Coinify

Inspiration

In American high schools, financial literacy is barely covered.

Students graduate knowing advanced math, but not how interest compounds, how loans work, or how to negotiate pay.

Finance today feels overwhelming and exclusive. And many people, especially women and DEI students, were never invited into the conversation.

Coinify was built to lower the barrier to curiosity.

Not a textbook.
Not a lecture.
But an interactive, mobile-first experience.

What it does

Coinify is a mobile-first platform that teaches money through interaction, not lectures.

It includes:

Dynamic lesson generation powered by Gemini
A Financial Arcade with interactive mini-games
A chat-based Financial Audit simulation
Scenario practice for salary negotiation, loans, rent, and investing
An Explore Diversity section with voice-narrated finance articles using ElevenLabs

The focus is on applied learning, building confidence through real financial practice.

How we built it

Backend (Python):

Gemini API for dynamic lessons
ElevenLabs API for text-to-speech
Branching chat-based scenario engine

Frontend (HTML + Tailwind CSS):

Mobile-first design
Interactive mini-games
Chat UI simulations
Leaderboard and progression tracking

Challenges we ran into

Designing realistic simulations without overwhelming users
Ensuring financial accuracy while staying accessible
Integrating multiple APIs smoothly

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud to have built a fully functional chat-based financial simulation engine that allows users to practice real-world financial conversations. Instead of relying on simple quizzes, we designed interactive mini-games with meaningful mechanics that reinforce applied learning. We also integrated Gemini to generate dynamic, personalized quizzes tailored to user progress. In addition, we intentionally developed DEI-focused scenarios that reflect real systemic challenges and delivered an end-to-end working prototype that combines lessons, simulations, and accessibility features.

What we learned

We learned that financial literacy must be practiced, not just consumed. Simulation-based learning builds confidence far more effectively than static content. We also saw how tone, representation, and context significantly influence engagement and trust. Applied repetition, structured exposure, and inclusive design are critical to building true financial capability.