Engineering student’s water management startup ranks among top in the world

Water, our most abundant natural resource, faces great challenges in the decades ahead. With the demand for freshwater increasing around the planet, governments and scientists struggle to chart a clear course to manage consumption, keep it affordable and eliminate pollutants to preserve it for future generations.

Even before he completes his Engineering degree at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Mohamad Vedut (Software Engineering, class of 2017) is helping develop innovative solutions for water management, through the application of artificial intelligence.

Only a year after its launch, Vedut’s startup company EMAGIN Clean Technologies Inc. is generating major buzz in the globally competitive field of data-driven water and wastewater operations. Co-founded with his friend and colleague Thouheed Abdul Gaffoor (University of Waterloo graduate), the Kitchener, Ontario-based EMAGIN has been nominated one of the world’s top-10 global digital water companies (by San Francisco’s Imagine H₂O (IH2O) at the 2017 Data Challenge Accelerator competition). EMAGIN was selected from a field of more than 180 companies across 18 countries.

“Our company focuses on helping utilities use software technology to make their drinking water and wastewater systems more efficient and cost-effective,” says Vedut. “We use the utility’s historical information as a benchmark. The artificial intelligence utilizes and learns from the existing infrastructure to predict future system behaviour. We can help prevent the next Walkerton or Flint from ever happening again.”

EMAGIN will help water utilities and industrial users make smarter decisions in real-time to save on costs and reduce operational risk.

“Cities in Canada and around the world will be transformed into smart-technology communities, equipped with adaptive ways to meet the pressures of climate change, urbanization and conservation,” says Vedut. “We are already working with utilities in Ontario. And through IMH2O, we’re swiftly moving into the U.S. market.”

EMAGIN also recently won the Unlock Your Big Pitch competition organized by Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs Partners in Peel. The company was also a winner at the Velocity Fund Finals in Waterloo, Ontario.

• Profile: Mohamad Vedut’s academic journey

  What brought you to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology?

  After high school I had options to go to many different schools across Ontario. I wanted to attend a school that really resonated with my personality, somewhere I would feel at home. I remember the first time I came to see the University of Ontario Institute of Technology campus. The more I saw, the more I wanted to be here. I found myself in a young and innovative university that has a proven commitment toward its students and their success as young professionals.

  The university takes innovation into its own hands through cutting-edge research coupled with an applied and entrepreneurial focus. In the end it was an easy choice for me to be here.

  What are the advantages of the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science program?

  The university’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science has continuously supported me from the beginning. What really stands out the most is that the faculty made my transition into university such a breeze by simply listening to student needs. I am able to speak openly to every member of this faculty, whether I’m engaged in a course, want to learn more about a specific area of research or I am bouncing ideas off others to learn more about the industry.

  How has the Software Engineering program put you in this great position to be a leader and entrepreneur?

  Our Software Engineering program provides students with the practical experience needed to succeed both academically and as entrepreneurs. Our professors have been really proactive about solving real-world problems and have provided a tremendous amount of mentorship in bringing industry back into the classroom. It makes a huge difference when we’re exposed to real-life situations. This allows us to think about how we can solve some of the most challenging problems across the globe.

  Our class material, assignments and projects become a stepping-stone into the real world and with that, the courses we take translate into opportunities to dig deep into ourselves to become better leaders and entrepreneurs.

  What are your goals with EMAGIN and after graduation in June?

  There are many things going on right now so it’s really hard to say what will happen in the near future. We’re in a great spot to continue growing and innovating at EMAGIN. We are getting lots of global traction and things are picking up quickly. My dream would be to pursue EMAGIN beyond graduation.

  What would you say to a high school student thinking about taking Engineering at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology?

  Just do it!

Related coverage

• BetaKit (Canadian startup news, January 12, 2017)
• Water Canada magazine (January 11, 2017)
• Kitchener-Waterloo Record (January 20, 2017)
• Mississauga Research Innovation Commercialization (RIC) Centre (January 30, 2017)
• Tasque.com (March 21, 2017)
• Velocity Fund Finals (March 30, 2017)
• Unlock Your Big Pitch 2016 winners

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Media contact
Bryan Oliver
Communications and Marketing
Ontario Tech University
905.721.8668 ext. 6709
bryan.oliver@uoit.ca