AI, real-time 3D businesses win top awards at Illuminate

Ref. No.: 108

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.

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.”

In addition to the cash prizes, Ms. Aarzoo also won in-kind prizes from Gardiner Centre and Stewart McKelvey.

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.

Third place was won by Sohana Intasa Siddiqua, a graduate student in the business faculty. 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.

Computer science student Parmida Niroomand won the Social Impact Award, which goes to the company with the strongest potential for positive social impact.

Her company, Closet Curator, aims to help people maximize their wardrobes, reduce the impact of fast fashion and improve personal style with an app that features a built-in AI stylist.

Rounding out the top five finalists 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.

Award sponsors included the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship, the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs, Clearpath Leadership and Memorial’s Centre for Social Enterprise.

Illuminate is an entrepreneurial training program for female and gender-diverse students that includes skills development and coaching. Sixty-five students enrolled in the program with 17 students opting to enter the competitive stream.

Illuminate was held on Nov. 5 at the Core Science Facility on Memorial University’s St. John’s campus.

Based on the St. John’s campus, the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship aims to inspire and support aspiring student entrepreneurs by offering foundational training, guidance and access to funding and connections to create high-growth businesses.

The Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship is supported by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador through the Department of Industry, Energy and Technology and private donors.

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For more information, please contact Susan White, communications advisor, Faculty of Business Administration, at (709) 689-7988 or susanwhite@mun.ca.