InvestQuest

Turn fake cash into real confidence. InvestQuest is the game that teaches teens to trade smart, take risks, and own their financial future. Where youth can learn by doing and fail without fear.

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Inspiration

As teenagers who’ve recently started investing for real, we quickly realized how overwhelming the world of finance can be. From confusing terminology to the fear of losing real money, there are so many barriers for young people trying to get started. Schools rarely teach financial literacy, and most platforms assume you already know what you’re doing. That left us wondering: What if we had a safe, fun space to learn by doing before making real financial decisions? That’s where InvestQuest was born. It’s the platform we wish we had. One that makes investing feel approachable, engaging, and most importantly, learnable.

What it does

InvestQuest is a gamified stock market simulator designed specifically for students aged 15 to 18. It combines hands-on investing practice with built-in education and gamification, allowing users to learn and grow without financial risk. Users start with $10,000 in simulated cash and can buy or sell stocks from a curated selection using either real-time or historical stock data. As they make trades and progress through the app, they unlock educational quests that teach core concepts like diversification, risk, and portfolio management.

To make learning even more interactive, we integrated Gemini’s AI to act as a personal finance mentor. Users can ask questions like “What is a dividend?” or “Is Apple a tech stock?” and receive clear, beginner-friendly responses. A built-in XP system rewards users for completing actions and learning tasks, helping them level up and track their financial growth. Whether you’re a complete beginner or a curious teen investor, InvestQuest makes financial education hands-on, practical, and fun

How we built it

We began by designing the UI/UX in Figma, focusing on a clean, mobile-friendly layout that’s intuitive for Gen Z users. We then built the app’s frontend and backend using React and Firebase, writing and editing code in VS Code with the help of GitHub Copilot to speed up our workflow. The project is hosted on Vercel, which allowed for rapid deployment and testing throughout the build process.

To bring the learning component to life, we connected the Gemini API for AI-powered explanations and added interactive quiz content exported through Google Docs and Sheets, enabling fast iteration and content management. We implemented real-time updates to track user XP, stock transactions, and badge progress.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges we faced was working around the rate limits and constraints of free-tier stock APIs, which made it difficult to simulate a dynamic market experience. We also had to ensure that the AI responses from Gemini remained beginner-friendly and concise, striking a balance between informative and understandable. Coordinating backend logic with a constantly evolving front-end design also required us to stay aligned as a team, especially as we worked across different parts of the app simultaneously.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We're proud of how polished and purposeful InvestQuest became in just one weekend. Our UI/UX is clean, clear, and built for a younger audience, something often overlooked in financial platforms. Integrating Gemini’s AI to act as a chat-based mentor added a major educational boost, making financial jargon less intimidating. We also successfully implemented an XP and badge system that adds progression, motivation, and replayability to the experience. And beyond the tech, we’re proud of how smoothly we collaborated, leveraging tools like Google Workspace for quiz content and team coordination.

What we learned

Throughout this hackathon, we deepened our understanding of API integrations, especially how to work with authentication and rate limits efficiently. We also learned how to merge AI tools with interactive UI, allowing users to get real-time explanations and feedback that feel personal and useful. On a team level, we grew in our ability to collaborate across disciplines, combining our skills in design, frontend development, backend logic, and content writing to build something cohesive and meaningful.

Most of all, we learned that building something impactful doesn’t mean solving everything; it means solving one thing well.

What's next for InvestQuest

Our vision for InvestQuest extends beyond this hackathon. We plan to build a full user authentication system to track long-term progress across sessions, expand the range of stocks and sectors available to trade, and integrate real-time paid API data for a more accurate simulation. We also want to develop a leaderboard and social sharing features to encourage friendly competition among users. Finally, we see incredible potential in building out classroom functionality, where educators can use InvestQuest to guide students through real-world financial scenarios in a safe, engaging way.

This is just the beginning, and we’re excited to continue growing the platform we wish we had when we first started learning about money.

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