DFI is excited to wrap up the semester with our signature events and exciting new programming that brought fresh energy and innovative ideas to our community. As we head into summer, we will be planning for another exciting year ahead. Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

We wish you all a restful and rejuvenating break and we look forward to seeing you this fall!

End of Semester Roundup

AI Startup Challenge: The Future of Finance

We concluded our inaugural AI Startup Challenge: Future of Finance - Final Event on April 25. The event featured pitches in front of expert judges and a live audience.

Finalists from across Columbia University, Cornell Tech, and Wharton all presented their AI startup proposals. Professor Sheena Iyengar, S.T. Lee Professor of Business, opened the event. Adjunct Professor Moran Cerf and Adjunct Assistant Professor Mattan Griffel led concurrent breakout sessions on "Where is AI Heading Next?" and "Entrepreneurship + AI and the Rise of the One Person Unicorn."

Judges included Jenny Fielding (Founding Partner, Everywhere VC), Bob Hammer '67 (Founder, Hammer Ventures), Bob Peck '97 (Investor, New York Angels), Brian Rich '87 (Managing Partner, Catalyst Investors), Ben Shephard, Executive Director & Market Lead, Innovation Banking, CIBC, and Jeff Witten '15, Founder, Sheer Health and CoinOut.

Congratulations to the winners! Rexi (Columbia Business School), ARCTA (Cornell Tech), and ClearPath (Columbia Law School)

This competition was sponsored by the Eugene M. Lang Entrepreneurship Center, the Digital Future Initiative, and the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy.

Thank you to CIBC Innovation Banking for generously supporting this event.

Digital Innovation Conference: Exploring AI's Impact on Media

On April 4, DFI and the Media and Technology Program co-sponsored the third installment of this year's inaugural Digital Innovation Conference, which aimed to explore technology’s profound impact on business, people, purpose, and growth.

AI has upended key aspects of media industries, from design and creation to consumption and monetization. These changes have had profound implications for investors, creators, entrepreneurs and regulators.

Industry and academic thought leaders explored the various ways in which the emergence of AI has transformed, and will continue to transform the media landscape in the Entertainment and News sectors. Additionally, law school faculty examined how existing global, legal, and regulatory frameworks are struggling to keep pace with these developments.

Synergy in Action: Priceline Executives on the Product-Tech Partnership

DFI's new BIZTech Series explores the intersection of technology and innovation in business, featuring a diverse lineup of industry leaders, executives, and tech pioneers leveraging cutting-edge technologies to tackle pressing global business challenges.

The second lecture in the Series featured Chief Technology Officer, Sejal Amin, and Chief Product Officer, Kevin Heery, of Priceline in conversation with DFI Affiliated Faculty Professor Chris LaSala. The discussion focused on "The Product-Tech Partnership: What Sets the Best Apart?"

Decoding The Data Economy: Insights from Laura Veldkamp's Book

On April 8, Affiliated Faculty Laura Veldkamp discussed her recent textbook, The Data Economy: Tools and Applications.

Co-authored with Isaac Baley, the book examines data as a crucial strategic asset for companies, reshaping our understanding of production, pricing, advertising, and investor behavior. It introduces advanced tools from macroeconomics and finance to model how data reduces uncertainty, informs firm decisions, and impacts the wider economy.

The discussion was moderated by Kent Daniel.

2nd Annual TLDR Conference

For the second year, DFI was pleased to co-host the TLDR Conference, in partnership with the Uniswap Foundation. Led by DFI Faculty Co-Director Ciamac Moallemi, this conference drew academics and practitioners who aimed to "evolve the DeFi space by generating new research and promote existing research."

The conference also featured a poster session (pictured left) by up-and-coming scholars in the field.

Groundbreaking Research on Whether Digital Twins Can Replace Humans in Market Research

Professor Olivier Toubia continued his groundbreaking work on digital twins. In addition to recently sharing some of this research at the inaugural AI Summit, he discussed in the Harvard Business Review the ways in which AI will dramatically transform market research.

In the May-June 2025 issue, Toubia and his co-authors identified how Gen AI can enhance, replace, or expand existing market research methods. From generating synthetic data and running AI driven interviews to building digital twins of consumers, the technology enables faster, scalable, and more cost effective insights. Their work suggests that Gen AI can not only streamline traditional research processes but also unlock new forms of data and deeper customer understanding.

Read the full article on "How Gen AI is Transforming Market Research"

Faculty News

Affiliated Faculty Hannah Li discussed statistical bias in marketplace testing

A/B testing offers a fast and cost-effective method for leaders to evaluate new features on a limited user group, allowing them to gauge impact prior to wider implementation. However, this approach can pose significant challenges in various industries. Professor Li proposed that solutions may be more straightforward than anticipated. Read more about her research.

Affiliated Faculty Sheena Iyengar on AI vs. human creativity

Recent research by Professor Iyengar revealed that individuals tend to perceive human-created art as more creative and valuable than that produced by AI. Read more about her research.

Affiliated Faculty Laura Doval on designing smarter economic systems

In a world of constant change, how can economic mechanisms remain effective? Professor Doval's research tackled the "limited commitment" issue by introducing a novel mechanism design that adapts to evolving information and regulations. This innovative approach has the potential to reshape public policy and corporate pricing, creating more responsive systems suited to a dynamic economy. Read more about her research.

Congratulations to the Class of 2025!

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