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Muslim Founders
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Saad Uddin
CEO, M32 Connect
Co-Founder, Native Touch
With over a decade of experience leading product and technology strategy in mobile advertising, he also founded Candy Banners, a creative studio specializing in digital ad production. An active angel investor and advisor, Saad previously built and sold JM Inc., a niche web-publisher network, and began his career as a Senior Technical Advisor at Ascenda Consulting, where he evaluated R&D technology initiatives.
Saad Uddin
CEO, M32 Connect
Co-Founder, Native Touch
With over a decade of experience leading product and technology strategy in mobile advertising, he also founded Candy Banners, a creative studio specializing in digital ad production. An active angel investor and advisor, Saad previously built and sold JM Inc., a niche web-publisher network, and began his career as a Senior Technical Advisor at Ascenda Consulting, where he evaluated R&D technology initiatives.
Saad Uddin
CEO, M32 Connect
Co-Founder, Native Touch
With over a decade of experience leading product and technology strategy in mobile advertising, he also founded Candy Banners, a creative studio specializing in digital ad production. An active angel investor and advisor, Saad previously built and sold JM Inc., a niche web-publisher network, and began his career as a Senior Technical Advisor at Ascenda Consulting, where he evaluated R&D technology initiatives.
Faraz Nomani
Co-Founder
Utiva Health
Co-Founder
Ferosom Forte & SZIO+ Inc
Former Product Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Faraz Nomani is a health entrepreneur and product leader with over 15 years of experience across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Utiva Health, Ferosom Forte, and SZIO+, companies dedicated to advancing women’s health through clinically proven supplements and accessible care solutions. Before founding his ventures, Faraz spent 14 years at Johnson & Johnson in leadership roles spanning product management, marketing, and supply chain. His work driving product launches and managing major healthcare portfolios informs his data-driven, patient-centered approach to building impactful health brands.
Faraz Nomani
Co-Founder
Utiva Health
Co-Founder
Ferosom Forte & SZIO+ Inc
Former Product Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Faraz Nomani is a health entrepreneur and product leader with over 15 years of experience across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Utiva Health, Ferosom Forte, and SZIO+, companies dedicated to advancing women’s health through clinically proven supplements and accessible care solutions. Before founding his ventures, Faraz spent 14 years at Johnson & Johnson in leadership roles spanning product management, marketing, and supply chain. His work driving product launches and managing major healthcare portfolios informs his data-driven, patient-centered approach to building impactful health brands.
Faraz Nomani
Co-Founder
Utiva Health
Co-Founder
Ferosom Forte & SZIO+ Inc
Former Product Manager
Johnson & Johnson
Faraz Nomani is a health entrepreneur and product leader with over 15 years of experience across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Utiva Health, Ferosom Forte, and SZIO+, companies dedicated to advancing women’s health through clinically proven supplements and accessible care solutions. Before founding his ventures, Faraz spent 14 years at Johnson & Johnson in leadership roles spanning product management, marketing, and supply chain. His work driving product launches and managing major healthcare portfolios informs his data-driven, patient-centered approach to building impactful health brands.
Fardan Khan
Director,
Brampton Venture Zone
Brampton Venture Zone is Toronto Metropolitan University’s innovation incubator that empowers health-tech and community-minded startups across the Brampton Innovation District. A skilled program leader and community connector, he’s been recognized by TMU for outstanding collaborative initiatives and has represented BVZ in key civic forums, including a delegation to Brampton’s city council in early 2025.
Fardan Khan
Director,
Brampton Venture Zone
Brampton Venture Zone is Toronto Metropolitan University’s innovation incubator that empowers health-tech and community-minded startups across the Brampton Innovation District. A skilled program leader and community connector, he’s been recognized by TMU for outstanding collaborative initiatives and has represented BVZ in key civic forums, including a delegation to Brampton’s city council in early 2025.
Fardan Khan
Director,
Brampton Venture Zone
Brampton Venture Zone is Toronto Metropolitan University’s innovation incubator that empowers health-tech and community-minded startups across the Brampton Innovation District. A skilled program leader and community connector, he’s been recognized by TMU for outstanding collaborative initiatives and has represented BVZ in key civic forums, including a delegation to Brampton’s city council in early 2025.
