Ascend Accelerator Program Celebrates Largest Cohort at First “Demo Day” Graduation
Ingenuity's ninth cohort of the Ascend Accelerator program celebrated their graduation on July 9, 2026.
Eight student-led businesses took the stage last week at Ingenuity’s inaugural Demo Day.
In two minutes or less, the student entrepreneurs gave short pitches showcasing how their businesses will address real-world challenges and drive regional economic growth.
It’s the largest graduating cohort of Ascend Accelerator since the business development program launched in 2020.
"As we celebrate the graduation of Ascend’s ninth cohort, I commend each team for their incredible dedication and entrepreneurial spirit,” says Ingenuity Manager Alyson MacKay. “It is remarkable to see how much Ascend has grown over the last six years—launching 42 businesses with the support of our mentors and community partners. I can't wait to see where this cohort's journey takes them as they continue to build their businesses.”
Computer science students Haard Pathak, Prajith Ravisankar, and Srijan Ravisankar— the team behind JobRovr— credit Ingenuity with turning their vision into reality.
Their gamified, AI-powered learning experience connects computer science students, beginning in grade 10, with recruiters and industry professionals, supporting them from their first line of code to landing an internship.
“Through Alyson’s guidance, mentorship, workshops, and the supportive community at Ingenuity, we’ve been able to accelerate JobRovr’s development,” the group says. “This program exemplifies what it means to invest in student entrepreneurs and innovators who are shaping the future of education and career development.”
Eco-Innovation and Smart Sustainability
Software engineering student Tony Braxton Tchio Ngoumeza returned for another session of Ascend. Tony, alongside new team members mechanical engineering student Zoha Kamran and software engineering student Sophie Petteplace, took his precision agriculture technology company, GreenShade, to the next level.
Mechanical engineering student Zoha Kamran, member of GreenShade.
GreenShade uses predictive analytics and machine learning to help farmers improve irrigation efficiency, resource management, crop productivity, and sustainable farming practices, which are all critical to adapt to climate change.
“I wanted to come back to Ascend to think bigger about the impact our technology can have on agriculture while connecting with an inspiring community of innovators,” Tony says. “I’m grateful for the support and mentorship, and I’m excited about what lies ahead for GreenShade.”
Among this year’s graduating businesses, two are leveraging smart technology to support one of northwestern Ontario’s economic cornerstones: forestry.
Alireza Namvarmotlagh, founder of BorealSense (left) and Janki Gabon, founder of Canopy AI (right).
BorealSense, developed by Master of Computer Engineering student Alireza Namvarmotlagh, uses inexpensive listening devices and artificial intelligence to help logging companies monitor wildlife activity and demonstrate their sustainable forestry practices. The platform will also generate reports to align with specific audit requirements.
Created by Master of Computer Science student Janki Gabani, CanopyAI is a platform that monitors deforestation patterns using satellite imagery and machine learning, providing real-time alerts, visualizations, and reporting through a web dashboard.
Janki is developing an early-stage prototype for use in northwestern Ontario with the goal of making forest monitoring more affordable, scalable, and data-driven. This in turn helps to drive the region’s bioeconomy.
Accessible Fashion and Beauty
The founders of Wearify with Ingenuity manager, Alyson MacKay.
“Wearify started with a simple frustration: we never feel truly confident shopping for clothes online,” says co-founder Sahil Nandha. “Ascend helped us turn that frustration into a real product that people can use today.”
Wearify is an AI-powered virtual fashion platform that makes online shopping feel as close to a real fitting room as possible. Founded by Sahil, Priyansh Patel, Vijay Patel, Kush Makani, and Neel Patel, shoppers can create a photorealistic “digital twin” to try on virtual outfits, save looks to a personal wardrobe, and receive styling suggestions. Retailers can integrate Wearify into their businesses by adding a virtual try-on feature to their websites or by publishing their product catalogues on the platform.
Nursing student Mirabel Mordi launched Belle Extensions & Co to make beauty products for Black hair more accessible to women, girls, and students in northern Ontario.
“Our long-term vision is to become Thunder Bay’s first dedicated beauty supply store serving the Black community,” Mirabel says. Her company provides affordable, high-quality braiding hair extensions and hair-care products designed for textured and protective hairstyles, including braids, wigs, and locs.
Digital Care and Community Wellness
“As both a mother and an Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD student, I’m passionate about using technology to improve maternal mental health,” says Sana Sharif, founder of ThriveNest. “I want to create a future where every mother has access to the care and resources she needs to thrive.”
ThriveNest helps new mothers detect and manage postpartum depression with early, continuous, and personalized screening. The app uses individuals’ emotional tone of voice and text inputs, combined with clinically validated tools, to provide accessible and stigma-free screening as well as access to therapists, peer support groups, and education content.
Providing personalized mental health support is also at the heart of Reclaimed Wolf Counselling and Consulting launched by Master of Social Work student KC Woilford. The service supports individuals, caregivers, and organizations through grief, burnout, trauma, and life transitions.
“Our approach recognizes that every story is unique and deserving of compassion, curiosity, and respect,” KC says. “I am excited to build a service that strengthens well-being in our community.”
Over the course of Ascend Accelerator’s 10-week, boot camp-style program, the eight graduating student start-ups received funding from the John Dobson Foundation, along with expert mentorship, workshops, and weekly milestone accountability meetings to prepare them for their business launch. Ingenuity’s array of programs continues to bolster the innovation ecosystem at Lakehead.
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Small, low-cost drones have become one of the deadliest modern threats to countries’ security due to their accessibility and precision strike capability. In response, Master of Science student Bohdan Krauze is developing an innovative counter-drone solution that detects and neutralizes threats in real time to reduce casualties in both civilian and military environments.
Built on the belief that strong cybersecurity should not be out of reach, Master of Computer Science student Kolamide Idowu’s company Cybreon Consulting supports small and medium-sized organizations’ cybersecurity needs.
Concurrent Education student, Mackenzie Smith started the online yoga studio, Aurae & Company, to blend mindfulness and self-care with accessibility. With a flexible, “practice anywhere” ethos, Aurae invites users to reconnect with themselves and move with intention - no matter where they are.
Magdy Alanani’s (PhD’24) Teknu Solutions is a research-driven startup providing advanced engineering solutions for the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) sector. This company integrates structural engineering expertise with AI and optimization algorithms to streamline and enhance building design. By improving material efficiency, reducing carbon emissions, and accelerating early-stage design decisions, Teknu Solutions builds the foundation for smarter, more sustainable structural design.
This year’s cohort saw four student-led Thunder Bay and Orillia-based ventures navigate their way through the entrepreneurial journey. The businesses range from augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) software development to sustainability consulting services, and Airbnb cleaning solutions.
