Morrissette Entrepreneurship

Season's Greetings to our Entrepreneurship Community! Wishing you and your loved ones time to recharge, reminisce, and rejoice during this festive season as you look towards a New Year! Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy Holidays!

Matteo Tanzi and Omer Abdalla are the co-founders of Romme Travel, a company that hopes to transform travel into unforgettable shared experiences by connecting students through curated group trips. Through unique adventures and local social connections, Romme helps students explore the world together, creating memories that last a lifetime. “To me, entrepreneurship is about creating spaces where people can connect and experience life in a richer, more memorable way.” https://lnkd.in/g2gsRQde

If you've been following us in 2024, you've probably heard the @xatoms.ai. From winning best social enterprise at Seed Your Startup, and securing $500,000 at StartupFest, to becoming a Hult Prize finalist and getting on Forbes 30 Under 30 list, they've had quite the year! Xatoms also spent the last three months working at the Western Accelerator, continuing their upward trajectory, including a spot in our prestigious pitch event, Western Angels' Demo Day. Discover more about COO Shirley Zhong, and Xatoms fascinating solution to water pollution. https://bit.ly/4giYAvy

Reagan Michiels, Joseane Nascimento, PhD, and Chloe Jang, are the co-founders of The Easy Snack Co., which provides a comprehensive, nutrient-rich option for adults seeking healthy convenient snacks. More than 70% of Canadian adults not being able to meet the recommended daily intake of five servings of fruits and vegetables, and Easy Snack is here to fill that gap with a blend of fruits, vegetables, protein, fibre, and collagen in a ready-to-consume, portable, and resealable pouch. With a PhD Candidate, a recent graduate and a post-doctoral faculty member, these co-founders didn’t set out to become entrepreneurs. “Business doesn’t exactly run in our families. However, when Joseane shared her grandmother’s struggle with nutrition after a stroke, it really hit home. As scientists, we’re all about solving real-life problems, and this one felt personal. That conversation quickly turned into a mission to make healthy eating easy and accessible for everyone.”

Jacqueline Loganathan and Jennifer Huynh are the co-founders of Hone, which makes DIY home project kits that include everything you need to complete a project - the tools, materials, and the easiest instructions you'll ever read. Neither of them developed handy skills growing up, and they often waited for their parents or partners to help with simple tasks like hanging up pictures. “Still, that hasn't stopped us from saving countless inspo pictures to our Pinterest boards, promising ourselves that we'll start that DIY project someday. When we first got together to explore this problem, we realized that we weren't alone.” During the past three months, Jacqueline and Jennifer have spent time figuring out what kind of product would fit this market need at the Western Accelerator. And now, with Hone, you can find everything you need for your DIY experience, in one simple package!

Meagan Furnivall Petter is the founder of Empower Elle, a venture that is seeking to create a better birth experience by improving dignity, comfort and skin-to-skin contact for mothers, birthing people and their babies through a functional birthing gown that helps women to feel comfortable, safe, and protected and allows healthcare providers to offer the same medical care. “I chose entrepreneurship because I wanted to create something that truly supports women in a way that I felt was missing. As a mother, midwife, and researcher, I’ve seen how the right tools and environment can positively impact a woman’s experience during childbirth. I felt a strong pull to fill that gap, especially when it comes to prioritizing women’s comfort, dignity, and empowerment in the birthing space.” For Meagan, Empower Elle has been an opportunity to combine her expertise and values in a way that could directly impact women’s lives.

Rukayat Adeola Somoye, PhD is the Founder of Centro Agricola Limited, which is transforming urban waste into sustainable food solutions, starting in Nigeria. By recycling organic waste into eco-friendly soilless media and biofertilizers, Centro Agricola Limited creates greenhouse hubs that produce fresh, local produce right in the heart of cities. “Growing up surrounded by family members who ran small businesses, I was inspired by their dedication to problem-solving and self-reliance. This exposure cultivated both a creative and entrepreneurial mindset, encouraging me to seek innovative ways to address challenges. My academic journey and research in agriculture further fueled this passion, especially as I witnessed firsthand the impact of food insecurity, urban waste, and limited access to fresh produce on communities.” These experiences motivated Rukayat to create a business that transforms environmental challenges into opportunities, promoting sustainable agriculture while supporting local food systems. https://lnkd.in/er5yGDB3

Hamza Mhadi, HBA '17, is the Founder of Herald, a company that helps B2B lenders manage their books and identify default risk using AI. Mhadi has been working on growing Herald through the Western Accelerator during the Fall 2024 cohort. For B2B lenders, keeping track of the promises (or "financial covenants") borrowers make is a manual, timely and error-prone process that can have profound negative implications if mismanaged. “I lived and breathed this problem when I was a corporate banking senior analyst at Citibank. Mistakes were frequent, stressful, and could be catastrophic to the bank's profitability. I wanted to create something I wish I had.” And that’s how the best ideas are born. With Herald, B2B lenders now have an end-to-end platform that helps them analyze, track their portfolio and identify risks and potential defaults ahead of time.

Omar Moharrem and Abdul-Aziz Sardar are co-founders of Aaqaraty Technologies Corporation, an AI-powered platform dedicated to broker-to-broker collaboration in Dubai’s real estate market. Unlike typical listing portals focused on direct buyers, Aaqaraty builds trust directly into the co-brokering process by creating a verified network where agents can securely connect, share qualified leads, and close deals faster. The problem at the heart of Aaqaraty became real following Omar’s marriage in Egypt. As a Canadian citizen, he struggled to navigate Egypt’s real estate market. Faced with difficulties finding reputable brokers, understanding developer reputations, and comprehending varied payment plan structures, Omar was inspired to create a solution that would streamline the property buying process for foreigners and teamed up with Aziz to develop Aaqaraty into a solution for the Middle East and North Africa region.

Katherine Festeryga is the founder of Edie Farming, Ontario’s first urban commercial rooftop greenhouse. Edie Farming utilizes AI, a closed-loop hydroponic system, and solar energy to grow the most sustainable produce in the world. But for Katherine, entrepreneurship wasn’t always on the cards. “This wasn't anything I set out to do, I would never have considered myself a business-oriented person, however, I'm passionate about rooftop greenhouses being the future for food in cities and no one else was doing this in Ontario so I figured why not me?” And why not? After spending the last three months with the Western Accelerator, we’re excited to see where Katherine’s story goes next.