Zia Qureshi
Founder,
XIT Solutions Inc.
A seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience defining vision and strategy across tech and operations. In 2019, he founded XIT Solutions Inc., a Tax Technology firm with operations in the U.S., Canada, and India, serving as an extended arm of clients' tech teams.
XIT Solutions specializes in delivering tax automation, audit, compliance, transfer pricing, legal entity management, and consulting services—helping corporate clients re-engineer applications to meet evolving business challenges. The company’s mission is to deliver state-of-the-art solutions and become an industry leader in client satisfaction, quality, delivery, and value
Zia Qureshi
Founder,
XIT Solutions Inc.
A seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience defining vision and strategy across tech and operations. In 2019, he founded XIT Solutions Inc., a Tax Technology firm with operations in the U.S., Canada, and India, serving as an extended arm of clients' tech teams.
XIT Solutions specializes in delivering tax automation, audit, compliance, transfer pricing, legal entity management, and consulting services—helping corporate clients re-engineer applications to meet evolving business challenges. The company’s mission is to deliver state-of-the-art solutions and become an industry leader in client satisfaction, quality, delivery, and value
Zia Qureshi
Founder,
XIT Solutions Inc.
A seasoned entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience defining vision and strategy across tech and operations. In 2019, he founded XIT Solutions Inc., a Tax Technology firm with operations in the U.S., Canada, and India, serving as an extended arm of clients' tech teams.
XIT Solutions specializes in delivering tax automation, audit, compliance, transfer pricing, legal entity management, and consulting services—helping corporate clients re-engineer applications to meet evolving business challenges. The company’s mission is to deliver state-of-the-art solutions and become an industry leader in client satisfaction, quality, delivery, and value
Sidra Noor
Biomedical Engineer,
TMU’s School of Medicine
A biomedical engineer and quality improvement analyst with over 10 years of experience in healthcare operations, clinical process development, and medical technology. She has led cross-functional teams at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine to build data-driven accreditation and curriculum systems, saving hundreds of hours and significant costs. Previously, she improved emergency department efficiency at William Osler Health System, engineered surgical suite technologies at Synaptive Medical, and managed clinical workflow teams as Chief Scribe at ScribeCanada. Sidrah holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Biology, and her expertise spans data analytics, regulatory compliance, and healthcare innovation.
Sidra Noor
Biomedical Engineer,
TMU’s School of Medicine
A biomedical engineer and quality improvement analyst with over 10 years of experience in healthcare operations, clinical process development, and medical technology. She has led cross-functional teams at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine to build data-driven accreditation and curriculum systems, saving hundreds of hours and significant costs. Previously, she improved emergency department efficiency at William Osler Health System, engineered surgical suite technologies at Synaptive Medical, and managed clinical workflow teams as Chief Scribe at ScribeCanada. Sidrah holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Biology, and her expertise spans data analytics, regulatory compliance, and healthcare innovation.
Sidra Noor
Biomedical Engineer,
TMU’s School of Medicine
A biomedical engineer and quality improvement analyst with over 10 years of experience in healthcare operations, clinical process development, and medical technology. She has led cross-functional teams at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine to build data-driven accreditation and curriculum systems, saving hundreds of hours and significant costs. Previously, she improved emergency department efficiency at William Osler Health System, engineered surgical suite technologies at Synaptive Medical, and managed clinical workflow teams as Chief Scribe at ScribeCanada. Sidrah holds degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Biology, and her expertise spans data analytics, regulatory compliance, and healthcare innovation.
Ahmad Elkalza
Co-Founder,
Jack Health
Jack Health is a digital health company that aims to transform the way healthcare is delivered leveraging technology and data. As CEO and co-founder of Jack Health, Ahmad leads the company's overall strategy and operations. He is responsible for driving the company's growth, managing its finances, and ensuring its continued success. Under his leadership Jack Health has become a leading player in digital health industry.
In 2021, he was names as one of the Top 100 Healthcare leaders by International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare (IFAH). This recognition is given to healthcare leaders who have made significant contributions to the industry and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.
