Introducing the 2025 Imagine Cup Finalists
Three Teams, One Global Stage: Meet the 2025 Imagine Cup Finalists The journey to the Imagine Cup World Championship has been nothing short of extraordinary. After months of innovation, problem solving, and competition, three standout teams have emerged, earning their place on the global stage to compete in the finals at Microsoft Build in May. These finalists have demonstrated exceptional creativity, technical expertise, and a commitment to driving real-world impact through their innovative AI-powered solutions. We want to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the incredible teams who participated in the semifinals. Your dedication, creativity, and passion for innovation are truly inspiring. Every team showcased remarkable potential and ingenuity. As these three incredible teams prepare for the Imagine Cup World Championship, they will receive expert mentorship to refine their pitches and enhance their products before showcasing their groundbreaking solutions on the global stage. The winning team will not only take home the prestigious Imagine Cup trophy but also receive a $100,000 USD* and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella. Each runner-up team will receive $25,000 USD*. Watch the championship at Microsoft Build on May 19! Let’s meet the teams! Listed in alphabetical order: Argus: Two-part device empowering individuals with low vision : Daniel Kim, Arjun Oberoi Stanford University United States Argus is a two-part device that empowers individuals with low vision by aiding them in navigating the world. With a camera and compute module, it responds to voice commands and answers questions about a user’s environment, aiding with tasks like object identification, facial recognition, and navigation. The use of Wi R and a combination of edge and cloud AI, including Azure AI Speech for voice recognition and Azure OpenAI Service for image analysis, results in a lightweight device with high performance. Over 100 million people worldwide have a vision disability, and many experience a slow loss of independence as their condition progresses. “Both Daniel and I have grandparents with uncorrectable visual impairments, and they’re the inspiration for Argus,” said Arjun Oberoi. Arjun and Daniel understand the profound impact visual impairments have on daily life and overall well-being. “It takes just one idea to make an impact, and we believe Argus will help us make an impact on the lives of our grandparents, [and] the hundreds of millions of others with visual impairments,” said Daniel Kim. In 2024, Argus won the Red Bull Basement US National Final. Meet the team: Arjun Oberoi – Growing up, one of Arjun’s favorite family activities was building robotics projects for FTC Robotics, which ignited his passion for the intersection of hardware and software. This hands-on experience also honed his ability to think both technically and creatively. Daniel Kim – As a second-generation American, Daniel's parents instilled in him a strong commitment to helping others while embracing self-expression and creativity. This foundation has inspired him to launch various social good initiatives and projects within his community. HairMatch: AI-powered hair analysis Matt Steele, Alycea Adams Georgia Institute of Technology, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill United States Finding the right hair products can be a frustrating and costly challenge for women with textured hair. HairMatch, an AI-powered hair scanning mobile application, simplifies this journey by analyzing hair type, porosity, and texture to provide tailored product recommendations, step-by-step hairstyle guides, and expert advice. HairMatch uses Azure AI Foundry to host a Vision Language Model, processing image data and enhancing hair analysis. Co-founder Alycea Adams, who once struggled to find the right products herself, was inspired to create HairMatch after building a social media following of 1.2M+ and seeing thousands of women share the same struggle. As one of the only AI-driven solutions in the natural hair space, HairMatch empowers women to embrace their curls with confidence. "It's not just hair, embracing your curls is a journey to newfound confidence," said Alycea. Meet the team: Alycea Adams – Alycea found inspiration in her older brother, who fueled her ambition and planted the seed for her winner mentality. Her greatest supporter was her grandfather, who was a successful entrepreneur in Information Technology. Alycea embodies his legacy to build her own, and give back to her community, while cheering on the success of others. Matt Steele – While growing up, Matt spent much of his focus on swimming, yet did not become clearly talented until high school. This resulted in an appreciation of the impact of small things that build up over time, and the importance of working towards long-term goals. Matt also spent time in rural parts of Pennsylvania, where he observed the disconnect between most of the world and the impact of technology. This sparked his passion for building solutions that reach beyond major tech hubs. Signvrse: Real-time sign language translation with 3D avatars , Daniel Phillip, Anthony