Purpose Payment Wins $5,000 Scholarship at the Second Annual Run It by the Buyers Juniors Competition

Updated on June 19, 2026
by Laura Gibson-Lamothe
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Atlanta, GA – October 2, 2025 – The Georgia Fintech Academy, a statewide talent initiative of the University System of Georgia, hosted its second annual Fintech Atlanta: Run It by the Buyers Juniors pitch competition on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at The Home Depot headquarters in Atlanta. The event brought together student innovators from across Georgia and leaders from the state’s powerhouse fintech industry.

The program, designed to showcase next-generation fintech talent, received an overwhelming number of submissions this year. Three student-led teams advanced to the finals to present their startup concepts before a panel of industry executives, known as the “Buyers.”

🏆 Winner: Purpose Payment (University of Georgia) – Aniya Bedi, Linzey Nguyen, and Kaveri Channappa, Co-Founders
Their pitch impressed the judges with its creative approach to payments innovation, earning the team the 2025 championship title.

👏 Finalists:

ArtiGen (Georgia Tech) – Siddharth Gangavarapu, Founder
TerraLedger 2.0 (Kennesaw State University) – Jesus Miguel De Alba, Founder

This year’s Buyers represented some of the most influential companies in Atlanta’s fintech ecosystem, including Global Payments, Worldpay, InComm, Wells Fargo, Synovus, SouthState Bank, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Chick-fil-A, Checkout.com, The Home Depot, Thunes, Aptarro, BlackRock, and Wellesley Hills FinancialOctober 1 FTA Run it by the Buy…. Their engagement demonstrates the depth of corporate commitment to fostering fintech talent in Georgia.

“Purpose Payment and all of our finalists represent the vision, creativity, and determination that define Georgia’s fintech pipeline,” said Laura Gibson-Lamothe, Executive Director of the Georgia Fintech Academy. “With so many strong submissions this year, it’s clear that the future of fintech is being built right here in Georgia — and supported by an industry community that shows up for students.”

The event was supported by Fintech Atlanta, the coalition of companies and leaders that champion Atlanta’s role as one of the world’s most important fintech hubs.