Diana Virgovicova and Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou (supplied image)
Xatoms startup named Hult Prize finalist, wins three prizes at Startupfest
Published: July 25, 2024
, a startup co-founded by University of Toronto students Diana Virgovicova and Kerem Topal Ismail Oglou, has been .
The company, which uses quantum chemistry and AI to discover molecules that can efficiently purify water, took home the $100,000 Best of the Fest, $100,000 Women in Tech Investment and $50,000 Front Row Ventures Student Entrepreneur prizes. Those prizes will be matched by the Business Development Bank of Canada, bringing Xatoms’s total winnings at Startupfest to $500,000.
Additionally, Xatoms has also been selected among the top 14 out of 9,400 teams for the prestigious , and will compete for the $1-million grand prize in September.
The startup evolved out of a discovery that Virgovicova, its CEO, made at age 17 when she used quantum chemistry software to model a photocatalyst molecule that can eliminate pollutants from water when exposed to sunlight.
Xatoms, which was part of accelerator program at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Scarborough and is now part of the at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ Mississauga, builds on that discovery by incorporating AI and machine learning to discover more – and more efficient – materials and molecules.
