The zone is helping connect Artin Biomed to market partners and investors to allow the company to develop and test market-ready devices for FDA and Health Canada approval.

“At Ryerson, I’ve had the chance to get support emotionally, financially and academically to develop and commercialize my idea,” says Eftekhari.

“The journey of entrepreneurship is really exciting. Since 2013, I created a job for myself and part-time jobs for at least 10 other Ryerson and non-Ryerson students.

“My proudest achievements are coping with the changes in the journey of entrepreneurship and the patented technology, which I believe will revolutionize the future of orthopedic surgery.”

Social sharing drives diagnoses

“We got excited and said someone should create a mobile app that shares medical photos with more than just two people. We dropped everything and ran with the idea of creating a global stage and network such that any doctor, nurse or dentist could post pictures, ask questions or give information while also protecting patient privacy,” says Levey.

Figure 1 was launched in the DMZ at Ryerson University, with Levey as CEO and Landy and Penner as his co-founders. “Ryerson has the rule-breaking, interdisciplinary, entrepreneurial culture that informs this company. The collaborative environment of the DMZ, along with the financial support and mentorship provided by Ryerson Futures, allowed us to focus completely on building a product and getting our company off the ground,” says Levey.

One important way Figure 1 benefits health-care professionals and patients is by providing expert advice to health-care workers in under-resourced parts of the world for cases that have them stumped. “People were dying because doctors don’t have information out there that they need,” says Levey.

For example, Dr. Rogy Masri, a volunteer with Doctors Without Borders stationed at a refugee camp in Northern Lebanon, saw a 52-year-old male Syrian refugee walking into the clinic with a lesion about the size of a quarter on his hand. Masri snapped