Skip to main content
AA
Back to project archive

Case study 06 · Squad × GTCO Hackathon

Smart School Finance Hub

A financial inclusion prototype designed to help students plan, grow, and automate school-fee payments. It advanced to the ten-team presentation stage of Squad Hackathon 2.0.

Open live product(opens in a new tab)

Recognition: Ten-team presentation stage · Squad Hackathon 2.0

Smart School Finance Hub product interface
Role
Mobile engineer · Team
Primary outcome
Functional prototype · Student savings and tuition flows
Core stack
React Native, Expo, Fintech

A fintech platform helping students save, invest, and automate tuition payments—so no student drops out due to financial hardship

Problem

Many students struggle to pay school fees due to:

  • Poor financial planning and lack of savings culture
  • Irregular income sources
  • Limited flexibility in tuition payment systems

As a result, capable students are forced to delay or abandon their education—a problem highlighted during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were inspired by real stories like Samuel, a bright student who dropped out after 2020 due to financial constraints, despite having academic potential.

Solution

Smart School Finance Hub is a financial inclusion platform that helps students plan, grow, and automate school fee payments.

The platform is designed to partner directly with schools, allowing funds to be remitted straight to school accounts, reducing misuse and ensuring transparency.

Key Features

Student-Focused

  • AI-Driven Smart Savings Personalized savings plans based on income and spending behavior.
  • Micro-Investments Invest small amounts over time to grow school fees.
  • Automated Tuition Payments Scheduled, worry-free payments directly to schools.
  • Flexible Payment Options Installments, scheduled payments, or crowdfunding support.
  • Emergency Support Integration with loans, scholarships, and financial aid.

Payments

  • SquadCo integration
  • Bank transfer support (optional)

My Role

Frontend Engineer (Team Project)

  • Built the mobile application using React Native (Expo)
  • Implemented student-facing flows for savings, payments, and dashboards
  • Collaborated with backend engineers who handled APIs, payments, and data logic
  • Worked closely with designers and teammates during rapid hackathon iteration
  • Focused on usability and clarity for financially sensitive workflows

Technical Stack (Frontend)

  • Expo (React Native) for rapid cross-platform development
  • Component-based UI architecture
  • API-driven state management
  • Mobile-first UX optimized for low-friction financial actions
  • Styled with StyleSheet

Challenges & Learnings

  • Designing trustworthy financial UI for students
  • Communicating long-term value (savings & investments) in simple terms
  • Shipping a complete product under hackathon time constraints
  • Coordinating frontend progress with backend teams in parallel

Impact & Recognition

  • Advanced to the ten-team presentation stage of Squad Hackathon 2.0
  • Validated as a scalable fintech-for-education concept
  • Demonstrated direct school partnership payment model
  • Delivered a functional mobile product within a short timeframe

Why This Project Matters

This project demonstrates my ability to:

  • Build real-world fintech mobile applications
  • Collaborate effectively in team-based environments
  • Ship under pressure with clear product thinking
  • Translate complex financial concepts into intuitive UI

It also reflects my interest in building technology with social impact.

Demo & Links