Immediately marks a pivotal second within the 2024 Think about Cup as we reveal the highest three groups chosen to progress from the semifinals to the extremely anticipated Think about Cup World Championship, stay at Microsoft Construct!
The Think about Cup, the premier pupil expertise startup competitors, has attracted hundreds of visionary pupil entrepreneurs worldwide. Every group has developed an AI-driven resolution to deal with urgent challenges together with accessibility, sustainability, productiveness, and healthcare.
This 12 months’s semifinalists have demonstrated distinctive innovation with Azure AI companies and OpenAI, showcasing their innovation, grit and skill make a constructive impression by entrepreneurship. Congratulations to all of the semifinalists for his or her outstanding achievements!
Nonetheless, solely three groups have been chosen to progress to the World Championship the place they are going to stay on the worldwide stage as they vie for the Think about Cup Trophy, USD100,000, and a mentorship session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella! You possibly can watch these startups stay at Microsoft Construct on Could 21 to see who wins.
Drumroll, please, as we unveil FROM YOUR EYES, JRE, and PlanRoadmap! These startups symbolize the top of creativity and resilience, embodying the spirit of innovation that defines Think about Cup.
Meet the Groups! Listed in alphabetical order.
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Turkey About: Utilizing Azure Laptop Imaginative and prescient and Textual content Translator, FROM YOUR EYES has constructed a cellular software that provides each quick and certified visible explanations to visually impaired customers.
In their very own phrases…
Who/what conjures up you? “After being chosen as one in every of Microsoft’s main ladies in expertise in 2020, I used to be invited to affix the expertise group of Microsoft’s Seeing AI program. It was there that I took on obligations and crossed paths with visually impaired builders worldwide who held vital roles. They inspired me to delve into coding. As well as, Onur Koç, Microsoft Turkey’s CTO, additionally drastically impressed us, he addressed all pupil ambassadors saying, ‘Software program is magic. You possibly can change the life of somebody you’ve got by no means met on the opposite aspect of the world.’ We have been deeply moved by this, and with this motivation, we labored to succeed in individuals…with our developed expertise, and we succeeded.” How do you need to make an impression with AI? “The difficulty of blindness immediately impacts 330 million individuals worldwide and not directly impacts over a billion people. For a visually impaired particular person, utilizing picture processing options means freedom. With the expertise now we have developed, our purpose is to allow visually impaired people to stay freely, take away obstacles to their goals, and clear up the issue of blindness by expertise. This competitors will present us with the chance to advertise our expertise to hundreds of thousands of visually impaired people worldwide. They don’t have time to waste. We additionally need to shortly ship our expertise to these in want.” |
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United Kingdom About: Utilizing Azure Machine Studying, Microsoft Material, and Copilot, JRE has constructed a slag detection system used within the steady casting means of metal. Precisely detecting slag optimizes yield whereas bettering high quality.
In their very own phrases… Who/what conjures up you? Jorge: “I discovered the way to code out of necessity. Although I took programs as an undergrad, I by no means actually appreciated the kind of tasks we did as a result of they have been primarily simulations about atomic interactions and molecular optimizations. I discovered these issues stunning however very summary. After faculty, many individuals wished to create companies round apps, and I discovered the way to code entrance and back-end purposes to promote these apps. In a while, after I began working within the metal trade, I used to be pissed off by the dearth of automation and unsafe and repetitive processes, so I began creating extra complicated built-in programs on this area.” How do you need to make an impression with AI? “Our purpose is to redefine manufacturing for the twenty first century—making it smarter, extra environment friendly, and sustainable. The Think about Cup represents a novel alternative to showcase our resolution to a worldwide viewers, garnering assist and sources essential to scale our impression. We’re pushed by the problem of fixing real-world issues and imagine that by this competitors, we will take a big step in direction of attaining our imaginative and prescient.”
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United States About: Utilizing Azure OpenAI Service, PlanRoadmap has constructed an AI-powered productiveness coach to assist individuals with ADHD who’re fighting job paralysis get their duties performed. Their coach asks inquiries to establish the person’s obstacles, suggests methods, and teaches the person about their work model.
In their very own phrases… Who/what conjures up you? Aaliya: Considered one of my greatest inspirations has been my father… as he helped information my course inside pc science. He has all the time been an advocate for girls in STEM, and at a younger age, that was extremely highly effective to be supported on. It enabled me to beat emotions of imposter syndrome and believe in myself. He has all the time painted a imaginative and prescient of who I might be earlier than I actually believed in myself, and he conjures up me to be devoted, passionate, and impressive.”
Clay: “At a younger age, I used to be recognized with dysgraphia, a situation that impairs writing skill and nice motor abilities. Even when not explicitly said, when every thing in class is handwriting, you might be at a reasonably extreme drawback if you battle to even write a number of sentences.”
Ever: “A few of my greatest inspiration in pursuing pc science and engineering has been from cinema. I didn’t actually have many individuals in my life who have been within the tech subject rising up, so I bought plenty of inspiration from seeing tech in motion pictures. In cinema you possibly can see tech precisely because the artist imagined it, with out the restrictions of the actual world.” How do you need to make an impression with AI? Clay: “As I grew to become more and more proficient in programming, I noticed that not solely did I need to do one thing massive, however that I had the potential to make it occur. We’re unified beneath the mission to assist individuals with ADHD obtain their goals. Our buyer discovery efforts have revealed that regardless of vital will increase in technological instruments, there are nonetheless hundreds of thousands of individuals going through obstacles attributable to their ADHD signs and associated government perform deficits. We need to change that. The mentorship from Microsoft will assist us with the technical innovation and supply that frictionless expertise to supply a novel method in direction of supporting neurodivergent individuals.” |
Up Subsequent…
These high three groups will probably be stay on the worldwide stage at Microsoft Construct on Could 21 for the Think about Cup World Championship, showcasing the depth and promise of their startups. Comply with the journey on Instagram and X to remain updated with all of the competitors motion – and be part of us stay to seek out out who’s topped champion!
