Cypher Accelerator Demo and Innovation Day 2025

On April 4, Wharton Cypher Accelerator welcomed investors, founders, and thought leaders to the Penn Club of New York for the annual Demo and Innovation Day: a showcase of bold ideas at the intersection of FinTech, AI, and blockchain.

“Wharton Cypher Accelerator unites global industry leaders with exceptional student talent to propel cutting-edge emerging technology ventures. Our program leverages Wharton’s world-class business expertise, interactive workshops, and robust professional networks to transform innovative concepts into market-ready solutions.

Student managers gain invaluable experience navigating complex business challenges while founders receive professional-caliber support. Wharton Cypher represents the intersection of student talent, managerial excellence, and entrepreneurial advancement in the rapidly evolving emerging tech landscape.”

– Sarah Hammer, executive director at the Wharton School

A group of people, mostly dressed in black formal wear, pose for a group photo

Demo Day was kicked off by an introduction from Joao Gomes, senior vice dean of research, centers, and academic initiatives at the Wharton School, and Sarah Hammer, executive director at the Wharton School.

A person speaking in front of a podium and a stained glass window background.

At Demo Day, leading voices from across FinTech, financial policy and law, and investment joined for a roundtable on Advancing the AI Ecosystem: Investment, M&A, Analytics, and Compute.

Moderated by Sarah Hammer, the conversation featured panelists Jeffrey Amico (Gensyn), Jonathan Ashtor (Paul Weiss), Victor Gustaf Gao (Carlyle), and Jared Roscoe (Softbank), exploring how AI innovation is shaping the future of finance.

Five Demo Day panelists pose for a group photo, smiling toward the viewer

A Demo Day speaker gestures with his hands while speaking from a seated position, as other panelists react.

A Demo Day panelist speaking from a seated position, as other panelists react.

This year’s event spotlighted the Altus Cohort, a group of five early-stage startups shaping the future of decentralized finance and digital infrastructure. Each founder presented their company to a room full of industry leaders, venture capitalists, and members of the Wharton community. These demonstrations were introduced by members of Cypher Accelerator’s student-run team.

The first demonstration was for the startup Corpus AnalytiX – a company that catalyzes healthcare breakthroughs through data synergy. Shortly after was a presentation from Cosmos, billed as the “Chess.com” of the debating world.

In between demonstrations, Cypher Accelerator’s student-run tech team gave a special presentation on market dynamics and risk factors in peer-to-peer lending. After the day’s first demos, Sarah Hammer led a notable recognition of Wharton Cypher Accelerator alumni.

A person is giving a presentation, holding a remote and smiling. They are wearing formal attire with a lanyard, standing against a blurred background.

A group of people standing in front of a stained glass window, holding awards. They are dressed in formal attire, and a sign is visible with "Wharton Cypher Accelerator" text.

Jeremy Schwartz, global chief investment officer of WisdomTree Asset Management, gave an inspiring keynote on how innovation and digitization are shaping the future of finance. This keynote was introduced by Swarith Reddy, senior manager and chief operating officer of Cypher Accelerator.

A speaker gives a keynote address in front of a full audience at Demo Day

Demo Day continued with a timely fireside chat titled, “Crypto Beyond Turbulence: Navigating Toward a New Paradigm,” introduced by David Musto, faculty director of the Stevens Center. Stuart Alderoty (Ripple) and J. Christopher Giancarlo (former CFTC Chair) joined moderator Jessica Renier (Institute of International Finance) to discuss the evolving regulatory landscape, legal challenges, and long-term potential of the crypto ecosystem.

Three panelists seated in front of a stained glass window

A speaker at a podium in front of a blue screen

A panelist speaks while seated, as two other panelists react

The next Altus Cohort startups to present at Demo Day were Odynn, an independent awards optimization platform, PluggableAI, which facilitates AI-driven fan engagement, and RIZZARR, a company connecting brands with vetted content creators.

A speaker at a podium in front of a blue screen that says "Odynn"

A speaker at a podium in front of a black screen that says PluggableAI

A speaker at a podium in front of a white screen that says "RIZZARR"

Three people pose for a group photo in front of stained glass windows, smiling toward the viewer

In a standout afternoon session on the future of digital finance, David Musto introduced the roundtable, “Accelerating the Global Digital Assets Ecosystem,” featuring key voices at the forefront of financial innovation. Paul Grewal (Coinbase), Jai Massari (Lightspark), and Heath Tarbert (Circle) joined moderator Sahel Assar (Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC) for a dynamic discussion on building the digital asset economy.

Five people pose for a group photo, smiling toward the viewer

To close out the day, renowned venture capitalist Bill Tai delivered a keynote titled “How to Find, Fund, and Scale a Decacorn.” Drawing on decades of experience backing iconic companies like Zoom, Tai shared insights on identifying breakout founders, spotting transformative ideas early, and navigating the path from startup to billion-dollar scale. His remarks left the audience inspired to think bigger and build boldly.