Microsoft Imagine Cup

#ImagineCup is #Microsoft’s global student startup competition, bringing together students building commercially viable startups on its cloud and AI platforms. 🌍 #RedBull Basement focuses on earlier-stage student innovators as they explore ideas, test concepts, and begin shaping what’s next. 💡 Finalists from both programs are now gearing up for their championship moments this June. 🏆 Take a moment to read the Microsoft Signal Story: news.microsoft.com/signal/?p=1170 👀

Judge Highlight: Dr. Irina Raicu AI doesn’t move forward without people who know how to apply it. 💡 We’re excited to welcome Irina Raicu as a judge for the #ImagineCup World Championship. Dr. Raicu has spent more than 15 years turning emerging technology into real-world impact across IBM, Accenture, and Microsoft, helping teams bring AI into practice at scale. Today, she is building at the intersection of enterprise AI and startup innovation, with a clear lens on what it takes to move from concept to something that actually works. She brings a perspective grounded in execution. What holds up beyond the pitch. What delivers in the real world. Read the blog to learn more. aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… Watch the livestream on June 2 at Microsoft Build (9:45 PDT AM) to see how this year’s World Champion is decided. More details to come.

These are the leaders helping decide which startup takes the stage at Microsoft Build on June 2. 🏆 They bring experience across AI, startups, and global platforms, and a clear understanding of what it takes to move from early traction to something that lasts. Meet the judges 👇 👩‍💻 Dr. Irina Raicu:�AI leader, founder, and former Microsoft product manager. Irina has spent more than 15 years translating emerging technology into real-world impact across IBM, Accenture, and Microsoft, including driving large-scale AI adoption across engineering teams. Today, she is building at the intersection of enterprise AI and startup innovation. 🚀 Bakari Brock: GM Director of Global Partnerships at Microsoft for Startups. Bakari connects founders with the networks and infrastructure needed to grow on Azure, with experience spanning Guideline, Lyft, Twitter, YouTube, and Google across partnerships and go-to-market strategy. 💡 Thea Myhrvold: �Technologist and entrepreneur focused on building at the intersection of technology and human experience. Thea brings deep experience across AI, product development, and venture building, with a focus on turning ideas into products people can actually use. Watch the livestream on June 2 at Microsoft Build @ 9:45 AM PTD to see which startup is named the 2026 Imagine Cup World Champion. Stay connected and follow the journey! aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… #TechLearningWeek #startups #LegacyEra

🗨️ “The creator economy is built on original ideas, yet most creators have no way to defend their work online.” For Patrick Brown, a student at the @unioxford1 🇬🇧, that gap became the starting point. CopyFlag is built on a different belief. That protection should be built into the system, not added after something goes wrong. “Generative AI has dramatically lowered the cost of copying and modifying creative work. We’re using AI to reverse that imbalance.” Instead of focusing on content generation, Patrick is applying AI to recognize patterns, trace variations, and surface where original work is being reused across the internet. “For decades, sophisticated brand protection technology has only been available to the world’s largest companies. We’re using AI to democratise that capability.” This is about shifting who has access. Giving creators the ability to participate, create, and grow without constantly looking over their shoulder. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… #ImagineCup #studentlife #hackathon

🗨️ Better decisions start with better signals. Meet SpoilSafe, built by Vivaan Sawant, Advika Vuppala, Rohan Ganesh, and Troy McBride from the United States 🇺🇸, students at @CarnegieMellon. Vivaan brings a mindset rooted in systems, optimization, and long-term thinking. Advika leads with a hands-on approach to building and a commitment to expanding access for others. Rohan approaches problems with adaptability, constantly experimenting and iterating. Troy brings precision and structured thinking, grounding ideas in technical rigor. Together, that foundation shapes how SpoilSafe is built. Across supply chains, decisions about food are often based on static timelines instead of real conditions. SpoilSafe introduces a more precise approach, using sensor data and predictive modeling to estimate freshness in real time. Sensor data streams through Azure IoT Hub and is processed using Azure Data Explorer and Azure Synapse Analytics, while spoilage prediction models run on Azure AI Foundry. The result is a clearer, data-driven view of food freshness, helping teams make more informed decisions and reduce waste across the supply chain. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… #imaginecup #TechStyle #TechInWellness

Revora Health and an MBA student at Carnegie Mellon University. Surya’s path into building Revora Health started with people, not just technology. He stepped away from software engineering to become a personal trainer, working closely with clients navigating injury and recovery. That is where he saw the gap. Recovery often felt isolating, inconsistent, and slow to begin. Revora Health is where those experiences come together. The platform connects patients to licensed providers in minutes and delivers real-time, AI-guided support, helping people stay engaged in their recovery while keeping clinicians involved every step of the way. Surya is building the solution he wished his clients had, combining his background in technology with a deep commitment to making care more accessible. Whether he is pushing his limits in endurance races or leading fitness fundraisers in support of Save the Children, that same discipline shows up in how he is building Revora Health. His focus is clear. Expanding access to specialized care and making sure no one has to navigate the path to healing alone. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…

