Innovation thrives where passion meets purpose, and few exemplify this more than Xatoms and Marlow, two remarkable ventures who recently made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 North America 2025 List. A prestigious list published by Forbes, this highlights and acknowledges rising young talent in various sectors including social media, AI, sports, education, media, music, healthcare and more. Under this list, Xatoms was recognized in the Manufacturing and Industry category and Marlow was recognized in the Healthcare category.
An AI-powered water purification venture, Xatoms’ advanced technology uses AI and chemistry to identify contaminants and purify water for drinking. Co-Founded by Diana Virgovicova, Kerem Topal, Ismail Oglou, and Shirley (Yue Ming) Zhong, this innovative company serves water filter companies, aid organizations and water franchises in the U.S., Kenya and South Africa. Till date, Xatoms has raised $1.1M from 766 Climate Fellowship and Compute for Climate Fellowship.
Challenging the status quo, Marlow is a first-of-its-kind lubricated tampon brand that is making waves with its organic tampon product, strong community marketing strategy, and their recent appearance on Dragon’s Den. Co-Founded by Kiara Botha, Harit Sohal and Nadia Ladak, the venture is more than a regular period-care brand, and goes beyond through their educational podcast, and TMI club initiative that breaks barriers around women’s reproductive health. Armed with $1.9M in funding to date, Marlow has raised investment through a mix of different sources including dilutive and non-dilutive sources.
Both ventures have been championed by Western University and TechAlliance in their journey of unprecedented growth and success. This dual recognition speaks volumes about the strength of collaboration between different industry partners and leaders. The entrepreneurial education at Ivey Business School, leadership and mentorship support at TechAlliance and the passion to pursue bold ideas by the Co-Founders of Xatoms and Marlow creates an inevitable success formula for up-and-coming ventures in the Canadian tech and innovation ecosystem.
TechAlliance is thrilled to see these companies earn their place among the brightest innovators of their generation and look forward to their continued journey of transformative impact. As advocates for their success, we celebrate the dedication, ingenuity, and resilience that these companies represent to solve some of world’s most pressing challenges.