Lola Vision Systems, a DMV-based artificial intelligence and semiconductor startup has taken home the $125,000 grand prize at Investfest’s annual startup pitch competition, edging out hundreds of competitors from across the country. What was slated for a $125K investment competition turned into a $250,000 grand prize to be split between two founders Georgina Dukes-Harris of Swishvo and Tayo Adesanya of Lola Vision, as the judges were impressed by the quality of the winning founders and their product.
Lola Vision Systems, a chip design company building advanced SoCs with chiplet technology to power AI edge machines in mission-critical, high-performance, low-power environments. Lola’s new class of AI system-on-chiplets (SoCs) is designed to perform advanced AI perception tasks directly on devices, reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure for processing. The company’s solutions target the automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors.
Speaking after the win, Lola Vision Systems Founder and CEO Tayo Adesanya said the recognition validates the company’s mission to push AI capability closer to the edge.
“It was great to win this event. Some of these judges have been an inspiration in my life in many ways. So to present to them what I’ve been working for these past two years was an honor. These people have all worked hard to get to where they are. They all are GOATs in their own lanes,” he shared.
The judges at Investfest including NBA Champion Jaylen Brown, VC titan Paul Judge, music mogul @2chainz, and entrepreneur Angela Simmons — praised Lola Vision’s solution as addressing a critical pain point and an investable company in the fast-growing AI hardware market; citing both technical expertise and the size of the potential addressable market in chip and autonomous robotic industry.
Adesanya plans to use the $125,000 prize money to scale product visibility and partnerships.
This prize will kick off the visibility into our work to connect us with the right partners to help us scale.
Lola Vision Systems was selected for Techstars Los Angeles Accelerator Spring Class of 2024 and is a part of the 9th Incubation Cohort of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).
Investfest, hosted annually in Atlanta, has become a major platform for early-stage tech entrepreneurs seeking investor attention. This year’s event brought together thousands of attendees, including founders, technologists, and venture capitalists, navigating the next big trends in AI, fintech, and media innovation.
For Maryland’s growing technology sector, Lola Vision’s win adds momentum to the state’s emerging reputation as an East Coast hub for AI and semiconductor research.
