FemSTEM 2024 Kickoff Event & Panel
Join us on Thursday, January 11th as we kickoff our 2024 FemSTEM programming!
This year’s Kickoff will feature both a panel, and an interactive discussion and networking session. The panel will feature three incredible entrepreneurs: Firoza Kothari, Dr. Sumaiyah Rehman, and Vishar Yaghoubian.
We invite you to join us and hear about their journeys and experiences commercializing in the health care sector. We’ll dive into their entrepreneurial beginnings and answer questions from the audience!
All are welcome to join: students, faculty, alumni, founders, aspiring innovators & members of the H2i community!
Meet our Panelists:
Co-Founder & CTO – Anatomiz3D Medtech Pvt. Ltd and Anatomiz3D Healthcare Limited
B.Tech in Biotechnology Engineering
Forbes 30 under 30 – Asia – Healthcare and Science, 2020
Firoza Kothari started her journey to provide patient-specific medical solutions in 2015 by launching her startup Anatomiz3D focused on medical 3D printing. She, along with her team, was the first to execute soft tissue models in India through Paediatric Cardiology, partial amputee prosthetic hand, the first kidney tumor case in India, and the model for tongue cancer was the first in the world. Anatomiz3D has played a vital role in creating the market for 3D Printing in the Medical industry in India since 2015 and is a pioneer for the same, also being the first in India to enable Hospital-Industry partnerships for Point-of-Care Labs. They have successfully executed over 3000 cases and are now starting their journey in North America.
Her multi-disciplinary expertise prevails in converting 2D DICOM CT/MRI/Echo Scans to 3D Printed anatomical replicas, medical devices, and allied products, using various combinations of Hardware and Software, across multiple medical specializations.
Co-Founder & CEO, DTPx Therapeutics
Scientific Associate at UHN, Princess Margaret Cancer Center
Co-founder and Co-Director, Essentials First-Canada
Sumaiyah Rehman is a Scientific Associate at the University Health Network Princess Margaret Cancer Center in the lab of Dr. Catherine O’Brien. She holds a PhD in Cancer Biology from University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her post-doctoral research at UHN in the lab of Catherine O’Brien uncovered the critical role of drug tolerant persister cells in mediating colorectal cancer relapse. Building on this, Sumaiyah co-founded DTPx Therapeutics in 2022, to advance treatment strategies to prevent colorectal cancer relapse. She has been the recipient of several fellowships and awards, most notably the 2023 CIHR-REDI Early Career Transition Award, FemSTEM Pitch competition and FACIT’s Ernsting Entrepreneurship Awards. She also co-founded and is co-director of Essentials First-Canada chapter, a non-profit organization that provides access to vital personal and household hygiene products to impoverished communities.
Co-Founder & CEO ,
U Corp, Toothpod
Vishar is the CEO and co-founder of U Corp, a healthcare startup that aims to improve oral hygiene globally. She is one of the 12 chosen women for 2022 in See It Be It STEM It, run by Linamar corporation. She has served as the student governor for UofT Governing Council representing over 50,000 undergraduate students and mental health director for Woodsworth college for 2-consecutive years. She has an HBSc, and her company has been a part of H2i, Innovation Factory, UTEST, LAB2M, and the Hatchery.
What is FemSTEM?
Started in 2017, H2i’s FemSTEM program looks to inspire, engage, and celebrate women-identifying entrepreneurs.
Our goal at H2i is to grow the infrastructure, practice, and local culture to translate discoveries and ideas into problem solving designs, services and product. We do this through building connections, linking people with mentors, resources, researchers, key opinion leaders, and professionals to help them translate, defuse, and scale discoveries.
With this simple but extraordinarily effective model, we’ve been able to support a record number of ventures commercializing their health innovations.
FemSTEM is our dedicated program focused on fostering an increasingly diverse and inclusive community. We are committed to supporting women and building valuable, diverse connections, uplifting women in STEM who are looking to create their own business.
The FemSTEM event series runs between January and March each year with panels, fireside talks, and a pitch competition.
In 2021-22, based on consultation with women-identifying founders, H2i made its first move to expand FemSTEM to be a year-round program, with the introduction of FemSTEM Mentoring. If you’re an H2i founder interested in accessing this resource, email our FemSTEM lead at h2i.international@utoronto.ca!
FemSTEM 2024 Programming
Stay tuned! Registration coming soon:
Fireside at FemSTEM: Dr. Gabriella Chan | February 7, 2024 | 4 – 5 PM (Zoom) REGISTER
Fireside at FemSTEM: Dr. Mira Backo-Shannon | February 21, 2024 | 4 – 5 PM (Zoom) REGISTER
Fireside at FemSTEM: Dr. Yasaman Soudagar | March 5, 2024 | 4 – 5 PM (in-person) REGISTER
2024 FemSTEM Pitch Competition | March 26, 2024 | 3 – 5 PM (in-person)