ClearTax

Inspiration

We wanted to build something that supports women in combating the pink tax market scam. The idea came from seeing how everyday products can be marketed differently depending on gender, even when the product itself is basically the same.

What it does

ClearTax lets users scan a product and its price, then shows cheaper equivalent alternatives. It highlights possible pink tax markups, explains the match, and helps users save money by comparing better options.

How we built it

We started by talking through the idea in detail and planning the UX, architecture, and overall flow. Then we split up the work: two of us focused on the frontend and making the app look good, while two used Claude code to help us move faster on the documentation and implementation.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was figuring out how to make the app feel reliable while still keeping the experience simple. We also had to make a lot of decisions fast, especially around product detection, comparison logic, and how to present the results clearly.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were able to get a lot done before getting too sleepy, which is honestly a win for a hackathon. We also came up with a strong idea faster than usual and turned it into something that already feels like a real product.

What we learned

We learned that when we treat a hackathon project like a real startup idea or product, we work with a lot more focus and make better decisions. It helped us think more clearly about the user, the problem, and what actually matters in the experience.

What's next for CleanTax

Next, we’d want to test the idea with more people and run a survey to see if they would actually use it. If the response is good, we’d start publishing it, promoting it, and continuing to improve the product.