Ahmad Elkalza
Co-Founder,
Jack Health
Jack Health is a digital health company that aims to transform the way healthcare is delivered leveraging technology and data. As CEO and co-founder of Jack Health, Ahmad leads the company's overall strategy and operations. He is responsible for driving the company's growth, managing its finances, and ensuring its continued success. Under his leadership Jack Health has become a leading player in digital health industry.
In 2021, he was names as one of the Top 100 Healthcare leaders by International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare (IFAH). This recognition is given to healthcare leaders who have made significant contributions to the industry and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.
Ahmad Elkalza
Co-Founder,
Jack Health
Jack Health is a digital health company that aims to transform the way healthcare is delivered leveraging technology and data. As CEO and co-founder of Jack Health, Ahmad leads the company's overall strategy and operations. He is responsible for driving the company's growth, managing its finances, and ensuring its continued success. Under his leadership Jack Health has become a leading player in digital health industry.
In 2021, he was names as one of the Top 100 Healthcare leaders by International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare (IFAH). This recognition is given to healthcare leaders who have made significant contributions to the industry and have demonstrated exceptional leadership skills.
Hooman
Khoramshahi
Founder, Content Viking
A go-to-market leader who joined seed-stage startup Pluvo in early 2024 to build its sales function from the ground up, helping the company scale to $1M ARR while transforming dozens of finance teams by moving them beyond Excel and legacy tools. Alongside this, he is the founder of Content Viking, an AI-powered platform that turns demo and customer conversations into engaging content that resonates deeply with the ideal customer profile.
Hooman
Khoramshahi
Founder, Content Viking
A go-to-market leader who joined seed-stage startup Pluvo in early 2024 to build its sales function from the ground up, helping the company scale to $1M ARR while transforming dozens of finance teams by moving them beyond Excel and legacy tools. Alongside this, he is the founder of Content Viking, an AI-powered platform that turns demo and customer conversations into engaging content that resonates deeply with the ideal customer profile.
Hooman
Khoramshahi
Founder, Content Viking
A go-to-market leader who joined seed-stage startup Pluvo in early 2024 to build its sales function from the ground up, helping the company scale to $1M ARR while transforming dozens of finance teams by moving them beyond Excel and legacy tools. Alongside this, he is the founder of Content Viking, an AI-powered platform that turns demo and customer conversations into engaging content that resonates deeply with the ideal customer profile.
Raisa Sayed
Senior Financial Analyst,
TD
Specializing in Corporate Segment Finance within the Enterprise Real Estate division. She previously held an analyst role at Deloitte Toronto, serving clients in financial services, real estate, and private equity. Raisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business. Beyond her corporate work, she contributes to the nonprofit sector—including serving as Treasurer for the Kitchener–Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and co-leading Strategic Partnerships for MAX (Muslims Achieving Excellence)
Raisa Sayed
Senior Financial Analyst,
TD
Specializing in Corporate Segment Finance within the Enterprise Real Estate division. She previously held an analyst role at Deloitte Toronto, serving clients in financial services, real estate, and private equity. Raisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business. Beyond her corporate work, she contributes to the nonprofit sector—including serving as Treasurer for the Kitchener–Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and co-leading Strategic Partnerships for MAX (Muslims Achieving Excellence)
Raisa Sayed
Senior Financial Analyst,
TD
Specializing in Corporate Segment Finance within the Enterprise Real Estate division. She previously held an analyst role at Deloitte Toronto, serving clients in financial services, real estate, and private equity. Raisa holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University’s Smith School of Business. Beyond her corporate work, she contributes to the nonprofit sector—including serving as Treasurer for the Kitchener–Waterloo Chamber Orchestra, and co-leading Strategic Partnerships for MAX (Muslims Achieving Excellence)
Faraz Hasan
Managing Director,
Global Tech Agency
Faraz Hasan is the Managing Director of a global tech agency that operates as a service provider, product lab, and strategic investor. Under his leadership, the firm partners with businesses to drive measurable growth—delivering powerful solutions that have achieved global success for clients ranging from ambitious startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Faraz Hasan
Managing Director,
Global Tech Agency
Faraz Hasan is the Managing Director of a global tech agency that operates as a service provider, product lab, and strategic investor. Under his leadership, the firm partners with businesses to drive measurable growth—delivering powerful solutions that have achieved global success for clients ranging from ambitious startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Faraz Hasan
Managing Director,
Global Tech Agency
Faraz Hasan is the Managing Director of a global tech agency that operates as a service provider, product lab, and strategic investor. Under his leadership, the firm partners with businesses to drive measurable growth—delivering powerful solutions that have achieved global success for clients ranging from ambitious startups to Fortune 500 companies.