🗨️ Protecting creative work starts with understanding it. Meet Patrick Brown from the United Kingdom 🇬🇧, a final-year Biochemistry student at the @UniofOxford and the founder behind CopyFlag. Patrick’s path into AI started in the lab, where he built computer vision models to analyze biological images and recognize complex patterns at scale. At the same time, he was building online businesses alongside designers and creators. That is where he saw the gap. Original work being copied, altered, and resold, with little ability for independent creators to track or stop it. CopyFlag brings those worlds together. Using Azure-based AI models, it detects both direct copies and AI-modified derivatives, matches them across platforms, and automates takedowns in minutes. What was once manual and out of reach is now something creators can actually use. Patrick set out to apply what he learned in research to protect real people building real businesses, helping ensure the creator economy remains fair and built to last. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… #TechGiants #studentlife #techforgood

What happens after Imagine Cup? This. 👇 Astra Wellbeing kept building. After advancing as a 2024 Microsoft #ImagineCup Semifinalist, the startup continued to gain traction across the global ecosystem—earning recognition as a Top 20 team worldwide and going on to win more than five national startup competitions. That momentum translated into over six figures in non-dilutive funding, along with acceptance into leading programs including @msft4startups and MassChallenge. They were also named among Poets & Quants’ Most Disruptive Business School Startups, further proof of the impact they are building toward. Now, Astra Wellbeing is stepping into its next chapter through a 7-figure acquisition by HomeTeams, with founder Johar Singh taking on the role of President. From semifinalist to scale. This is what it looks like when student founders keep going. 🚀✨ Learn more about their journey: healthcarebusinesstoday.com/ai-powered-hea… #TechForGood #TechLeadership

🗨️ Food freshness shouldn’t rely on estimates. Meet SpoilSafe, one of the 2026 #ImagineCup World Finalists, founded by Advika Vuppala, Rohan Ganesh, Troy McBride and Vivaan Sawant from the United States 🇺🇸 SpoilSafe brings real-time intelligence into the cold chain, where decisions have long been based on static timelines instead of live conditions. Sensor data streams through Azure IoT Hub and is processed using Azure Data Explorer and Azure Synapse Analytics, while spoilage prediction models run on Azure AI Foundry. This approach gives teams a clearer, data-driven view of food freshness, helping them act earlier and reduce waste across storage and distribution. SpoilSafe is redefining how freshness is measured, turning data into more precise decision-making across the supply chain. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… @CarnegieMellon #TechForGood #StudentLife

🗨️ Recovery shouldn’t take months to begin. Meet Revora Health, one of the 2026 #ImagineCup World Finalists, founded by Surya Kukkapalli from the United States 🇺🇸 Revora Health is reimagining physical therapy by removing the delay between injury and care. The platform connects patients to licensed providers in minutes and delivers real-time, multimodal guidance through AI-driven computer vision, powered by Azure Health Data Services. With HIPAA-compliant Azure AI supporting continuous care, patients stay engaged in their recovery while providers can extend their reach without increasing burnout. Revora Health is creating a more immediate, connected path to recovery, keeping clinicians in the loop while making care more accessible from the start. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… @CarnegieMellon #TechLife #TechLeadership

🗨️ What creators build deserves to be protected. Meet CopyFlag, one of the 2026 #ImagineCup World Finalists—founded by Patrick Brown from the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 CopyFlag is tackling a growing reality in the generative AI era, where original work can be copied, altered, and redistributed at scale, often without creators even knowing. Built on Microsoft Azure ☁️, the platform detects both direct copies and AI-modified versions of designs across the internet and initiates takedowns automatically. What has traditionally been manual, expensive, and out of reach is now accessible. Creators can protect what they’ve built without needing deep legal or technical resources. Early traction shows the need is real. Thousands of creators are already testing the platform, with tens of thousands of infringements identified across online marketplaces. 📈 After experiencing copyright infringement firsthand, Patrick set out to build CopyFlag—focused on giving creators and small businesses the tools to detect and protect their work at scale. 🌍 Learn more about this year’s finalists and follow along as we head toward the World Championship: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… #TechStyle #TechClub

