Turning climate anxiety into investment action for Gen Z
Every transaction fuels climate action.
Valance connects personal values to financial decisions. We built a gamified investing app where every trade contributes to a personal "green score," making abstract climate impact tangible and rewarding.
Gen Z has climate anxiety, but no financial outlet.
prioritize sustainability in daily choices.
report severe climate anxiety.
Barriers to entry
No climate lens
Existing apps miss values-driven investors.
Fragmented Data
ESG data is scattered and hard to find.
Complexity
Financial jargon kills confidence instantly.
Invisible Impact
Sustainable investing feels abstract and rewarding.
Gamifying impact.
"How might we turn abstract climate investments into visible, earned progress?"
The Valance Experience
Curated for Values
Users select causes (not stocks). The app builds a portfolio aligned with their identity.
Green Thermometer
A visual feedback loop. Every green investment fills the thermometer, unlocking rewards.
Impact Marketplace
Simplified ESG data cards that look like collectibles, not spreadsheets.
What I learned
Gamification requires constraint
Too many rewards dilute value. We stripped back 50% of the game mechanics to focus purely on the "Thermometer" as the single source of truth.
Trust comes from transparency
Gen Z detects "greenwashing" instantly. We had to ensure every green badge was backed by verifiable data just one tap away.