A business student who aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool in early autism detection took home multiple awards at Illuminate this week.
Aarzoo (no last name), co-founder of Anttara, won the $5,000 Diamond Award for the overall winner as well as the $1,000 Community Choice Award, determined by the live in-person and online audiences for the third annual competition focused on women and gender diverse student entrepreneurs.
Illuminate is hosted by the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship (MCE).
Ms. Aarzoo is a fourth-year commerce student at the Faculty of Business Administration.
Her team members in Anttara include Memorial University alumni Rushil Deshwal (M.A.Sc.’24) and Ankur Dhangar (M.A.Sc.’25).
She calls being named the grand prize winner “humbling and motivating.”
“It validated our approach and reminded us that empathy-led innovation can truly make an impact,” she said. “It’s not just a milestone. It’s momentum to keep building.”
Earlier that day, Anttara also won the top spot in a pitch competition at N.L. Health Services’ Health Innovation Summit (pediatrics track).
The company took home $12,500 for a total pot of $18,500 in cash prizes earned in one day.
“These back-to-back wins, across both the health and entrepreneurship communities, affirm that our technology and vision align with real-world, health-care needs,” said Ms. Aarzoo.
She and her team will use the funding to support research, user testing and cloud infrastructure. They’re also in talks to create pilot projects with N.L. Health Services.
“While these wins have validated our journey so far, we know this is only the beginning,” she said. “We’re excited to continue this journey and create a future where every child gets the help they need — early, compassionately and efficiently.”
Runner up: DCXIX
The runner-up at Illuminate was DCXIX, co-founded by Chelsea O’Hara, an undergraduate mechatronics student at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
The company is developing a broadcast toolkit called Scenecast that will make real-time 3D communication accessible to the broader population.
Ms. O’Hara says the company has already received funding from the National Research Council of Canada for research and development and has new virtual and extended reality projects in the works for 2026.
“We put a lot of heart into this project,” she said. “I’m so proud of our team and to be given a spot on the stage to represent them. This is the first of many more.”
DCXIX’s co-founder is Dustin Boyce. Memorial alumnus Mohammed Shoaib (B.Sc.’24) is on board as a software developer.
Training program
Illuminate was founded in 2023 to address barriers that women and gender-diverse individuals face in entrepreneurship.
It’s a training program that culminates in an optional pitch competition, and participants receive networking, mentoring and skills development.
In three years, 168 people have participated in the program with 46 signing up to pitch their business ideas for a chance at cash prizes.
This year saw the highest number of registrants to date with 65. Seventeen applied for the competitive stream.
From there, the field was narrowed to finalists who pitched their companies and ideas in front of a panel of judges.
“It’s not just a milestone. It’s momentum to keep building.”
Sohana Intasa Siddiqua, a graduate student in the business faculty, placed third.
Her company, SheCaresNL, is developing an app to connect women and newcomers with verified and trusted rides as well as child- and home-care providers.
Clearpath Leadership sponsored the third-place prize.
Computer science student Parmida Niroomand won the Social Impact Award, sponsored by Memorial’s Centre for Social Enterprise, which goes to the company with the strongest potential for positive social impact.
Ms. Niroomand’s company is called Closet Curator.
She wants to help people maximize their wardrobes, reduce the impact of fast fashion and improve their personal style with an app featuring a built-in A.I. stylist.
The fifth finalist was Nusrat Jahan, a master’s student in software engineering, who plans to create an AI-enabled platform to improve how families and individuals are connected with qualified home-care providers.
Diversity needed in entrepreneurship
Jason Trask, MCE director, says Illuminate grew out of a desire to improve diversity in entrepreneurship, a field in which women and gender-diverse individuals are underrepresented.
Only one in five businesses across Canada is majority-owned by women, he noted at the event.
“Diverse ownership and leadership teams are proven to create better companies,” Mr. Trask said. “Illuminate encourages, supports and provides a platform to elevate this objective.”
The goal, he adds, is gender equity in entrepreneurship.
“By empowering women and gender-diverse individuals now, we’re planting seeds for a future where they support others, creating a cycle of inclusion and leadership that strengthens the entire ecosystem.”
Illuminate was held on Nov. 5.
Other award sponsors include the MCE (grand prize), the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (second place) and Genesis (Community Choice).
In-kind partners Gardiner Centre and Stewart McKelvey also provided prizes for the overall winner.
