A team of Masters students from the National University of Ireland (NCI) have won this year’s Citi upStart program after impressing judges with their AI-powered communications platform designed to make digital conversations clearer and more accessible.
This annual NCI-Citi initiative helps computing graduate students develop technology startups as part of their master’s degrees.
The program concluded with a Dragon’s Den-style pitching competition held at Citi’s European Headquarters in Dublin on 24 June, where 10 student teams presented their business ideas to a panel of industry experts.
Throughout the academic year, students refined their concepts through hackathons and mentoring from City employees, with the strongest projects advancing to the finals.
This year’s overall winner is Team Cognize, whose platform acts as an AI-powered communication layer that interprets ambiguous messages and tasks in real-time, providing clarity and context before users respond.
The judges said the technology has broad appeal, particularly for neurodivergents and non-native English speakers, while also offering benefits for those seeking clearer communication.
The platform is designed to integrate with major communication tools.
Team Cognize is comprised of NCI master’s students Amit Gupta, Joe Loftus, Annie Mirka, Sejal Khiledar, Chetan Panchal, and Subhyata Kumari.
doctor Anu SahniNCI’s AI for Business and Knowledge Transfer Champion, program director for the Data Analytics Master’s degree, praised the level of entry this year and the support from industry partners.
“I am proud to see the dedication and talent of NCI students on display through Citi upStart,” she said.
“Congratulations to the winning team and well done to everyone who participated and worked hard to get here today.
“We would like to thank Citi for facilitating mentorship throughout the program, which plays an important role in developing the next generation of engineers.”
Mr Sahni also thanked the technology company Mphasis for joining the initiative and supporting the students.
Mr. Mfasisis participated in this year’s event as an award sponsor and member of the judging panel, bringing further expertise to the evaluation process alongside Citi.
davinia conranCountry Director of Citi Ireland, said the program reflected the company’s commitment to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Citi upStart demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation and developing future entrepreneurial talent,” she said.
“The creativity and dedication shown by these students, with the support of our mentors, underscores the importance of bridging academic ideas and real-world impact.”
professor paul steinsThe NCI School of Computing dean said the partnership continues to provide valuable opportunities for students to develop commercial skills while tackling real-world challenges.
“Our long-standing partnership with Citi provides NCI students with unique opportunities to hone their skills, tackle real-world challenges, and bring their innovative ideas to life,” he said.
Rohit Jayachandran Mphasis added that the competition highlighted how AI and other emerging technologies can be applied to solve real business and societal challenges while helping to develop the next generation of technology talent.
