didn’t plan to build a “startup” — I just wanted to solve a problem for myself. That made everything sharper. Fewer features, faster load, more insight per pixel.

Here’s what I optimized for:

  • 🔍 Immediate answers: You shouldn’t need an MBA to interpret your portfolio
  • Speed: Zero login, zero friction — just paste fund names and compare
  • 🧰 APIs for builders: I love tools with APIs, so I made sure FundLap had one too

It’s easy to forget this: Every time we hit “invest,” we’re trusting a system we don’t fully see. As a dev, I had the tools to look deeper — so I did.


You Think You’re Diversified? This Link Might Prove You Wrong.

Most investors assume picking three different funds = instant diversification.

But here’s a live link that might surprise you:

👉 Check this portfolio on FundLap

It’s a combo of:

  • Parag Parikh Flexi Cap Fund
  • SBI Nifty 50 ETF
  • Nippon India Large Cap Fund

On the surface, they sound unrelated. Different fund houses. Different strategies.

But the overlap? It’s significant. 45%, 27%, even 93% duplication in holdings.

We’re not talking minor crossover — we’re talking redundancy that eats into your returns and inflates your fees.

That page gives you:

  • Real overlap data (down to the exact holdings)
  • Suggested replacements that maintain performance
  • Visuals showing how sectors stack up

No login. No cost. Just raw portfolio insight.

Sometimes, the truth about your portfolio is just one chart away.


For Indie Hackers: Why I Opened the API

I didn’t just want to build a tool — I wanted to make it buildable.

So I launched the FundLap API here:

👉 FundLap API on RapidAPI

I’ve always loved open APIs — they let people remix tools into things I’d never think of. This one’s no different.

You can use it to:

  • Build a fund comparison Telegram bot
  • Auto-update a Notion dashboard with overlap scores
  • Power your own finance tracker with metadata, returns, and diversification visuals

It’s clean, fast, and ready to plug into whatever you’re building.


Final Thoughts

FundLap wasn’t born in a pitch deck. It came from hitting walls as an investor — and having the skills to code a way around them.

If you’ve ever looked at your portfolio and thought, “Is this really working together?” — this tool’s for you.

And if you’re a builder? There’s room to remix it into something even better.

Start here 👉 fundlap.com

Or fork the vision with the API 👉 RapidAPI

Built on a weekend. Still shipping. 🚀

Top comments (8)

Collapse
 
rishabhkr profile image
Rishabh Kumar

This is incredible — major props for opening up the API! 🙌 It’s one thing to build a tool that solves a real investor pain point, but making it accessible for others to build on? That’s next level. Respect! 👏

Collapse
 
shreshthgoyal profile image
Shreshth Goyal

Seriously, comments like yours make our day! The API is just the beginning - we've got more cool stuff coming!

Collapse
 
mounica30 profile image
Mounica Sruthi

Inspiring stuff!
Just tried out fundlap, super intuitive and helped me get a clearer view of my portfolio. Definitely a useful tool, appreciate you sharing it.

Collapse
 
shreshthgoyal profile image
Shreshth Goyal

Thank you!!

Collapse
 
shikhar13012001 profile image
Shikhar

I have very less idea for MFs, it is pretty easy to use, thanks!

Collapse
 
shreshthgoyal profile image
Shreshth Goyal

glad it helped✨

Collapse
 
himshikhar_singh profile image
Himshikhar singh

Love the UI, clean and minimalistic ✨

Collapse
 
shreshthgoyal profile image
Shreshth Goyal

Thanks man!