At present 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 know-how startup competitors, has attracted hundreds of visionary pupil entrepreneurs worldwide. Every staff has developed an AI-driven resolution to sort out urgent challenges together with accessibility, sustainability, productiveness, and healthcare.
This 12 months’s semifinalists have demonstrated distinctive innovation with Azure AI providers and OpenAI, showcasing their innovation, grit and talent make a constructive affect by means of entrepreneurship. Congratulations to all of the semifinalists for his or her exceptional achievements!
Nevertheless, solely three groups have been chosen to progress to the World Championship the place they’ll 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.
|
Turkey About: Utilizing Azure Laptop Imaginative and prescient and Textual content Translator, FROM YOUR EYES has constructed a cell utility 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 among Microsoft’s main ladies in know-how in 2020, I used to be invited to hitch the expertise staff of Microsoft’s Seeing AI program. It was there that I took on duties and crossed paths with visually impaired builders worldwide who held important 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 have 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 know-how, and we succeeded.” How do you need to make an affect with AI? “The difficulty of blindness straight impacts 330 million individuals worldwide and not directly impacts over a billion people. For a visually impaired individual, utilizing picture processing options means freedom. With the know-how we’ve developed, our purpose is to allow visually impaired people to stay freely, take away obstacles to their goals, and resolve the issue of blindness by means of know-how. This competitors will present us with the chance to advertise our know-how to thousands and thousands of visually impaired people worldwide. They don’t have time to waste. We additionally need to rapidly ship our know-how to these in want.” |
|
United Kingdom About: Utilizing Azure Machine Studying, Microsoft Material, and Copilot, JRE has constructed a slag detection system used within the steady casting strategy of metal. Precisely detecting slag optimizes yield whereas bettering high quality.
In their very own phrases… Who/what conjures up you? Jorge: “I realized the way to code out of necessity. Despite the fact that I took programs as an undergrad, I by no means actually favored the kind of initiatives we did as a result of they have been primarily simulations about atomic interactions and molecular optimizations. I discovered these issues lovely however very summary. After school, many individuals wished to create companies round apps, and I realized the way to code entrance and back-end functions to promote these apps. Afterward, after I began working within the metal business, I used to be pissed off by the shortage of automation and unsafe and repetitive processes, so I began creating extra advanced built-in programs on this area.” How do you need to make an affect with AI? “Our goal is to redefine manufacturing for the twenty first century—making it smarter, extra environment friendly, and sustainable. The Think about Cup represents a singular alternative to showcase our resolution to a worldwide viewers, garnering help and sources essential to scale our affect. We’re pushed by the problem of fixing real-world issues and imagine that by means of this competitors, we will take a big step in direction of attaining our imaginative and prescient.”
|
|
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 achieved. Their coach asks inquiries to establish the consumer’s obstacles, suggests methods, and teaches the consumer about their work fashion.
In their very own phrases… Who/what conjures up you? Aaliya: One among my greatest inspirations has been my father… as he helped information my route inside pc science. He has at all times 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 at all times painted a imaginative and prescient of who I could possibly be earlier than I actually believed in myself, and he conjures up me to be devoted, passionate, and bold.”
Clay: “At a younger age, I used to be identified with dysgraphia, a situation that impairs writing potential and effective motor abilities. Even when not explicitly acknowledged, when the whole lot at school is handwriting, you might be at a reasonably extreme drawback while you battle to even write just a few 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 area rising up, so I acquired lots of inspiration from seeing tech in films. 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 affect with AI? Clay: “As I turned more and more proficient in programming, I spotted that not solely did I need to do one thing huge, 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 important will increase in technological instruments, there are nonetheless thousands and thousands of individuals going through obstacles brought on by 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 strategy 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 search out out who’s topped champion!
