Global Impact Creator Showcase 2026
Join us for an inspiring evening as we celebrate the 2026 cohort of the Global Impact Creator (GIC) Program—a collaborative initiative between the Accelerator Centre and the University of Waterloo designed to help entrepreneurs explore and advance social innovation across human, planetary, and animal health.
Over the past several months, this year’s visionary founders have pushed boundaries, validating critical unmet needs, developing bold solutions, and piloting initiatives built to create measurable real-world impact. Through mentorship, hands-on programming, and collaboration with experts across the innovation ecosystem, participants have transformed early-stage ideas into ventures grounded in evidence, purpose, and action.
This showcase marks the culmination of their journey. Founders will take the stage to present their ventures, share key learnings, and highlight the traction they’ve achieved—from validation insights and pilot outcomes to partnerships and next steps.
Connect with fellow changemakers, engage with mentors and industry leaders, and explore opportunities to collaborate with startups shaping a more sustainable, equitable future.
Whether you’re an entrepreneur, investor, ecosystem partner, student, or passionate advocate for change, this event is your chance to champion the next generation of impact-driven leaders.
Be part of the momentum. Be part of the impact.
We can’t wait to see you there.
AGENDA
10:30 AM | Doors open to the public
10:45 AM | Opening remarks from Accelerator Centre – Meghan Gervais, Director of Founder Experience
10:55 AM | University of Waterloo remarks – Alfred Yu, Associate Vice President of Partnerships, Entrepreneurship, and Commercialization
11:05 AM | Presentations from GIC cohort participants
12:00 PM | Closing remarks and networking
Meet the Founders in this Cohort of the Global Impact Creator Program
Sean Geobey | Groupthink Labs
Sean Geobey is Director and Head of Research at Groupthink Labs, where he develops and tests innovative models for participatory governance that communities of all sizes can adopt and scale. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and serves as Director of the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (WICI), advancing interdisciplinary research on complex social and economic systems. Sean’s work bridges academia and practice, combining rigorous research with real-world application to strengthen collaborative decision-making and community impact.
Groupthink Labs builds digital tools for collective decision-making, starting with Polls—a participatory budgeting platform for municipalities, community foundations, and organizations that must balance diverse voices and limited budgets. It helps groups allocate resources and set priorities using proven democratic methods, delivering a process that is transparent, efficient, and trusted.
Tamer Shahin | Hiro Technologies Inc.
Tamer Shahin is CEO and Co-Founder of Hiro, where he is building innovative solutions from the heart of Waterloo’s tech ecosystem. Previously, he served as Senior Manager of Velocity Digital, mentoring and advising early-stage startups on business strategy, product development, investor readiness, and growth. Tamer is passionate about equipping founders with the tools, networks, and practical guidance they need to prototype efficiently, launch strong MVPs, and scale with confidence.
Hiro turns children’s physiotherapy exercises into motion-based games that use a device’s camera so the child’s body becomes the controller. Built with therapists and families in mind, it runs on phones, tablets, and computers, tracks progress with analytics, and makes home or clinic practice more engaging—without extra equipment.
Saba Oji | HolisticMind AI
Named one of Canada’s Top 100 AI Startups, Saba’s company HolisticMindAI develops therapist-guided AI tools to support mental health providers through ethical, human-first innovation. As a researcher and EDI advocate, she brings a nuanced and compassionate view on responsible AI development—emphasizing safety, equity, and community-informed design. Her lens blends technical rigor with lived experience and a commitment to ethical implementation.
HolisticMindAI helps therapists save time on case notes with AI-powered transcription that produces structured, session-ready summaries. It also provides each client with a personalized, therapist-guided AI companion built from their own sessions, extending care between visits with guided check-ins and reinforcement of insights—while keeping the clinician in control.
Jianping (Felix) Xu | Lumos Health Inc.
Jianping (Felix) Xu is Co-founder and Founding Engineer at Lumos, where he leads the development of the software and systems powering the company’s smart glasses technology. He designs and builds mobile applications for iOS and Android, develops embedded software to enable seamless device communication, and oversees secure backend infrastructure for user data management. Felix brings full-stack technical expertise and a product-focused mindset to creating intuitive, reliable wearable technology experiences.
