WitTrade – A Marketplace for Minds

🏆 Top 6 Finalist at Hack Quanta 36-hour Hackathon (JIMS, Greater Noida x Geek Room) and Semi-Finalist at Hack-Ula 2025 Hackathon

"A Marketplace for Minds – Where Startups and Learners Grow Together"

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🚀 Problem We’re Solving

• ❌ Startups spend time and resources onboarding interns who lack relevant skills.
• ❌ Learners rely on generic YouTube/Udemy courses that don’t match real-world startup needs.
• ❌ No transparent, scalable system exists that connects startups with learners for practical, niche upskilling.

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💡 Our Solution

WitTrade is a startup-led, performance-driven knowledge marketplace.

• Startups design short, project-based sessions aligned to their unique requirements.
• Learners choose, learn, and prove themselves by completing modules and projects.
• Every learner’s growth is tracked in a Skill Wallet (verifiable performance history) (not implemented).
• Hiring decisions are based on actual performance, not just resumes.

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🔑 Key Features

• 🖥️ Startup Dashboard – Post skill requirements, projects, and sessions.
• 📊 Learner Dashboard – Track sessions attended, projects completed, performance score.
• 🤝 Knowledge Barter (Add-On) – Peer-to-peer mentoring using credits. (not implemented)
• 🎙️ Rent-a-Speaker – Startups can bring in expert speakers for short impactful sessions. (not implemented)
• 🏆 Performance-to-Placement – Structured hiring based on verified growth.

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💰 Revenue Model

• Money-Back Guarantee – Startups pay a small fee, refunded if they actively conduct training.
• Placement Commission – Platform earns when learners are hired.
• Freemium Model – Free access for learners, with paid certifications/advanced versions.
• Rent-a-Speaker – Monetization via external expert sessions.

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🔥 Why WitTrade is Unique

WitTrade	Internships	YouTube/Udemy
Two-way knowledge exchange	One-way work	One-way learning
Bite-sized, project-based	Long-term, unstructured	Generic, non-contextual
Resume-based matching	Limited exposure	No personalization
Performance-to-placement	Often unpaid	Only theory
Refundable startup model	No refund	Paid/free static

👉 In short:
Internships = cheap labor. YouTube = passive learning. WitTrade = structured growth + transparent performance tracking.

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🛠️ Tech Stack

• Frontend: React.js, Tailwind CSS, React Router
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: PostgreSQL / MongoDB
• Authentication: JWT

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🔄 Workflow

For Learners

1. Create profile & upload resume.
2. Select startup projects/courses of interest.
3. Attend short modules & complete micro-projects.
4. Build Skill Wallet (attendance, progress, feedback).
5. Get hired directly based on performance.

For Startups

1. Register on the platform (small refundable fee).
2. List required skills and create short training modules.
3. Host micro-sessions or upload content.
4. Track learners’ growth via dashboards.
5. Hire top performers directly.

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🏆 Hackathon Recognition

• Built at Hack Quanta 36-hour Hackathon (JIMS, Greater Noida x Geek Room)
• Top 6 Finalist out of all participating teams 🎉
• Validated by judges & mentors as innovative and impactful for the problem statement “Startup Upskill Hub: Bridging Tech Gaps”.

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👨‍💻 Team Roles

• Backend & API Development – Scalable architecture
• Frontend Development – Dashboards & UI/UX
• Business Strategy – Revenue & sustainability models
• Design & Pitch – Presentations, storytelling

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⚡ Future Vision

• Blockchain-based Skill Wallets for tamper-proof verification.
• AI-powered recommendation engine for learner-startup matchmaking.
• Expansion to university-incubator collaborations.
• Global marketplace for startups and learners across borders.

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❓ FAQs

Q: Isn’t this just like unpaid internships?
👉 No. Internships = cheap labor, often unstructured. WitTrade = structured micro-learning, transparent tracking, and verifiable growth.

Q: Why would startups join?
👉 They save onboarding time, get pre-trained talent, and risk nothing (money-back guarantee).

Q: Why would learners join?
👉 They get real startup projects, feedback, and direct hiring opportunities, unlike generic courses.

Q: How does the platform earn?
👉 Through freemium access, certifications, placement commissions, and Rent-a-Speaker sessions.

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📸 Screenshots / Demo

Landing Page

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About Page

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Explore Page

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📥 Clone This Repository

  # Fork and clone the repo
  git clone https://github.com/aryandas2911/WitTrade.git
  
  # Navigate into project folder
  cd wittrade
  
  # Install dependencies
  npm install   # for frontend/backend separately
  
  # Start the development servers
  npm run dev

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🤝 Contribution Guide

We welcome all contributions that help improve WitTrade – A Marketplace for Minds 🚀

📌 How to Contribute

1. Fork this repository to your own GitHub account.
2. Clone the forked repo to your local machine:

   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/wittrade.git

3. Create a new branch for your feature or fix:

   git checkout -b feature-name
   

4. Make your changes and commit them with a meaningful message:

   git commit -m "Add: feature-name (short description)"
   

5. Push your branch to GitHub:

   git push origin feature-name
   

6. Open a Pull Request on the main repository with details of your changes.