Fusing Finance & Tech with CAC Alumni
This week’s episode is hosted by one of our Debugged Podcast team members, Suhaani, who leads a thought-provoking discussion with Austin and Sudharshan, two passionate CAC Alumni who are merging finance and technology in unique ways. They share personal experiences and projects that sparked their journey into this interdisciplinary space, highlighting the challenges and rewards along the way. The conversation dives into future opportunities where tech could transform finance—and how finance principles can shape ethical tech solutions. Listeners will hear about key courses and extracurriculars that helped Austin and Sudharshan hone their skills. Whether you’re a student or an industry professional, this episode offers practical advice and fresh perspectives on making a positive societal impact at the finance-tech crossroads.
In this special episode of the show, Debugged staff member Suhaani Sodhi has the pleasure of interviewing two Congressional App Challenge alumni working in the intersection between technology, finance, and business. Sudharshan Srinivasan is on the Identity and Access Management team at Deloitte, and won the App Challenge back in 2019. Previously, he graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology studying computer science, and has work experience at Bloomberg. Austin Alberd is currently attending Tennessee Tech University, and is pursuing a degree in computer science. He participated and won the App Challenge back in 2023!
To start off, Austin and Sudharshan share their insights in the role technology is playing in the future of finance and business. Austin reflects on how AI, specifically, has the potential to automate monotonous tasks in the industry, that are not the most human-centric. Similarly, Sudharshan shares how AI can help democratize the financial world, by allowing more people to get beginner hands on financial tools and information.
As both talk about AI’s inevitable role in the future of the intersection, they draw on experience from computer ethics courses to emphasize the importance of addressing ethical dilemmas as they arise. For instance, Austin shares how AI could act discriminatorily, and Sudharshan builds off this idea with a classic example of loan and credit applications, where algorithms could present serious bias. And to his point of democratization, he warns that efforts will need to be made to ensure an AI is never leading people down the wrong path.
Finally, both speakers share their thoughts on courses, extracurriculars, and experiences that high schoolers and beyond interested in this intersection may be compelled to explore. Specifically, Sudharshan talks about being interested in computer science his entire life, and how learning how to code empowered him to see an immediate impact and improvement in others’ lives from his work. He also talks about how his time at Bloomberg, a very financially focused company, helped him learn about the finance industry. Austin, likewise, emphasizes the importance of hands-on learning, as there is only so much you can learn from a tutorial.
Tune in to this week’s episode of Debugged to hear more about these two alumni’s fascinating career stories, and insights into the intersection between technology, business, and finance!