As Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 begins, we’re spotlighting 10 standout entrepreneurs from the University of Waterloo — students and alumni who are challenging norms, redefining industries and building a better future. These innovators are not only making waves in their respective fields but are also setting the pace for what’s next for society, health, technology, the economy and sustainability.
Global Entrepreneurship Week is a worldwide celebration of innovation, creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit. It’s also a time to recognize the bold thinkers and builders who turn ideas into impact.
We’re proud to showcase ventures that exemplify Waterloo’s enduring commitment to entrepreneurship that inspires global change through bold vision and relentless drive.
Aileen Agada-Davidson (BASc ’21, MBET ’24): BeBlended
After being turned away from 15 hair salons due to a lack of expertise with Afro-curly hair, Aileen Agada set out to solve the problem for others facing the same challenge. With support from the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business’ Enterprise Co-op program, she launched BeBlended — an online marketplace that connects clients with freelance hairstylists trained in Afro-curly hair care. The platform also streamlines business operations for stylists by handling scheduling, payments, client management and bookkeeping. To date, BeBlended has facilitated thousands of transactions, supporting more than 1,500 clients and 150 stylists nationwide, with plans underway for global expansion.
Nicholas Cheng (MSc ’25): Evolv
With a research background in biotechnology, Nicholas Cheng always wondered why sustainability seemed to be so costly, so he began to think like an entrepreneur. Supported by GreenHouse and Velocity — Waterloo’s centres of entrepreneurship — Cheng launched Evolv, a company dedicated to delivering advanced technological solutions that evolve to solve their client’s specific problems while suiting the industry’s best practices. Its flagship project leverages enhanced chemical solutions to extract clean water from Alberta’s oil sands tailings ponds. “Evolv bridges the gap between financial and environmental responsibility, so that corporations can meet consumer demands while saving the planet,” he says.
Charlie Frise (BASc ’23): TinyBox
With a background in construction and a degree in Architectural Engineering from Waterloo, Charlie Frise knew that to solve the housing supply crisis, one solution would be to develop scalable manufacturing of homes that can be quickly assembled with their own utilities. This led him to collaborate with like-minded individuals to develop and launch Tinybox, a revolutionary company using aerospace technology to build homes in as little as 48 hours — anywhere you want. “I’m leveraging my skills as an architectural engineer to grow the adoption of our innovative building system,” he says. “Tinybox delivered for its first seven customers in 2025 and is gearing up for more deliveries in 2026, including a new two-bedroom home model.”
Christy Lee (BASc ’24): PatientCompanion
After volunteering at hospitals and long-term care homes, Christy Lee found that the current communication call system could be improved to manage patient requests according to priority. This led her to develop PatientCompanion — an intuitive app that allows patients to articulate their needs clearly using icons, words or voice-to-text functionality. The revolutionary patient-nurse communications tool ensures nurses receive prioritized alerts on their devices, enabling them to manage and respond to patient needs efficiently. After conducting pilot projects at Brightshores Health System and Waterloo Regional Health Network, PatientCompanion has been adopted by Brightshores as a seamless integration into existing workflows, enhancing care quality and improving nurse retention, while maintaining privacy compliance.
Dr. Sadegh Raeisi (PhD ’14): Foqus Technologies
During his PhD at the University of Waterloo, Dr. Sadegh Raeisi’s research focused on the applications of quantum technologies. In 2021, he co-founded Foqus Technologies, an innovation transforming magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by cutting scan times from more than 45 minutes to just five. Leveraging quantum algorithms and machine learning to enhance MRI, Foqus’ solution significantly improves access for medical imaging by increasing MRI throughput and reducing MRI wait-times, which average around 90 days in Canada. The first version of the software has been successfully validated by radiologists in a pilot study and has received FDA clearance and Health Canada approval for commercialization in the U.S. and Canadian markets.
Rishard Rameez: Zown
While pursuing a PhD in nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo, Rishard Rameez developed a mindset for leveraging technology to solve real-world problems. That foundation led him to co-found Zown — an AI-powered real-estate platform designed to disrupt traditional brokerage models by putting homebuyers’ interests first. Drawing on his academic training, Rameez applied analytical rigor and platform thinking to create an affordable, transparent alternative in the housing market. His initiative reflects the entrepreneurial spirit and innovation-driven culture cultivated at Waterloo. Zown was listed in Time Magazine Best Inventions of 2025, has now helped more than $300 million in transactions and more than 500 people transition from renting to owning. Zown has expanded from Canada into the U.S., expecting to reach $14 million in revenue by the end of 2025.
Rastin Rassoli (BCS in progress): Doro
After a long wait to see a psychotherapist for care, Rastin Rassoli was driven to create Doro — a mental wellness chatbot. With traditional therapy costing around $100 per hour, Doro was designed to offer accessible support at just $26 monthly. Combining advanced computer science with psychology research, the app helps individuals experiencing mild to moderate anxiety, stress or low mood. Through conversational AI and personalized activities, Doro delivers immediate, tailored support. Since its official launch in 2025, the Velocity startup has been adopted by the University of Waterloo’s Campus Wellness and 30 mental health clinics across Ontario and Alberta.
Mazhar Shahen (BSc ’22, MASc in progress): NewGen Health
Approximately four million Canadians live with kidney disease, often undetected until late stages. Early, accessible screening could prevent thousands from requiring dialysis and improve lives nationwide. Driven by a passion for equitable health care, Mazhar Shahen co-founded NewGen Health to make routine monitoring simpler and more human-centered. “We’re modernizing the decades-old dipstick into an automated, digital solution that lets patients initiate testing and gives clinicians instant insights. This enables accessible quality care even in remote communities,” he says. The Velocity-backed startup has won several pitch competitions, filed patents and is scaling its production process.
Kwaku Twum (PhD in progress): Mapkot
Born and raised in Ghana, Kwaku Twum began his career working with European agribusinesses that acquired farmland for industrial use and sourced crops from local farmers through exploitative middlemen. Witnessing firsthand how this opaque, cash-based system left farmers earning barely $2,000 a year while multinational food corporations profited in the billions, Twum was determined to create change. He founded Mapkot, a digital platform that connects international food companies directly with smallholder farmers in Africa. By replacing cash transactions with a transparent, data-driven system, Mapkot empowers farmers to negotiate fairer prices and participate more equitably in global value chains.
Naimah Venezia (GBDA ’25): CoinWa
Naimah Venezia’s passion for finance began early — she read Rich Dad, Poor Dad in Grade 1 and launched her first handmade jewelry business at age seven. As she grew older, she noticed a gap in financial literacy among her peers and set out to change that. Through the Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business’ Enterprise Co-op program, she founded CoinWa, a gamified app that teaches teens essential financial skills before adulthood. “CoinWa covers core concepts like budgeting, saving, credit and investing through bite-sized modules, challenges and rewards,” she explains. “It feels more like a game than a lesson, which makes it fun and engaging.”