Jawwad Siddiqui
Product Builder,
Neogent AI
Jawwad Siddiqui is a software entrepreneur and product builder, currently leading work on Neogent AI, an AI-powered phone receptionist assistant. He previously founded the ed-tech startup SharpScholar and has held product leadership roles at Wave HQ, Yelp, and Paytm, where he helped scale products and teams.
Jawwad Siddiqui
Product Builder,
Neogent AI
Jawwad Siddiqui is a software entrepreneur and product builder, currently leading work on Neogent AI, an AI-powered phone receptionist assistant. He previously founded the ed-tech startup SharpScholar and has held product leadership roles at Wave HQ, Yelp, and Paytm, where he helped scale products and teams.
Jawwad Siddiqui
Product Builder,
Neogent AI
Jawwad Siddiqui is a software entrepreneur and product builder, currently leading work on Neogent AI, an AI-powered phone receptionist assistant. He previously founded the ed-tech startup SharpScholar and has held product leadership roles at Wave HQ, Yelp, and Paytm, where he helped scale products and teams.
Farhan Zia
Director of Programs
& Strategic Initiatives,
Toronto Metropolitan
University
An award-winning marketing strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth across industries from finance to fashion and tech. Recognized as one of Canada’s Next Top 25 Ad Executives during his MBA, he has led marketing and communications for Ryerson University’s business school, graduate programs, and Zone Learning network—including the DMZ, ranked the world’s #1 university-based tech incubator. A TEDx Delegate and advisor to the City of Toronto, Farhan has also co-authored national reports on private capital markets and startup funding.
Farhan Zia
Director of Programs
& Strategic Initiatives,
Toronto Metropolitan
University
An award-winning marketing strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth across industries from finance to fashion and tech. Recognized as one of Canada’s Next Top 25 Ad Executives during his MBA, he has led marketing and communications for Ryerson University’s business school, graduate programs, and Zone Learning network—including the DMZ, ranked the world’s #1 university-based tech incubator. A TEDx Delegate and advisor to the City of Toronto, Farhan has also co-authored national reports on private capital markets and startup funding.
Farhan Zia
Director of Programs
& Strategic Initiatives,
Toronto Metropolitan
University
An award-winning marketing strategist with over a decade of experience driving growth across industries from finance to fashion and tech. Recognized as one of Canada’s Next Top 25 Ad Executives during his MBA, he has led marketing and communications for Ryerson University’s business school, graduate programs, and Zone Learning network—including the DMZ, ranked the world’s #1 university-based tech incubator. A TEDx Delegate and advisor to the City of Toronto, Farhan has also co-authored national reports on private capital markets and startup funding.
Charles Zhang
Co-Founder,
Content Viking
Charles has 3 years of experience delivering AI and data solutions in fast-paced environments, from consulting to YC-backed startups. His technical expertise spans AI engineering (agentic AI, prompt engineering, RAG, LLM fine-tuning), analytic engineering (Airflow, DBT, Snowflake, BigQuery, PostgreSQL), Power BI, and advanced statistical analysis. Beyond the technical, he brings strong business consulting skills in problem-solving under ambiguity, storytelling, and stakeholder management. He is also a co-founder of Content Vikings, an AI-powered platform that transforms demo and customer calls into engaging content for target audiences.
Charles Zhang
Co-Founder,
Content Viking
Charles has 3 years of experience delivering AI and data solutions in fast-paced environments, from consulting to YC-backed startups. His technical expertise spans AI engineering (agentic AI, prompt engineering, RAG, LLM fine-tuning), analytic engineering (Airflow, DBT, Snowflake, BigQuery, PostgreSQL), Power BI, and advanced statistical analysis. Beyond the technical, he brings strong business consulting skills in problem-solving under ambiguity, storytelling, and stakeholder management. He is also a co-founder of Content Vikings, an AI-powered platform that transforms demo and customer calls into engaging content for target audiences.
