Three Days at JunctionX Tirana

JunctionX Tirana ran from 19–21 June 2026 and brought more than 500 participants together for three days of building, innovating and solving real-world challenges. Being in a room that full of people who all want to ship something is its own kind of fuel.

The Project: RaiQuest

My team and I built RaiQuest, a React Native application that uses gamification to make banking more engaging, interactive and enjoyable. The idea behind it was simple: a banking app shouldn't only be a place where transactions happen. It should give people a reason to come back and take an active role in managing their money.

So instead of treating the balance screen as the destination, we built progress, challenges and rewards around everyday financial behaviour — turning the parts of banking people usually avoid into something closer to a game.

We Didn't Win

As competitors we all aim for the top, and we didn't take the win. I would rather say that plainly than dress it up. What it left me with is a much clearer picture of the gap between a good idea and a finished, convincing product — and a lot more motivation to close it.

What I Took From It

The most valuable part of the three days wasn't the build. It was meeting people who are working on genuinely hard problems and comparing notes with them at two in the morning. I left with new friends, a longer reading list, and a much better sense of where I actually stand.

Thank you to the organisers, mentors, judges, sponsors and everyone working behind the scenes who made JunctionX Tirana what it was. This will not be my last Junction — and next time I'm coming back with one goal in mind.