Marugu The African Leadership University, Machakos University, Technical University of Mombasa, United States International University - Africa Rwanda Millions of individuals who are deaf face communication barriers that limit access to education, healthcare, employment, and mental health support. Traditional solutions, like human interpreters, are costly, geographically limited, and not always available. Signvrse bridges this gap with a platform that enables real-time translation between speech, text, and sign language. Using Azure AI Speech, spoken language is converted into text and translated into sign language using hyper-realistic 3D avatars, making communication more accessible anytime, anywhere. “Our goal is to create and scale one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive datasets—expanding to 20,000+ words, integrating multiple sign language dialects across the continent, and enhancing the lifelike quality of our avatars. This groundbreaking resource will drive the development of a sign language [large language model] (LLM), unlocking a wide range of applications to empower the Deaf community and bridge critical accessibility gaps, ensuring no one is left behind.” - Branice Kazira Meet the team: Anthony Marugu – Growing up in Nairobi, Anthony was a curious explorer, always questioning how things worked. This passion for problem-solving led him to AI. Now, as Signvrse’s Data Scientist, he ensures AI-driven sign language translations are accurate, contextual, and culturally meaningful. Branice Kazira – Growing up in rural Kenya, Branice saw limited access to information but found a passion for writing and STEM. She founded Weeds4Feeds, won national STEM awards, and later, while teaching robotics, witnessed the struggles of Deaf students—sparking the idea for Signvrse. Now a Mastercard Foundation Scholar and Software Engineering student at ALU, she is committed to building inclusive technology that empowers marginalized communities. Daniel Phillip – Born in rural Kenya, Daniel lost his hearing at the age of 8 after contracting meningitis, and grew up facing communication barriers, limited resources, and societal stigma. Rooted in his Luo heritage, he champions advocacy and inclusion for the Deaf community. As Signvrse’s Deaf community lead, he ensures cultural and linguistic accuracy, bridging technology with lived experiences. Gheida Abdala Al Mashjery – Growing up in a traditional Arab community in Kenya, Gheida saw girls’ dreams cut short by early marriage. Determined to break this cycle, she excelled in school, earned a scholarship, and founded Girls I Save, empowering young girls through education and advocacy. Cheer on the finalists and watch the World Championship These teams have inspired us, and we hope they inspire you as well! Tune in to see who will win the 2025 Imagine Cup World Championship at Microsoft Build on May 19, when these teams will compete for the grand prize. Who will claim the title? We can't wait to find out! Join us on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, or Facebook, as we follow their journey to the championship. *Open only to enrolled high-school or college/university students 18+. For additional eligibility criteria, round start/end dates, and detailed instructions on how to participate, see the Imagine Cup Official Rules and Regulations.Introducing the 2025 Imagine Cup Semifinals Judges
The Imagine Cup is the premier global technology startup competition for student founders using AI to push the boundaries of innovation. The competition is in full swing with the deadline to submit a minimum viable product (MVP) coming up on January 22, 2025. Register today to get started! The competition kicked off with an optional Idea round, inviting teams to submit a Lean Canvas outlining their startup idea. The top five teams earned a mentorship session with an industry expert, providing valuable feedback on their ideas and proposed business models. Explore the winning ideas in the 2025 Imagine Cup Idea Round Winners blog. Teams that successfully submit their MVP by January 22, 2025 will compete to advance to the semifinals. Semifinalists will receive personalized mentorship and extended access in Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub to help them refine their strategy, demo, and pitch for a live virtual presentation to a panel of judges. The semifinals judges include AI experts, startup founders, and venture capitalists. These judges will evaluate each team's live pitch and participate in a Q&A session with the team. This unique networking opportunity to interact with seasoned founders, investors, and technologists provides new startups like you the chance to gain invaluable feedback on your business model, technical design and approach, and scaling strategies. The questions and feedback the semifinalists will receive from the judges will offer these teams a new and helpful perspective as they continue to refine their idea and solution. Semifinals judges (listed in alphabetical order): Amy Boyd Principal Cloud Advocate, AI Advocacy Lead, Microsoft Amy is an AI Cloud Advocacy Lead at Microsoft, brings a background in Computer Science with a specialization in Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning. Her passion for AI has driven her to lead global projects, collaborate with developer communities, and craft strategies to enhance AI developer engagement. In her role, Amy combines her deep expertise to create and deliver impactful content while shaping the product experience for developers worldwide. Ben Moxey Emerging Technology and Accessibility Manager, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT Ben is the Emerging Technology and Accessibility Manager at Guide Dogs NSW/ACT. He is responsible for finding, influencing, and implementing new technologies that benefit people with low vision or blindness into Guide Dog’s services. He is also responsible for ensuring a high standard of accessibility across the organization and supporting external accessibility related advocacy and training. Chris Noring Senior Cloud Advocate, Microsoft Chris is a Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft specializing in Artificial Intelligence and JavaScript. With an 18-year career in IT, he is a published author in web technologies and Go, an international speaker, and a keynote presenter. Chris has also earned MVP titles from both Google and Progress. In addition, he is the founder of the JavaScript conference ngVikings, a leader of several user groups, and a tutor at the University of Oxford, where he teaches courses on Cloud Computing, Generative AI, and Digital Twins. Gabriela de Queiroz Director of AI, Microsoft for Startups Gabriela is the Director of AI at Microsoft, where she guides early and growth-stage startups in leveraging AI and Microsoft’s technologies to their full potential. Before joining Microsoft, Gabriela held prominent roles at IBM, including Chief Data Scientist, where she led AI Strategy and Innovation, and Program Director for AI Open-Source Technologies, overseeing various open-source Data & AI initiatives. Earlier in her career, she gained extensive experience across multiple industries, including Software, Finance, Advertising, and Healthcare, through her work with startups in these sectors. Goran Vuksic CTO & Co-founder, syntheticAIdata Goran is the CTO and Co-founder of syntheticAIdata, a startup focused on democratizing the vision AI market by offering affordable and accessible synthetic data solutions. With over 20 years of experience in IT, Goran has held roles such as engineering manager and technical manager, developing IT strategies and solutions for renowned clients across various industries. Recognized as a Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional (AI MVP), Goran is a passionate technologist who shares his expertise through technical blog posts, and as a speaker at conferences, workshops, and meetups. John Papa Partner GM, Developer Relations, Microsoft John Papa is a devoted father, husband, and seasoned web developer with a passion for storytelling in the technology community. He is a Partner GM at Microsoft, leading Developer Relations’ Cloud Advocacy teams, and previously worked at Disney, contributing to web and mobile applications used by millions. John is passionate about coding and teaching modern web technologies, as well as running and enjoying all things Disney with his family. He is also the co-host of the Web Rush podcast, author of the Angular Style Guide, and creator of numerous popular Pluralsight online courses. Juliette Souliman Principal, Portage Ventures Juliette Souliman is a VC investor specialized in Fintech, Insurtech, and Crypto investments. She serves as a Principal at Sagard, Portage Ventures, one of the largest VC funds in the world focusing exclusively on FinTech early-stage investments, with $2.5bn AUM. Juliette is a fierce advocate for more diversity in FinTech and especially in FinTech funding. She has been a mentor on various programs including London & Partners and Women in FinTech UK Department for International Trade among others. Juliette was named one of the ten most trailblazing female VCs in London by Business Insider and is listed Forbes 30 under 30 by Forbes magazine in 2020. Lee Stott Principal Cloud Advocate Manager, Microsoft Lee leads a team of talented and passionate advocates within Microsoft’s Developer Relations organization, helping customers maximize their potential and achieve more with less. Developer Relations works closely with customers to guide them through their digital transformation journey, showcasing the power of Microsoft tools, services, and technologies. Lee is deeply involved throughout every stage of a project—from brainstorming architecture and conducting code reviews to pair programming, documenting projects, and creating impactful blog posts. Mar Velasco Co-founder, NetaCarbon Mar Velasco is the co-founder of NetaCarbon, a venture-backed climate tech startup incubated at MIT and Harvard. NetaCarbon is a product packaging compliance and analytics platform for consumer goods companies and packaging manufacturers. She has presented at numerous international conferences such as COP28 at Dubai and NCAPEC. She has extensive experience in venture building, corporate finance, international markets, sustainability, and strategy. Mar holds an MBA from