Announcing the Winners of the 2025 AI Startup Challenge!
We’re thrilled to share the winners of this year’s AI Startup Challenge: Future of Finance, held at CIBC’s beautiful midtown office on April 25.
After an incredibly competitive selection process, the final pitch event brought together:
- 11 finalist teams from Columbia University, Cornell Tech, and Wharton
- 60+ applications submitted from across the top graduate programs
- 100+ live attendees at the final event, including VCs, founders, faculty, and students
- 15 expert judges and speakers representing industry-leading firms and institutions
First Place: Rexi (Teo Zavalia Gahan - Columbia Business School) - AI-native system of record for fintech reconciliation.
Second Place: ARCTA (Arjun Hegde - Cornell Tech) - AI-native decision engine for financial professionals.
Third Place: ClearPath (Nazar Solomakha - Columbia Law School) - AI solution to hidden corporate and trade‑network risks.
A huge congratulations to all the finalist teams from Columbia University, Cornell Tech, and Wharton who participated. Your ideas are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in AI and finance.
Special thanks to our judges, speakers, and partners, including CIBC, the Lang Center, the Richman Center, and the Digital Future Initiative, for helping bring this event to life.
We’re proud to support the next generation of innovators shaping the future of finance through AI.