WalkEt

Inspiration

We were inspired by the growing gap between the convenience of online shopping and the survival of local businesses. While large platforms thrive, many neighborhoods are losing the shops, culture, and community spaces that make cities feel alive. We wanted to build a system that uses technology to bring people back into their communities instead of pulling them away.

What it does

WalkEt is a civic engagement app that connects residents with local businesses online while also rewarding in-person shopping, cultural visits, and community participation. It combines a local marketplace, location-based incentives, and shared logistics to keep money circulating fairly within local economies.

How we built it

In progress.

Challenges we ran into

One of our biggest challenges was designing a rewards system that was financially fair to businesses. We had to ensure no single business could subsidize others while still maintaining a shared community fund. Another challenge was balancing innovation with feasibility so the system could realistically operate within city infrastructure.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Teamwork to develop an idea into a meaningful project.

What we learned

We learned that civic problems cannot be solved with technology alone. Successful solutions must align human behavior, economic incentives, public policy, and ethical responsibility. We also learned how important it is to design for fairness and long-term trust from the beginning.