Findora is a Lost & Found platform built for student communities. It helps students report lost items, post found items, connect with item owners, and manage claims through a structured and secure workflow.
Problem
Students were reporting and tracking lost and found items through scattered WhatsApp groups, Telegram groups, and community channels. Reports got buried in chat history, there was no reliable way to verify that someone claiming an item was its real owner, and there was no centralized place to search what had already been found.
Solution
Findora gives the IITM community a dedicated platform to report lost items, post found items, and manage claims through a structured, verified workflow -- replacing scattered group chats with one searchable system. Accounts are verified through IITM-linked Google sign-in, and owners and finders communicate through private in-app messaging instead of exchanging phone numbers.
Challenges
Verifying that someone claiming a found item is its real owner, without making the process so strict that legitimate claims get rejected. Keeping moderation manageable as report volume grows. Designing the report-to-recovery flow to work well on mobile, since most students use it from their phones.
Key Features
- Lost item reporting
- Found item reporting
- Secure claim verification process
- Real-time communication between users
- Admin moderation and content review
- Student-focused authentication system
Technology
Built on Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, and Supabase, deployed on Vercel. Supabase backs authentication, the claims and messaging data model, and admin moderation.
- Next.js
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- Supabase
- Vercel
Impact
In active use by the IITM BS Degree student community, including campus events such as Paradox, where lost-and-found volume is concentrated.
Related Reading
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