ArcAid | Devpost

Inspiration

We were intrigued by Aleo's use of zk-SNARKs for privacy and started brainstorming how it could be applied in different domains. As students ourselves, we relate to the struggles of applying for financial aid. So, we decided to come up with an idea to make the process easier and private. Bulk-apply for financial aid from various schools without having to reveal your personal financial information.

What it does

ArcAid revolutionizes the financial aid application process by keeping your sensitive financial information under lock and key. No more oversharing to qualify for aid! Upload your data into our secure platform, and we'll run the numbers. Schools receive a straightforward 'Eligible' or 'Not Eligible'. This way, you apply for multiple financial aid more quickly, easily, and most importantly, more privately.

How we built it

We used Nextjs, a full-stack web framework to build our front-end site and back-end APIs. We used Prisma as our ORM and PlanetScale as our cloud DB provider. We also utilized Tailwind for styling. And of course, Aleo and their SDK for blockchain development.

Challenges we ran into

Navigating the Aleo ecosystem was our biggest challenge. Even though the notion of zero-knowledge seemed very appealing, it took a long time to run on our machines. We persevered and did our best to utilize the platform to implement our ideas.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of creating a project that is forward-looking. We believe zero knowledge is the future and are excited about its applications. Furthermore, as students, this project hits close to home. We strongly believe in the right to affordable and accessible education and hope that our project will encourage more deserving students to qualify and receive financial aid.

What we learned

Product ideation is very important. Before jumping into coding, we iterated over a few ideas and drew out user journeys. With a clearer picture in mind, we were able to decide whether the project was feasible and what features were essential. Furthermore, it helped to bring everyone on the same page as we built the project.