Here is what student teams did...
First, they completed 4 TrueUp games to learn how AI applies to accounting situations
Game 1 - Back to the Future
In the Year 2050, your first mission is to prove to Archee, head of the Global Financial Protection Agency, that you understand AI terminology, types of AI models, and how to train an AI. Navigate the Intelligence Resource Center to find all the information you need, including definitions, AI model profile cards, and AI training videos, to complete this mission.
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Game 2 - Welcome to FastLedger
Now in modern day, your next mission is to help the FastLedger team properly apply AI to the order-to-cash cycle before they start development. Listen to the Controller's narrative for each of the 10 steps, decide which AI to apply, and get immediate feedback from FastLedger's Head of AI Engineering.
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Game 3 - Train the AI for Accounting Tasks
It’s time to help train the AI by considering data sources for ASC 606 revenue recognition and then fine-tune the accounting AI models by labeling data in contract excerpts before product launch.
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Game 4 - Sell the Solution
In your final mission, you will meet with the FastLedger sales team to help prepare them for selling FastLedger’s AI accounting solutions by giving them feedback on their selling points and asking them questions that may come from a CFO considering an AI solution.
After each game, they unlocked a TrueUp PowerUp, which is a hands-on exercise to play with real AI tools and apply them to accounting tasks
PowerUp #1 - Play with Prompts (using AI tools, like ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude, etc)
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PowerUp #2 - Dig into Digits (using the Digits AI-native accounting tool)
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PowerUp #3 - Draft a Disclosure (using Acclara.ai and their AI-driven benchmarking tool)
For their final task, they created an AI Adoption Plan and submitted a 10-minute video presentation to "pitch the partners" (our virtual judges).
A Special Thanks to Our Judges!
Opeyemi Oyekanmi, CPA, CGMA
Principal @ Blue Owl Capital
Opeyemi Oyekanmi is a Principal at Blue Owl and member of the Finance, Accounting & Operations Team. In his role, he focuses on supporting the executives overseeing the finance, accounting, financial reporting, internal control, investment, and investor operations functions.
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Before joining Blue Owl, Opeyemi was a Director at The Siegfried Group, LLP, a national accounting firm. Prior to that, he worked as a Senior Fund Accountant at Lubert-Adler Real Estate Funds, an institutional real estate investment manager. Opeyemi began his career as an External Auditor at KPMG.
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Opeyemi received his BBA in Accounting, magna cum laude, from Temple University and he currently holds a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license in Pennsylvania and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA) designation from the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA).
Kacee Johnson, MBA, NACD.DC
Board Member | Advisor | Innovation Partner
Kacee Johnson is a fintech executive and innovation strategist with a standout record in driving global SaaS growth, pioneering cloud and AI-powered solutions, and scaling startups to funding or exit. She’s recognized among Accounting Today’s Top 100 Most Influential People, CPA Practice Advisor’s Top 25 Thought Leaders, and named as one of the Most Powerful Women in Accounting by the AICPA.
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As Principal and FinTech Innovation Leader at be radical, Kacee helps organizations navigate disruption through provocative presentations, strategic guidance, and events that catalyze change. She is also the host of the AI-Native Accounting Podcast, presented by Digits, where she explores the crossroads of AI and the future of finance in conversation with industry trailblazers.
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Kacee serves as an independent board member and innovation partner, bringing deep expertise in go-to-market strategy, product positioning and emerging tech adoption. She is NACD Directorship Certified™, demonstrating advanced proficiency in corporate governance, strategic oversight, and leadership for high-growth companies in the $10–300M ARR range.
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Deeply embedded in the fintech ecosystem, Kacee spent 7 years building the AICPA/CPA.com Startup Accelerator and recently completed Harvard Business School’s Executive Program for Private Equity and Venture Capital, expanding her focus into the private capital space.
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Based in Southern California with her husband and daughter, Kacee is committed to mentoring emerging leaders, advocating for women in technology, and supporting environmental preservation through community beach cleanups.
