Students present AI-driven solutions for migrant integration at Build a Bridge Showcase
As part of the Bridging Divides initiative, participants from TMU, Concordia University, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia worked for several months in interdisciplinary teams to design AI-driven Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) addressing urgent challenges in immigrant integration.
“These are not easy problems to solve, and they shouldn’t be,” said Anna Triandafyllidou, Scientific Director of the Global Migration Institute and Bridging Divides, opening the event. “What impressed me is how seriously students approached these challenges and how implementable their ideas are.”
More than 50 students took part in the program, with just over 20 reaching the final showcase on March 31, 2026. Their fully developed solutions spanned three key areas: mental health and wellbeing; employment and lifelong learning; and place, infrastructure, citizenship, and participation.
Mental Health and Wellbeing: BeaverBuddy
The winning team in the Mental Health and Wellbeing category, BeaverBuddy, was developed by Aryan Desai, Gaston Chung, and Matthew Phang, all undergraduate students from TMU.
Their project responds to a widely documented challenge among newcomers: isolation and emotional stress. “57% of Canadian immigrants report feeling lonely, with many also experiencing anxiety and depression,” Chung explains, an insight that informed the team’s direction.
BeaverBuddy is an AI-powered companion that combines daily emotional check-ins with personalized “quests” designed to support both mental health and cultural integration. Users are guided through small, actionable steps, from coping strategies to activities that introduce them to Canadian life.
The idea itself started quite informally. “What if we had a cute little beaver that lets you play mini-games,” Phang recalls saying to his teammates in a Discord call at 11 PM. “We spent the next month turning a silly idea into something that could provide real value for Canadian immigrants."
The team emphasized that the app is intended as a starting point rather than a replacement for human connection, describing it as a tool to help users build confidence and take first steps toward engaging with their communities.
The experience extended beyond the final product, and Chung credits his teammates and the time they spent together. “This isn’t just a competition win, it’s a lifetime memory.”
Employment and Lifelong Learning: NextOwner
The winning idea in the Employment and Lifelong Learning category, NextOwner, was developed by Bita Deravian, Hojat Asgariandehkordi, and Melika Seyedi, PhD students from Concordia University.
Their project tackles a challenge that is far from unique to business owners across the country. Currently, Deravian explains, more than one million Canadian small and medium-sized businesses face closure not because they are failing, but because there is no clear path for succession.
At the same time, many newcomers arrive ready to invest and take on these opportunities, but lack the networks, information, and mentorship needed to access them.
As the pitch went, “So the problem isn’t supply or demand. It’s trust and connection.”
NextOwner responds to that gap by rethinking how business transitions happen. The platform uses AI to match buyers and sellers based on financial criteria, as well as values, goals, and long-term compatibility, creating pathways for continuity that are AI-enabled but still human-driven.
Place, Infrastructure, Citizenship, and Participation: BridgeQuest
The winning team in this category, BridgeQuest, brought together Sean Nguyen and Shreya Dasoju from TMU and Augustine Farinola from the University of Alberta, and stood out for its creative approach to navigating early settlement.
The platform simulates the first 30 days of arriving in Canada through an interactive, scenario-based game. Users take on a persona and make decisions that affect outcomes such as finances, energy, and access to services.
“Moving to Canada is exciting, but also stressful. So we asked ourselves, how can we make this easier, more fun, and more human?” said Nguyen during the presentation.
For Farinola, the project also raised deeper questions about how AI systems are built. “AI isn’t magic,” he notes. “It’s data, models, and decisions. And the harms often begin with data.”
That perspective shaped the team’s approach from the outset. They focused on embedding ethical considerations into the system itself, including transparency, fairness, and accountability. “We tried to build ethics into the data pipeline and integrate values into the systems themselves,” Farinola explains. The result is a tool that not only guides users through practical challenges but also reflects on how those tools are designed in the first place.
Supporting the journey from ideas to impact
Beyond the winning teams, the showcase highlighted the breadth and quality of work across all participants. Other projects addressed challenges ranging from navigating job postings and avoiding fraudulent listings, to improving access to culturally appropriate mental health services and real-time communication in public transit systems, an idea rooted in Toronto’s own TTC system.
For many students, the experience marked their first time applying technical skills to complex social challenges.
“As someone stepping into a project centered on technological innovation for the first time, this pushed me far beyond my comfort zone,” says Priscilla Twumasi Ankrah from Concordia University. “It challenged me to think deeper and reflect on how technology can be used with real purpose.”
The final showcase also pointed toward what comes next, as part of an ongoing process of testing, refining, and, as per the initiative’s name, building. “How these projects were built also matters, through dialogue and a willingness to engage with complexity. Seeing teams come together across institutions and disciplines is what makes Bridging Divides such a unique program. You can’t find that everywhere,” said Triandafyllidou.
“Don’t sit and wait for the world to solve your problems. See a problem, step out there, and do it.”
In the spirit of collaboration across TMU initiatives supporting student innovation, Bridging Divides partnered with Experience Ventures at TMU Zone Learning to award twelve students with special honorariums recognizing their dedication throughout the program. John MacRitchie, Associate Vice-President, Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives, spoke to the value of these initiatives while presenting the recognition. “What we’ve learned over time, especially with students, is that not everybody immediately sees themselves as a founder. But there are skills and experiences you gain by participating in this kind of work that are important and valuable.”
The final awards were presented by Eric Agyemang, Founder and Managing Partner of Maple Bridge Ventures, whose life work focuses on supporting Canadian and immigrant entrepreneurs. Addressing the teams, Agyemang focused on what drives innovation forward. “What has always stood out to me is the conviction,” he said. “The drive to pursue something different and solve a problem that hasn’t been solved.” He encouraged participants to carry that momentum forward. “Don’t sit and wait for the world to solve your problems. See a problem, step out there, and do it.”
Useful links:
Build a Bridge Program and Competition
Dive deeper: How Chatbots Could Support New Migrant Integration (external link)
Learn about the judges’ experience: From Student Projects to Startup Potential - Bridging Divides - Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)
