The 2024 Imagine Cup is a prestigious global technology startup competition for student entrepreneurs building with AI. This year's participants have raised the bar with their innovative use of Azure AI services, and OpenAI, showcasing their potential to address global and industry challenges, save lives, and make a positive impact.
The Journey So Far
Teams from around the world kicked off the 2024 Imagine Cup by bringing their startups to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub, where they can access up to USD 150,000 of Azure credits to propel their startups forward. Then, the competition narrowed to the semifinals, where teams have been working with mentors to guide them in effectively utilizing and scaling their use of AI for maximum impact.
The Semifinals Judges
Now, it’s time to determine which top three teams will advance to the Imagine Cup World Championship at Microsoft Build on May 21, where they will be live on the global stage competing for the grand prize — USD 100,000 and a mentoring session with Microsoft Chairman and CEO, Satya Nadella! Selecting the top three teams is a challenging task – so we’ve assembled a panel of judges to evaluate each team.
Comprising a blend of technical experts and seasoned entrepreneurial professionals, this distinguished panel of judges will ensure a holistic evaluation of each startup. During the semifinals competition, the judges will meticulously observe each teams's live pitch and engage in a round of Q&A with each individual team.
Learn More! Listed in alphabetical order.
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Principal Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Amy Boyd, with a background in Computer Science and a focus on Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning, is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft. Her passion for AI and Machine Learning has led her to work on global projects, engage with developer communities, and devise strategies for AI Developer community engagement. In her role, Amy not only creates and delivers content but also shapes the product experience for developers, drawing on her extensive experience in the field. |
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Principal Cloud Advocate, Microsoft Anthony Bartolo, a Principal Cloud Advocate Lead at Microsoft, brings over a decade of expertise in AI, cloud solutions, security, and community engagement to the table. With a passion for empowering customers, partners, startups, and students, Anthony champions the utilization of Microsoft's AI and Cloud offerings through a plethora of developer tools. Through leadership and coaching, Anthony fosters a team of Microsoft Cloud Advocates who spearhead hackathons, workshops, and webinars globally. Our projects range from drone-assisted cognitive search and rescue initiatives to automating research using sentiment analysis and Azure Functions. Through close collaboration with Microsoft's engineering teams, Anthony ensures that community feedback is integral in shaping the development of Microsoft's products. |
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Investor, fresh.fund
Avia Vayner Chen started her career in the VC world as a student analyst at Fresh Fund, the first VC in Israel to invest in startups founded by students and recent grads in 2016. Fresh Fund is one of the most active dedicated pre-seed funds in Israel, investing in over 50 startups across various segments and verticals and Avia is currently an investor at the fund and leads the fund's deal flow. Previously, Avia worked with leading academic institutions in Israel, helping them build, nurture, and scale their entrepreneurial efforts on campus, training the next generation of founders. Avia is also a certified lawyer and an alumna of the Hoffman Kauffman leadership fellowship program. |
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Principal Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Bruno Capuano is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft, where he focus on Artificial Intelligence and .NET. His 14-year journey as a Microsoft MVP has seen him travel around the globe, participating in cutting-edge projects with amazing teams. As an international speaker, Bruno has imparted his fervor for technology across numerous countries. Bruno’s commitment to personal growth and empowering others through knowledge makes him a humble yet influential figure in the tech landscape. |
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Senior Cloud Advocate, Microsoft Senior Cloud Advocate at Microsoft where focuses on Artificial Intelligence and JavaScript. He's got an 18 year long career in IT including being a published author in web technologies and Go, international speaker and keynote speaker. He's also held MVP titles for Google and Progress. Chris is also creator of a JavaScript conference called ngVikings and user group leader for several user groups and tutor for University of Oxford on courses for Cloud, Generative AI and Digital Twins. |
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Director of AI, Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Gabriela de Queiroz is the Director of AI at Microsoft, where she provides strategic guidance to both early and growth-stage startups, helping them harness the full capabilities of AI and Microsoft’s products.
In addition to her corporate roles, Gabriela has dedicated herself to fostering inclusivity within the technology community. In 2012, she founded R-Ladies, a global organization for promoting diversity in the R community, currently present in over 200 cities across 55 countries with over 100k members. Following this, in 2019, she founded AI Inclusive, a global initiative committed to increasing the representation and participation of minorities in AI. |
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CTO & Co-Founder, syntheticAldata
Goran is the CTO and Co-founder of syntheticAIdata, a startup company dedicated to democratizing the vision AI market by providing affordable and accessible synthetic data. With over 20 years of work experience in IT and a deep understanding of various technologies, Goran worked as an engineering and technical manager, among other roles, developing IT strategies and solutions for well-known clients. Goran is recognized as Microsoft AI Most Valuable Professional (AI MVP), he is a tech enthusiast, he writes technical blog posts and he likes to share his knowledge at conferences, workshops, and meetups. |
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Head of Product of GroupMe, Microsoft Founder/CEO of Chalkup
Justin Chando is the Head of Product for Microsoft’s GroupMe app, the popular group chat app used especially by college and high school communities. Previously he has led product and design teams across Microsoft with Teams for Education and Microsoft Flip (formerly Flipgrid). Justin was the Co-founder and CEO of Chalkup, the class collaboration platform that was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 and built into Microsoft Teams for Education. |
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Principal Cloud Advocate, Microsoft
Lee Stott, is a Principal Cloud Advocate at Microsoft, leverages his extensive tech expertise to lead a team within AI and cloud advocacy. His leadership in Microsoft Developer Relations organization drives customer-focused digital transformation with Microsoft’s AI tools and services. Committed to team development, Lee applies Microsoft’s ‘Model, Coach, Care’ framework to mentor and elevate his team’s capabilities. His collaboration with University College London and Microsoft ensures he stays abreast of tech advancements. A proponent of environmental sustainability, and love for the outdoors reflect his commitment to a balanced, forward-thinking lifestyle. |
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Director of Founder Experience, Microsoft Serial Founder & angel investor
Micah is the Director, Founder Experience at Microsoft where he focuses on ensuring that all founders are engaged by Microsoft in an empathetic and effective manner. He built his first company at the age of 9 and sold his last one in 2014. A long time founder, he has spent time working in all aspects of the startup ecosystem, including starting companies, venture capital, and as an angel investor. |
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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 AzureAI/ChatGPT and Microsoft Fabric across healthcare, banking, legal, manufacturing, retail, eCommerce, tech, oil & gas, non-profit, and education institutions in bringing A.I. solutions from concept to real world implementations assisting enterprises in their competitive advantage leveraging the latest in technology. |
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Principal Cloud Advocate, Microsoft CEO & Founder, ConnectEd Code |
Follow Along!
Stay tuned as we reveal the top three teams chosen by our esteemed panel on April 18! And don't miss this chance to be part of a transformative experience – catch the Imagine Cup World Championship during Microsoft Build on May 21! Tune in, cheer for your favorites, follow along, and get inspired by the ingenuity of these student founders.