Introducing the 2026 #ImagineCup Top Launch Startup: L-Guard Ltd 🎉 In many regions, road accidents are not always the most dangerous moment. The delay in response is. L-Guard is changing that. By combining Azure AI and IoT, this student-built system detects crashes in real time and alerts nearby hospitals and emergency responders immediately, helping shift outcomes when every second counts. This is a startup grounded in lived experience, shaped by real-world conditions, and built with a clear sense of responsibility for what comes next. As the Top Launch Startup, L-Guard receives $50,000 USD along with continued visibility and support from Microsoft as they scale what comes next. Congratulations to the founders behind L-Guard 👇 Helen Ugoeze Okereke Ramadhani Wanjenja Terry Manzi Erioluwa Olowoyo Read the full blog to learn more about their journey and what they are building: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… Follow along as we continue toward the World Championship 🌍

Three startups. One stage. ✨ The 2026 #ImagineCup World Finalists are set. What stood out this year was not just what these startups built, but how they built it. Clarity in the problem.
Confidence in the solution.
A clear path to what comes next. From a global pool of semifinalists, these three startups now move forward to the World Championship. Each one reflects a shift we continue to see. Student founders are building with real users in mind and creating solutions designed to scale. Meet the finalists 👇 CopyFlag
 Revora Health
 SpoilSafe Read the full blog to learn more about each team and what they are building: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… Follow along as we get closer to the World Championship 🌍 #TechForGood #StartupGrowth #StudentSuccess #TechSolutions

Semifinals start today 🔥 This is the moment. The build. The push. The pressure. All week, we’re taking you behind the scenes as student startups step up and stand out. By the end of the week: Top 3 Finalists move on to the #ImagineCup World Championship and the Top Launch startup is revealed Which student founder(s) are you cheering on? 👀

Semifinalist spotlight ⚙️✨ Operations should not slow down growth. Meet Nyck AI from @NorthwesternU 🇺🇸 Nyck AI is an AI procurement agent that automates up to 90 percent of manual purchasing workflows for manufacturers and distributors. By layering intelligence on top of existing ERP systems, the platform helps teams save time, reduce costly errors, and make advanced procurement accessible to businesses of all sizes 📊 Daniel Sutheo Deepika Sampangi Marc Davis Efficiency at scale. Smarter operations. Time back for what matters most. Discover the teams shaping this year’s #ImagineCup and read more on the blog: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…

Semifinalist spotlight 🎨✨ Creators should be able to protect what they build. Meet CopyFlag from Oxbridge AI X | @UniofOxford 🇬🇧 CopyFlag is protecting independent creators in the generative AI era with an Azure AI powered platform that detects AI modified copyright infringement at scale and automatically issues takedowns. By making intellectual property defense more accessible and autonomous, the platform helps creators and business owners recover revenue and protect their work 💡 Patrick Brown Ownership that is protected. Creativity that is valued. Technology that stands behind creators. Learn more about this year’s #ImagineCup semifinalists and read the full announcement on the blog: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…

The work gets real in the Builder Series. This is where semifinalists refine what they are building and how they show it. Five focused weeks. Mentor connections. Build labs with @github and @Replit. Pitch clinics that sharpen every detail. Then it is time to step forward. In the semifinals, startups present live in front of AI experts, founders, and investors. Real questions. Real feedback. Meet the judges helping shape what comes next: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup… Follow along as we get closer to the global stage!

Semifinalist spotlight 🦺✨ Safety should move with you. Meet SIER from @USC 🇺🇸 With Sidekick, an AI powered wearable, SIER Technologies is enhancing safety on complex construction sites through real time guidance and automated compliance reporting. Originally designed to support blind users, the solution has evolved to improve workplace visibility and protection in high-risk environments 🏗️ Henry Fox Henry Warren Guidance in real time. Protection on every site. Technology that keeps people safer. Discover the teams shaping this year’s #ImagineCup and read more on the blog: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…

Semifinalist spotlight 🫁✨ Early detection should be accessible to everyone. Meet SILICOSAFE from Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, IIIT RK Valley 🇮🇳 SILICOSAFE enables early, non-invasive silicosis screening through AI-driven breath analysis for industrial workers at construction and manufacturing sites. Focused on migrant and informal labor communities, the team is delivering lifesaving detection in places where access has historically been limited 🏗️ @momentsof_baba @Vignesh_Troy 
 Adithya Yerrabothu Access to care. Detection that comes sooner. Health support where it is needed most. Learn more about this year’s #ImagineCup semifinalists and read the full announcement on the blog: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…

Semifinalist spotlight 🏪✨ Growth should not depend on technical expertise. Meet Team Recall from @vit_college 🇮🇳 Team Recall is bringing 400 million micro retailers out of data darkness with a visual first, zero typing AI inventory copilot designed for non technical shop owners. Built with inclusive design, vernacular language support, and low literacy interfaces powered by Azure AI, the platform is helping the Invisible Economy digitize, grow revenue, and compete with confidence 📊 Sarvesh Bijawe Access to insight. Tools that meet people where they are. Confidence to grow and scale. Learn more about this year’s #ImagineCup semifinalists and read the full announcement on the blog: aka.ms/2026ImagineCup…