By Newspot Nigeria Science Desk
An Indian-origin technology professional who once worked behind the scenes at Apple on counter-terrorism compliance has resigned from her corporate role to build an artificial intelligence startup focused on transforming how financial institutions manage risk and regulatory checks.
Kalyani Ramadurgam, a New York–based computer scientist, recently gained global attention after being named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 (United States, 2026) list in the finance category. Her recognition follows her transition from a highly sensitive role at Apple to co-founding an AI-powered compliance company.
At Apple, Ramadurgam worked on systems designed to prevent the misuse of Apple Pay by individuals and entities linked to terrorism. Her role involved ensuring that people on global watchlists were unable to access the company’s payment infrastructure, a responsibility that required close coordination with international compliance standards and security protocols.
With a background in computer science and specialization in artificial intelligence and machine learning, she later began to question the efficiency of traditional compliance structures across the financial sector. According to her, many large organisations still rely heavily on manual document reviews and labour-intensive processes that slow operations and increase exposure to risk.
She observed that even highly advanced firms continued to depend on outdated compliance workflows, often assigning large teams to repetitive verification tasks. These inefficiencies, she noted, not only raise operational costs but also leave institutions vulnerable to regulatory and security lapses.
In 2023, Ramadurgam partnered with former Affirm software engineer Ashi Agrawal to launch Kobalt Labs, a startup focused on automating compliance processes using machine learning. The company builds tools that help banks and fintech firms evaluate partners, review documents, monitor transactions, and detect risks more efficiently.
The startup has since raised $13 million in funding and now works with over 20 clients, including fintech platform Bilt and Celtic Bank. Its technology is designed to support human compliance officers rather than replace them, reducing repetitive workloads while improving speed and accuracy.
Ramadurgam has said her experience at Apple directly shaped the company’s mission, especially her exposure to the complexities of preventing financial systems from being exploited for terrorism financing or other illicit activities.
Her journey reflects a growing trend of professionals leaving big tech to build targeted startups aimed at solving structural inefficiencies in finance, regulation, and security using artificial intelligence.
Source: Indian Express
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