MIT Sloan, complemented by MIT certificates in Sustainability and Entrepreneurship & Innovation. Micah Baldwin Director of Founder Experience, Microsoft Micah is the Director of Founder Experience at Microsoft, dedicated to ensuring that all founders engage with Microsoft in a supportive, empathetic, and impactful way. A lifelong entrepreneur, Micah launched his first company at just nine years old and successfully exited his most recent venture in 2014. With extensive experience across the startup ecosystem, he has worn many hats, including founder, venture capitalist, and angel investor. Rand Morimoto President, Convergent Computing Dr. Morimoto has been in the tech industry for over 45-years, a Silicon Valley tech pioneer who has written over 60 global bestselling books on Microsoft technologies, Y2K and Cybersecurity advisor to the U.S. White House during the Clinton and Bush administrations, University Board Trustee and Chair of Academics, and most recently a leading voice on Microsoft Azure A.I. real world implementations. Rand’s company, Convergent Computing (CCO), has worked with over 150 companies in the past year alone strategizing and hands-on implementing Azure AI/ChatGPT and Microsoft Fabric across healthcare, banking, legal, manufacturing, retail, eCommerce, tech, oil & gas, non-profit, and education institutions in bringing AI solutions from concept to real world implementations assisting enterprises in their competitive advantage leveraging the latest in technology. Renee Noble Senior Cloud Advocate, Microsoft Renee is a Microsoft Cloud Advocate on the Python Cloud Advocacy team, dedicated to making it simple and accessible to learn and build cloud and AI solutions using Python. A prominent leader in the tech and education communities, Renee is the CEO and founder of ConnectEd Code, her own startup, and serves as the CEO and Managing Director of a charity that has taught thousands of girls to code through the Girls’ Programming Network. Samantha Tang Assistant Manager for Grants, Cradle Fund Samantha Tang is the Assistant Manager for Grants at Cradle Fund, where she meticulously evaluates funding applications and supports aspiring entrepreneurs. With her keen eye for potential and deep understanding of business needs, Samantha plays a pivotal role in empowering entrepreneurs to secure grant capital and drive meaningful transformations within their ventures, target markets, and local communities. Smita Roy Sales Director, Digital Startups & ISV Asia, Microsoft Smita is the Sales Director for Digital Startups & ISVs in Asia, bringing over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. She specializes in cloud, AI, and digital transformation, supporting partners in building and bringing innovative cloud solutions to market. Asia is leading the charge in groundbreaking advancements in Generative AI, setting global standards for innovation. Smita is dedicated to empowering early and mid-stage startups, driving industry transformation, and fostering innovation through Microsoft’s cutting-edge AI technologies. Vinayak Hegde Principal AI Advocate, Microsoft Vinayak is a Principal AI Advocate specializing in Generative AI and Machine Learning, with over 20 years of experience in product development and software architecture. Before stepping into his current role, he was part of the Startups team, where he supported startups in bringing AI products to market and scaling them effectively. Drawing from his extensive expertise, Vinayak now focuses on educating and mentoring startups, students, and enterprises to adopt cutting-edge AI technologies and develop scalable, innovative products. Up next The top three teams will advance to the World Championship, competing for the ultimate prize of $100,000 USD 1 and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella! The two runner-up teams will each receive $25,000 USD 1 . Stay tuned and follow us on X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook for exciting announcements and the latest updates. Register today to get started and submit your MVP by January 22, 2025, 23:59 UTC. 1 Open only to enrolled high-school or college/university students 18+. For additional eligibility criteria, round start/end dates, and detailed instructions on how to participate, see the Imagine Cup Official Rules and Regulations.Get ready for the 2025 Microsoft Imagine Cup: Let the innovation begin!
Turn your innovative idea into reality with the Microsoft Imagine Cup Are you a student with an original idea that could possibly change the world? The 2025 Microsoft Imagine Cup is your opportunity to develop your idea, showcase your solution, and shine on a global stage.Meet the 2023 Imagine Cup Epic Challenge Winners!
The 2023 Imagine Cup is all about global student innovators building together to make a difference with technology and developing their own skills along the way. Teams had the option of submitting their project to the Epic Challenge as an early step in their competition journey. The Epic Challenge is an opportunity for teams to receive preliminary feedback on their ideas from professional judges and have the chance to win a spot to directly advance to the World Finals round.
