INTRODUCTION

The NYU Shanghai Digital Innovation Challenge (DIC) 2025 has successfully concluded, bringing together innovative teams from diverse backgrounds to showcase cutting-edge ideas under the theme of AI Agent Unlock Business Innovation.

After rigorous evaluation by judges from academia and industry, outstanding teams were selected across both the Main Track and the Global Track. These awards recognize excellence in innovation, technical implementation, and real-world impact.

MAIN TRACK AWARDS

The Main Track highlights top-performing teams across all competition tracks, recognizing both overall excellence and specialized strengths.

First Prize
Atlas

Atlas is a local-first AI research platform built specifically for drug discovery. It runs entirely on the researcher’s own machine - no cloud, no subscription, no sensitive data leaving the lab. Instead of a single chatbot, Atlas deploys a coordinated team of specialized AI agents.

Second Prize
TREE

Tree is an AI Agent for Pharmaceutical Development, which is a Multi-Agent, GraphRAG-Powered Intelligence System for End-to-End Drug Development Decision Support at Henlius Biotech.

Third Prize
Gradient Gang

Causality is a B2B verification layer designed to eliminate greenwashing by converting ESG narratives into auditable evidence. Unlike generic summary tools, our platform utilizes rubric-backed scoring and atomic claim extraction to provide compliance teams with a verifiable audit trail.

Best Innovation Award
Kiwi Feedback

Kiwi FeedbackLoop is a modular analytics layer that extends the Kiwi learning environment with asynchronous intake, agent-based diagnosis, dual-lens reporting, and intervention-ready workflows. The platform combines a Collector Agent for multi-modal normalization with an Analyst Agent for pedagogical diagnosis, while preserving a governance-aware path from raw evidence to teacher-facing action.

Best Business Potential Award
PocketPledge

PocketPledge is an innovative study tool designed to cure procrastination by combining virtual companionship with high-stakes accountability. Featuring an interactive Live2D avatar, low-latency voice chat, and multimodal vision AI, the system actively monitors your webcam and screen to detect distractions like smartphone usage or sleeping.

GLOBAL TRACK AWARDS

The Global Track recognizes outstanding international teams for their innovative contributions and global perspective.

Global Innovation Recognition Award
GreenLend Team

CONCLUSION

DIC 2025 showcased the power of interdisciplinary collaboration and the transformative potential of AI agents in solving real-world challenges. The awarded teams demonstrated exceptional creativity, technical strength, and a strong vision for impact.

We congratulate all winning teams and look forward to seeing their ideas continue to grow beyond the competition.