Show HN: Haven – Banking needs a safer browser
starthaven.comMy team and I built Haven. It is a stripped down browser that only connects to verified financial institutions and blocks everything else. No extensions, no injected scripts, no overlays, no random third party code. It is not a general browser, it is just a controlled environment for banking and investing.
Why? I have spent years building browser extensions and know exactly how much power they have. The extension model is useful, but the security model is too loose and a single malicious install can see everything, rewrite everything, and mislead a user without leaving a trace. My dad learned that the hard way after installing a fake Zoom extension and then losing money from his banking account.
In addition to my dad’s story, the number of people adding AI into their current browsers or using AI native browsers is growing and offers amazing capabilities, but the risks are growing exponentially. I wanted to build a way for him and for anyone, from sophisticated users to normal users, to bank safely.
It is currently free for consumers as we learn how people use it and determine a future revenue model for providing secure sessions. At our core we believe in privacy, which is the reason we are building this product. We are funded by trusted and established investors including Google Ventures, Valley Capital Partners, and others.
If you want to try it the app is at https://starthaven.com.
Looking for people to test this out, get product feedback and feature requests!
I usually rely on Mullvad Browser as a secondary instance for banking just to have a clean slate. Haven looks like it could be a more purpose-built solution for that workflow. Thanks for sharing, I'll check it out.
Hey thanks for building. So...any way to make it easier - like have a list of my banks to easily click on to then open. And security vs convenience I get it...why banks allow for a certain percent of fraud. With this how horrible is bitwarden password manager? Or does this increase the attack surface?
Maybe we need a 'money mode' for browsers like we have a private mode.
A money mode is exactly the idea.
Private mode hides your history. It does not protect you from malicious extensions, phishing lookalikes, or social engineering that happens in the same browser where you do everything else.
Haven creates a dedicated environment that verifies the real site and blocks the tricks that normally slip through. It is a space where your money tasks stay isolated and safe.
On the technical side, we built Haven as an Electron app, which keeps activity separate from the browser’s normal attack surface. The underlying attack vectors are different, so malware has a much harder time reaching this environment.