24 Hours. One Problem. One Solution.
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in Cursor Buildathon Colombo 2026, one of the largest AI-focused buildathons held in Sri Lanka.
Hosted by TechTalk360 and Cursor Sri Lanka at Royal MAS Arena, Colombo, the event brought together more than 500 builders, developers, designers, founders, and innovators. Over a 24-hour period, participants built and shipped more than 120 projects across 11 different tracks, ranging from FinTech and Healthcare to Education and Agriculture.
My team, Reid Injection, participated in the FinTech track powered by Seylan Bank, where we built SoleBook, an AI-powered financial discipline platform designed specifically for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
At the end of the competition, our solution secured 4th place in the FinTech track, but more importantly, it introduced us to a real-world business problem that affects thousands of entrepreneurs every day.
The Problem We Discovered
Most people assume businesses fail because they don't generate enough revenue.
However, during our research, we found that many SMEs struggle for a different reason:
Poor financial discipline.
Business owners often mix personal expenses with business funds. Money comes into the account, bills get paid whenever they are noticed, and there is little structure around how cash should be allocated.
As a result:
- Tax obligations are forgotten
- Supplier payments are delayed
- Emergency reserves never grow
- Owners withdraw money without planning
- Cash flow becomes unpredictable
Even businesses generating healthy revenue can face financial stress because they lack a systematic way to manage money.
We realized that SMEs don't just need another accounting system.
They need a financial discipline system.
That insight became the foundation of SoleBook.
Introducing SoleBook
SoleBook is an AI-powered financial discipline platform that helps SME owners organize, allocate, and manage business finances intelligently.
Instead of viewing all incoming money as one balance, SoleBook encourages structured financial behavior by automatically distributing funds into dedicated categories.
These categories include:
Operations
Funds reserved for day-to-day business activities such as salaries, utilities, inventory, and operational expenses.
Obligations
Money allocated for upcoming commitments including supplier payments, taxes, loan repayments, and recurring business expenses.
Reserves
Emergency funds and financial buffers designed to protect businesses from unexpected situations.
Owner Salary
A predefined allocation for the business owner, helping separate personal spending from business finances.
By introducing these categories, SoleBook helps business owners understand where their money should go before it is spent.
How AI Enhances Financial Decision-Making
One of the key goals of SoleBook was not simply tracking transactions but helping users make smarter financial decisions.
We integrated AI capabilities to provide:
Financial Insights
The platform analyzes financial patterns and highlights areas that require attention.
Intelligent Recommendations
Users receive suggestions on how funds should be allocated based on business activity and cash flow.
Payment Prioritization
SoleBook identifies critical obligations and helps business owners understand which payments should be handled first.
Natural Language Explanations
Instead of displaying raw financial data, the system explains financial recommendations in a simple and understandable manner.
This makes financial management more accessible, especially for business owners who may not have formal accounting backgrounds.
The Financial Discipline Score
One of the most unique features we developed was the Financial Discipline Score.
Most financial tools focus on balances and reports.
SoleBook focuses on behavior.
The score evaluates how consistently a business follows healthy financial practices, such as:
- Maintaining reserves
- Paying obligations on time
- Following allocation plans
- Separating business and personal spending
- Maintaining stable cash flow patterns
Over time, the score becomes a measurable indicator of financial discipline and business health.
Rather than asking: "How much money do I have?"
Business owners can start asking: "How financially disciplined am I?"
Building the Solution in 24 Hours
Like every buildathon project, SoleBook started with a whiteboard, a few ideas, and a very limited amount of time.
The challenge wasn't just building software.
It was understanding a financial problem, validating the solution, designing the user experience, implementing the backend logic, integrating AI services, and preparing a working demo—all within 24 hours.
Throughout the event, our team continuously iterated on the idea.
Features were redesigned.
Workflows were simplified.
Logic was refined.
Bugs appeared and disappeared.
Every hour brought new challenges, but also new improvements.
By the end of the buildathon, we had transformed an initial concept into a functional product that demonstrated how AI can support better financial habits for SMEs.
Technology Behind SoleBook
To bring SoleBook to life, we used a modern technology stack focused on speed, scalability, and AI integration.
Frontend & Full Stack
- Next.js
Database & Backend Services
- Supabase
Artificial Intelligence
- Google Gemini API
Business Logic
- Custom Financial Rules Engine
The combination of deterministic financial rules and AI-powered insights allowed us to balance reliability with intelligent recommendations.
What I Learned
This project was my first serious exploration into the FinTech space.
Beyond the technical implementation, it taught me valuable lessons about:
- Financial workflows and cash management
- Building products around real business problems
- AI integration in financial systems
- Rapid prototyping and product validation
- Working effectively under tight deadlines
- Team collaboration in high-pressure environments
Most importantly, it reinforced a simple idea:
Technology is most impactful when it solves real-world problems.
SoleBook was not built to showcase AI.
It was built to help small businesses develop better financial habits and make more confident financial decisions.
Looking Ahead
The buildathon may have lasted only 24 hours, but the ideas generated there have much longer potential.
Many SMEs continue to struggle with cash flow management, financial planning, and disciplined money allocation.
Solutions like SoleBook demonstrate how AI can move beyond automation and become a practical financial partner for entrepreneurs.
Whether SoleBook continues as a future product or remains a successful buildathon project, the experience of identifying a real problem, designing a solution, and building it under pressure was incredibly rewarding.
A huge thank you to my teammates for their collaboration, dedication, and countless hours of effort throughout the event.
And thank you to Cursor Sri Lanka, TechTalk360, Seylan Bank, mentors, judges, sponsors, and organizers for creating an environment where builders can transform ideas into reality.
Live Demo : https://solebook.cyextech.com/
The future of business finance isn't just about tracking money.
It's about building financial discipline.