FinFocus

Inspiration

Our team members all actively follow financial and technology news, from trade policies to the latest AI developments. But we realized that even though we consume massive amounts of information every day, it’s often unclear how each piece of news actually connects to our wallets. In today’s world of information overload, understanding the real impact behind every headline requires time, attention, and specialized knowledge, which are luxuries that most people don’t have. We wanted a tool that could bridge that gap: something that helps anyone instantly see how a piece of news might affect the market and their daily decisions. That’s how FinFocus was born! A lightweight, AI-powered Chrome plugin that we designed to turn raw news into clear market insight.

What it does

FinFocus automatically analyzes news as users browse. It summarizes the article, identifies the related industries and leading companies involved, and presents the insights in a compact sidebar. The goal is to make information connected and meaningful, helping users save analysis time, understand market context at a glance, and regain control over what truly matters.

How we built it

We started by refining our idea through multiple brainstorming sessions, translating abstract needs into product logic. Using VS Code and Cursor, we collaboratively built the basic architecture from scratch. For the frontend, we designed a clean user interface that integrates seamlessly into the browser. For the backend, we focused on processing APIs and AI models to extract insights in real time. Connecting the two was one of our biggest challenges. Ensuring that the data logic and UI interactions stayed consistent even as new features were added. Since all of us are full-time students, we relied on project-based learning and countless late-night debugging sessions to get things right. We also created a short demo video despite having little editing experience. Learning video production on the fly to showcase our prototype.

Challenges we ran into

None of us had ever built a Chrome extension before, so every single step was a brand-new experience. We were learning as we went, experimenting, breaking things, and fixing them again. On top of that, only one teammate had a finance background, which meant the rest of us had to dive deep into understanding market data APIs and how policy news could influence real-world industries. Time quickly became another challenge. As full-time students, balancing coursework, technical development, and user research often meant late-night meetings and endless debugging sessions. Even when the code worked, aligning logic between the front-end and back-end required constant communication and patience. Yet, these difficulties became the glue that held our team together. Every obstacle forced us to collaborate more closely and to keep asking ourselves the same question: “Does this really solve a user’s problem?” When we finally tested our prototype with peers, their reactions gave us the best answer possible: “If this tool were available, we’d use it every day.” That moment made every hour of work feel worthwhile.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Looking back, we’re so proud not just of what we built, but of how far we came. FinFocus was our first fully functional Chrome extension, and we are really looking forward to using it in our daily life, to be honest!! Designed, coded, and refined entirely from scratch. Along the way, we bridged technical, business, and design perspectives, learning to think like both engineers and users. What began as frustration with information overload turned into a working solution that helps people make sense of the market. Most importantly, we stayed true to our original vision: to bring clarity without crossing into investment advice.

What we learned

We learned how to wear multiple hats: as developers, designers, storytellers, and project managers, all at once. Beyond technical skills, we discovered what it means to truly trust the product you’re building. To believe that it can make a difference, and to keep refining it until it does. We also gained a clear understanding of how an idea evolves into a real product: from problem discovery and user research to MVP design and storytelling.

What's next for FinFocus

The next step is to connect FinFocus with users’ personal newsletters and social media feeds, enabling the plugin to filter and structure information across channels, turning daily content overload into a personalized stream of market insight. Of course, this comes with new challenges: balancing personalization with data privacy and maintaining transparency in how insights are generated. But our mission remains the same: To help users see through the noise and focus on what truly matters.

Built With

• and-gdelt-to-extract-financial-and-policy-insights.-data-is-processed-locally-to-protect-user-privacy
• animated-components-tools-&-platforms:-vs-code
• async/await
• canvas-api-(for-sparklines)-backend-/-logic:-node.js
• chrome-devtools-privacy-&-performance:-100-%-on-device-ai-processing
• chrome-service-worker
• css3-frontend:-chrome-extension-manifest-v3
• cursor
• error-handling-ai-&-data-apis:-chrome-built-in-ai-summarizer-api-(on-device-summarization)-chrome-built-in-translator-api-(multi-language-support
• figma-(for-ui-mockup)
• finnhub
• github
• gradient-glassmorphism-ui
• html5
• integrating-the-project-through-github.-for-the-ai-layer
• json-parsing
• languages-&-frameworks:-javascript-(vanilla-js)
• localstorage-&-chrome-storage-design-&-ui:-dark/light-theme-support
• message-passing-architecture
• offline-capability-after-model-download
• on-device)-google-gemini-api-(industry-chain-&-policy-analysis)-alpha-vantage-api-(real-time-stock-data)-data-processing:-lexicon-based-sentiment-engine
• popup-ui-(420x600)
• responsive-design
• tailwind-style-custom-css
• we-experimented-with-openai-api-and-public-data-interfaces-such-as-yahoo-finance