Charles Zhang
Co-Founder,
Content Viking
Charles has 3 years of experience delivering AI and data solutions in fast-paced environments, from consulting to YC-backed startups. His technical expertise spans AI engineering (agentic AI, prompt engineering, RAG, LLM fine-tuning), analytic engineering (Airflow, DBT, Snowflake, BigQuery, PostgreSQL), Power BI, and advanced statistical analysis. Beyond the technical, he brings strong business consulting skills in problem-solving under ambiguity, storytelling, and stakeholder management. He is also a co-founder of Content Vikings, an AI-powered platform that transforms demo and customer calls into engaging content for target audiences.
Saheed Akinwale
Founder and CTO
Laminar
Saheed Akinwale is the Founder and CTO of Laminar, a low-code platform transforming how companies build integrations. He previously founded Software for Love and has led impactful engineering at Ford, Morgan Stanley, and Kinaxis. Saheed also built a lottery and payment processor in Nigeria and enjoys creating with Raspberry Pi in his spare time.
Saheed Akinwale
Founder and CTO
Laminar
Saheed Akinwale is the Founder and CTO of Laminar, a low-code platform transforming how companies build integrations. He previously founded Software for Love and has led impactful engineering at Ford, Morgan Stanley, and Kinaxis. Saheed also built a lottery and payment processor in Nigeria and enjoys creating with Raspberry Pi in his spare time.
Saheed Akinwale
Founder and CTO
Laminar
Saheed Akinwale is the Founder and CTO of Laminar, a low-code platform transforming how companies build integrations. He previously founded Software for Love and has led impactful engineering at Ford, Morgan Stanley, and Kinaxis. Saheed also built a lottery and payment processor in Nigeria and enjoys creating with Raspberry Pi in his spare time.
Sania Siddiqui
Product Designer,
LaunchGood
An Interaction Designer with over six years of experience spanning service design, product design, and graphic design. Currently a Product Designer at LaunchGood, she is passionate about crafting meaningful, research-driven solutions that tell stories, spark connections, and amplify voices that may otherwise go unheard. Sania is driven by the “why” behind design decisions and believes great design has the power to create lasting impact.
Sania Siddiqui
Product Designer,
LaunchGood
An Interaction Designer with over six years of experience spanning service design, product design, and graphic design. Currently a Product Designer at LaunchGood, she is passionate about crafting meaningful, research-driven solutions that tell stories, spark connections, and amplify voices that may otherwise go unheard. Sania is driven by the “why” behind design decisions and believes great design has the power to create lasting impact.
Sania Siddiqui
Product Designer,
LaunchGood
An Interaction Designer with over six years of experience spanning service design, product design, and graphic design. Currently a Product Designer at LaunchGood, she is passionate about crafting meaningful, research-driven solutions that tell stories, spark connections, and amplify voices that may otherwise go unheard. Sania is driven by the “why” behind design decisions and believes great design has the power to create lasting impact.
Kareem Draz
Professor,
Durham College
Kareem is a Petroleum/Software Engineer with a passion for learning and teaching software development. He has experience in FinTech and Software Talent Acquisition, and currently works as an International Lead Instructor for General Assembly's Software Engineering Immersive course. He has taught classes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Bahrain. He also works as a Senior Software Trainer in Toronto, Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, spending time in the water, learning new languages and frameworks, and meeting new people.
Kareem Draz
Professor,
Durham College
Kareem is a Petroleum/Software Engineer with a passion for learning and teaching software development. He has experience in FinTech and Software Talent Acquisition, and currently works as an International Lead Instructor for General Assembly's Software Engineering Immersive course. He has taught classes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Bahrain. He also works as a Senior Software Trainer in Toronto, Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, spending time in the water, learning new languages and frameworks, and meeting new people.
Kareem Draz
Professor,
Durham College
Kareem is a Petroleum/Software Engineer with a passion for learning and teaching software development. He has experience in FinTech and Software Talent Acquisition, and currently works as an International Lead Instructor for General Assembly's Software Engineering Immersive course. He has taught classes in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Bahrain. He also works as a Senior Software Trainer in Toronto, Canada. In his spare time, he enjoys exercising, spending time in the water, learning new languages and frameworks, and meeting new people.