Lumos Health makes smart glasses that deliver light therapy for people experiencing depression and poor sleep, in a discreet, comfortable form that looks like everyday eyewear. Designed for daily use, the glasses support consistent routines; in an eight-week double-blind clinical evaluation, they showed about 30% mood improvement (MADRS), 20% better sleep quality, and a 40 ms gain in reaction time.
Robin Andrade | Patient Pro Inc.
Robin brings over a decade of experience teaching at the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy and more than twenty years in the health care field. A registered pharmacy technician, she has dedicated her career to education, earning a BEd, MEd, and now pursuing a PhD, demonstrating her deep commitment to lifelong learning.
Patient Pro began as a Master’s project during her studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Though the idea remained quietly in her back pocket, it resurfaced after graduation, when she recognized the potential to explore the intersection of AI and education through her doctoral research at Brock University.
Today, Robin continues to support student learning in her role in work-integrated learning as an Educational Developer, helping to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and practical experience.
Patient Pro offers curriculum-based virtual standardized patient simulations that let health profession students practice patient interactions and counselling, complementing human standardized patients with scalable, flexible access. Built by a team in pharmacy education and AI, the platform features AI-driven dialogues, real-time feedback, gamified cases, and embedded evaluation for consistent, measurable training—ideal for pharmacy schools and other healthcare education programs.
Runjhun Saran Narayan | MOLwise Biosciences Inc.
I am the Founder and CEO of MOLwise Biosciences Inc., an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo and the University of British Columbia, Canada, and Scientific Advisor at International Center for Applied Systems Science for Sustainable Development, Cambridge, ON, Canada
Bio-Nanotechnology, and Artificial Intelligence are central to my work. I develop smart, sustainable, and robust innovations at the intersection of AI and Life Sciences, for advancing the field of Biotherapeutics, Bio-diagnostics, Drug Discovery, Biosensing, Agroecology, and Environmental Monitoring. I am a passionate Scientific Writer & Storyteller!
I hold a PhD in Bio-Nanotechnology from the University of Waterloo with Juewen Liu. I received a M.S. in Biotechnology from Anna University, India.
MOLwise Biosciences uses AI-guided aptamer discovery to design specific, stable nucleic acid binders for small molecules, proteins, cells, and viruses. It partners with diagnostic companies, healthcare providers, agri-dairy producers, and environmental agencies, enabling faster, more affordable molecular detection and integration with microfluidics, biosensors, and point-of-care devices for field-ready use.
Shreya Rao | Planted Youth Opportunities
Shreya Rao is a student at the University of Waterloo majoring in Environment, Resources, and Sustainability with a Minor in Entrepreneurship, driven by a passion for climate action and youth empowerment. She is the Founder of Planted Youth Opportunities, a youth-led platform that connects young changemakers with social impact careers through skill-building resources, gamified learning, and strategic partnerships. Through her work in sustainability, advocacy, and leadership, Shreya is committed to creating inclusive spaces where youth can lead meaningful change and help build a more equitable future.
Planted is a youth-powered platform connecting 13–30 year olds with purpose-driven opportunities—jobs, internships, scholarships, fellowships, and volunteer roles—curated for transparency and equity. Operated as a Gen-Z-led non-profit, it vets organizations and shares resources so young people can explore careers aligned with social and environmental impact in a community-centered way.
Pedro Augusto Da Silva E Souza Miranda | Skopien Inc.
Pedro Augusto da Silva e Souza Miranda is a student in The School of Public Health Systems in University of Waterloo. He completed his master in computer science in the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, 2019. He has over five years of experience working with the application software engineering concepts towards the healthcare domain to provide solutions and innovations. He has been involved in projects for multinational healthcare companies as well in projects for the biggest private hospital company in Brazil.
Skopien provides a platform that pulls data from multiple bedside monitors and brings it together in a single dashboard for real-time bed management. Data is stored securely and available for staff to review anytime, helping hospital teams see patient status at a glance and coordinate care across units.