Athan Zhang is the CEO and Founder of Copperlane, where he leads product and engineering at the intersection of artificial intelligence and financial services. He focuses on building systems that apply advances in AI to complex, real-world workflows, with particular emphasis on AI safety, performance, and thoughtful integration into existing operational environments.

Prior to Copperlane, he was a quantitative developer at Five Rings, a proprietary trading firm, where he worked on high-performance systems in fast-moving financial markets. He was also an early founding engineer at two startups, including one that was acquired and another that raised millions in venture funding. Athan studied computer science at Princeton.

With family roots in the mortgage industry, he developed an early appreciation for the challenges and complexity of the loan process. Athan is also a licensed mortgage loan officer. His work at Copperlane focuses on applying modern AI techniques to legacy financial systems, with the goal of improving efficiency while maintaining the rigor required in highly regulated environments.

Brianna Lin is the COO and Founder of Copperlane, where she leads operations, go-to-market strategy, and partnerships at the intersection of AI and financial services. She focuses on bringing new technologies into complex, highly regulated environments, working closely with customers to translate technical capabilities into practical workflows.

Prior to this, Brianna was a trader and developer on the equities floor at Jefferies, one of the largest investment banks. There, she gained experience in fast-moving markets, risk management, and client-facing problem-solving. She studied in the Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, pursuing a dual degree in Real Estate from the Wharton School and Computer Science from Penn Engineering.

Brianna comes from a family deeply involved in the mortgage industry, which has shaped her understanding of how operational complexity and borrower experience intersect across the loan process. She is also a licensed mortgage loan officer. Today, her work at Copperlane centers on applying cutting-edge AI technology to real-world systems in mortgage lending.

Copperlane is an AI loan origination platform that helps mortgage lenders close loans faster with fewer errors. Copperlane’s core product is its AI agent, Penny, who is an AI loan officer assistant. Penny guides borrowers through the application, collects and verifies documents, and ensures loan files are complete before underwriting.

Demo Presentation Information

Copperlane

Copperlane is an AI loan intake platform that helps mortgage lenders close loans faster with fewer errors. Copperlane’s core product is its AI agent, Penny, which acts as an AI loan officer assistant. Penny guides borrowers through the application, collects and verifies documents, and ensures loan files are complete before underwriting.

Penny guides borrowers through the application and answers their questions live. If a borrower provides inconsistent information, Penny proactively catches the mismatch and reaches out for clarification. She also follows up automatically on missing items like bank statements or pay stubs to keep files moving.

To kick off Digital Mortgage 2026, this session focuses on lender growth strategies. New playbooks for customer acquisition. New rules for how customers can find you online. How to modernize and deepen partnerships with realtors, builders, financial advisors, etc., using better data, smarter integrations/deals, and easier communication. All while differentiating your brand as you execute. Rocket CTO Shawn Malhotra opens the session with a deep dive on what all of this looks like at scale. The session then brings in additional panelists to detail how these strategies can work for lenders of all sizes.

Consumers are increasingly comparing their mortgage experience to other digital experiences (e.g., banking, e-commerce). This survey explores where lenders are succeeding — and where the gaps are in delivering on the best digital experiences for today’s consumers

Recharge and connect during our morning break session. This brief intermission provides the perfect opportunity to grab a cup of coffee, network with peers and prepare for the rest of the day’s engaging sessions.