NASHVILLE, Tenn. — AI-driven loan origination process service provider Lama AI won the Demo Challenge at Bank Automation Summit 2025 this week in Nashville, Tenn.

Lama beat out 12 other financial services technology startups that showcased their latest innovations during seven-minute demonstrations for bank and tech leaders at the March 3 event in Nashville, Tenn. 

The New York City-based Lama provides end-to-end loan origination solutions for credit unions and banks, Dor Bariach, director of marketing and partnerships at the fintech, told Bank Automation News. 

Lama AI saw that 80% of small and medium-sized businesses in the U.S. struggle to have their loans approved, Bariach said. The company’s AI-driven solution helps banks more quickly and accurately underwrite and approve SMB loans, he added. The cloud-native Llama AI can also provide its services to clients on site. 

The company impressed event attendees and judges with a demonstration that featured a video-to-text transcription that instantly populated a loan document. 

“Our target market is community and regional banks ranging from $1 billion to $60 billion in assets,” Bariach said. The fintech already has dozens of financial institutions using its solution, including $3.6 billion Gate City Bank, $1.7 trillion Citi and payments network Mastercard. 

Founded in 2022, the company has raised $9 million in seed funding from Hetz Ventures and Viola Ventures, according to Crunchbase. 

Runner-up in the March 3 Demo Challenge was Los Angeles-based Herd Security, which offers voice-based cybersecurity services.  

After an audience vote narrowed the field to two, finalists Lama AI and Herd Security took the stage for judging by Pam Kaur, head of bank technology at venture capital firm BankTech Ventures, Robert “Red” Daniel, fintech catalyst at Advanced Technology Development Center, and Brittani Roberts, principal at Fintop Capital. 

Follow coverage of Bank Automation Summit 2025 at finainews.com.