MBAi Wins Inaugural Interac x Technation U-Innovate Competition

We are thrilled to announce that Team MBAi, DeGroote’s MBA AI in Business Club, has taken first place at the national Interac x Technation U-Innovate Challenge! On February 4 at the Design Exchange in Toronto, Rogelio Cruz Gonzalez, Glen Phillips, Kelly Lau and Isaac Vestby presented against top student innovators from across Canada and secured the win with their solution for the future of intelligent commerce.

Their winning concept, Interac TrustRail, addresses a critical gap in the manufacturing sector: while factories now operate with 24/7 robotics, their procurement processes are often stuck in a 9-to-5 schedule. This disconnect means that when a critical part breaks overnight or materials essential for production run out, production stops because AI agents lack the authority and infrastructure to securely purchase replacements or goods without human intervention.

TrustRail solves this by acting as a secure “checkout” layer for AI. By combining Interac’s trusted payment rails with programmable smart contracts, they created a system where AI agents can autonomously source, negotiate, and pay for materials. Crucially, their solution uses a “trustless” verification system—funds are held in a digital escrow and are only released when IoT sensors and logistics data confirm that the correct goods have physically arrived.

This innovation has the potential to save manufacturers millions in downtime costs while democratizing the supply chain for smaller Canadian suppliers.

Congratulations to the team for their accomplishment!

Visit to learn more about the challenge