Ryan Andre
Director, Portfolio Operations @ Sunstone Partners
Ryan Andre is the Director of Portfolio Operations with a focus on the ’Office of the CFO’ at Sunstone Partners, a growth-oriented private equity firm that invests in technology-enabled services and software companies. Ryan works closely with management teams on creating scalable systems and analytics to enhance execution, reporting, and scalable finance function.
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Prior to joining Sunstone Partners in 2020, Ryan held FP&A roles at high-growth SaaS companies, including JFrog and Green Bits. In addition, Ryan has over four years of experience in Accounting Manager roles.
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Raised in Napa, CA, Ryan earned a BS in Accounting and Economics from the University of Oregon.
Donny Shimamoto, CPA, CITP, CGMA
Founder and Managing Director of IntrapriseTechKnowlogies LLC
Donny has revolutionized the way we leverage technology in the accounting profession, turning risks into opportunities and driving transformation across the board.
Donny is the guiding force behind the Center for Accounting Transformation, an incubator of innovative thinkers dedicated to helping accountants, auditors, and tax practitioners navigate the future of our profession. Their mission: accelerate business transformation to #improvetheworld. His numerous roles and accolades attest to his unrivaled commitment to our profession.
From co-chairing the National Conference of Lawyers and CPAs to being a former member of numerous AICPA committees for over 20 years, Donny's influence is far-reaching. He has been consistently recognized as a top thought leader since 2012 by CPA Practice Advisor and has been a regular on the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting list for over a decade.
Patricia Johnson
Adjunct Professor, Southern New Hampshire University and Mercy University
Patricia Johnson is currently an adjunct faculty member at SNHU and Mercy University. She spent over 20 years teaching at Canisius College (now University) in Buffalo, New York where she developed and served as program coordinator of the master’s program in forensic accounting. Pat has a broad variety of experience – education, public accounting, and industry and maintains an accounting practice that focuses on small businesses and not-for-profit entities.
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She holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from St. Bonaventure University and an MBA from SUNY Buffalo. She is a CPA licensed in New York State, a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and a Certified Global Management Accountant (CGMA).
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Pat has served on a number of nonprofit boards and committees, currently serving as a Vice President of the New York State Society of CPAs (NYCPA) and as a representative on the AICPA Council. She also serves on the editorial review board of The CPA Journal and actively participates in the nonprofit organizations’ community. Pat is also a member of the American Accounting Association, ACFE and AGA.
Sean Larkin
Founder & CEO, AvenueD • dPlaza • The Student Center
Sean is a leading voice in blockchain education and adoption, combining deep financial expertise with a mission to bridge traditional systems and Web3 innovation. As Founder & CEO of AvenueD, dPlaza, and The Student Center, he is building the infrastructure for decentralized marketing, commerce, and credentialing.
A Certified Blockchain Expert and Bitcoin Professional, Sean is also a co-founder at MM Blockchain Academy, whose mission is to help accounting and finance professionals navigate digital assets, AI, and distributed ledger technologies. He brings over a decade of experience as a CFO and advisor helping companies modernize operations, adopt blockchain responsibly, and capture value in the digital economy.
Thank You Again to Our Sponsors!
CHECK OUT THE WINNING VIDEOS BELOW!
After a rigorous and thorough scoring process, the judges concluded these were the top 4 pitches out of the 20 total team video submissions across 13 universities.
In 4th place, Team 1-03 (University of North Dakota)
Team members:
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Jayson Beatty
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Marielle Korringa
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Aishah Imran
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Darren Rippy
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In 3rd place, Team 2-05 (University of Tampa)
Team members:
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Christina Wellen
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Anabelle Fourcand
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Dawid Bartnik
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In 2nd place, Team 2-08 (George Mason University)
Team members:
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Khaled Alkurd
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Mariam Debas
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Chengeng Yin
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In 1st place, Team 1-11 (DePaul University)
Team members:
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Penelope DelValle
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Macy Tran
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Eileen Suarez Garcia
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GREAT WORK AND EFFORTS EVERYONE!
