FIU Business students didn’t just compete for prizes at the ATOM x AIS Technology Innovation 2026 Challenge. They gained something potentially more valuable: direct exposure to industry executives and new professional opportunities.
The annual competition, hosted by the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, drew the largest number of participants in its history and brought together students, faculty, alumni and technology leaders to tackle real-world challenges in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and analytics.
For Jon Sastre (MSIS ’08, BBA ’01), a senior partner sales manager at Amazon Web Services and competition judge, that real-world connection is the event’s greatest strength.
Angelica Bravo (center) celebrates winning the inaugural Best Presenter Award, receiving a new laptop courtesy of event sponsor Tesys Networks
“It’s really important for students to get feedback from professionals who are doing the work every day,” Sastre said. “It helps them understand the difference between theoretical best practices in the classroom and how challenges are actually solved in the real world.”
This year’s top prize went to Mentra AI, a student-built platform designed to prevent sensitive corporate data from being exposed through public artificial intelligence tools. The system keeps information localized within an organization, restricts access based on permissions and grounds responses in internal data to maintain governance and security.
But the competition’s impact extended beyond the trophy.
Following their win, team members Isaac Ruiz, Elizabeth Lanza, Altair Ibysh and Adilet Sultanbek were invited by an audience member to present Mentra AI at the AGILE International Conference in March.
“That wouldn’t have been an opportunity we could have had if we weren’t doing this together and putting all this time and effort into it,” Lanza said.
The idea behind Mentra AI grew from real workplace experience. Sultanbek said he saw firsthand how employees rely on public AI tools while handling sensitive information, creating security risks and inefficiencies.
A panel of industry experts listen to student presentations
“I thought, why wouldn’t I make it better, faster and safer — and more private,” he said.
Teamwork proved just as critical as technical innovation. Ruiz said constant communication and trust among teammates helped sustain momentum across multiple competitions and late-night work sessions.
“The most valuable lesson we learned here was teamwork,” he said.
Beyond the winning team, the challenge highlighted how FIU prepares students for a rapidly evolving AI-driven workforce. Judges noted students’ hands-on experience building applications and working directly with artificial intelligence tools — skills expected to shape careers for years to come.
Individual achievement was also recognized. Angelica Bravo earned the competition’s inaugural Best Presenter award and received a laptop sponsored by TESYS NETWORKS, marking a personal milestone after overcoming early fears of public speaking. Lanza placed in second in the presenter category.
As participation grows and industry engagement deepens, organizers say the ATOM x AIS Technology Innovation Challenge is becoming more than a student contest. It is a launchpad — connecting emerging talent with executives, ideas with opportunity and classroom learning with real-world impact.
Special thanks to the Gold level sponsors of the competition, Assurant, Fortinet, Next Era Energy and TESYS NETWORK for their support. Silver level sponsors included wiSource and the City of Sweetwater.