Entrepreneur. Investor. AI Strategist.
Mehnaz Tabassum
Building Beyond Boundaries.
My journey has taken me from Bangladesh to Canada, from leading technology initiatives within the federal public service to building organizations at the intersection of artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and social impact.
Along the way, I have come to understand that some of the greatest opportunities emerge when we connect ideas, industries and perspectives that are traditionally kept apart.
Today, I build ventures, invest in ideas and bring people together to explore how technology can expand human potential, transform organizations and create a more inclusive future.
I am constantly learning, constantly building, and increasingly curious about what becomes possible in a world being redefined by artificial intelligence.
100 Young Leaders — the announcement film
Open on Instagram ↗ (opens in a new tab)The Woman Behind the Work
I grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with an imagination that was often bigger than the world around me. I was curious about everything and struggled to understand why we were expected to choose one path, pursue one profession and define ourselves by one particular aspect of our lives.
At 17, I moved to Canada with $3,000 and a dream of building a life on my own terms.
The years that followed were filled with unfamiliar environments, new responsibilities, failures, opportunities and an incredible amount of learning. I studied business and public policy, became involved in entrepreneurship, built a career in the Canadian public service and discovered a passion for technology.
None of these experiences were particularly linear. But looking back, each one gave me a different perspective on how the world works and how much more we can accomplish when we bring those perspectives together.
Somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to define myself through a single profession and started thinking about the kind of problems I wanted to solve.
That shift changed everything.
Redefining What Success Looks Like
My years in the Canadian federal public service gave me the opportunity to lead technology initiatives, work within complex institutions and understand how decisions, systems and people shape the delivery of public services.
At the same time, entrepreneurship allowed me to explore a different side of leadership: building something from nothing, navigating uncertainty and turning ideas into tangible outcomes.
In 2020, what began as a grassroots food initiative in our living room and garage became NL Eats Community Outreach, a registered Canadian charity working to advance food security, skills development and food systems innovation.
As we grew the organization, we began experimenting with artificial intelligence and automation to address our own operational challenges. We discovered how technology could enable resource-constrained organizations to achieve so much more with what they already had.
That experience eventually led to the creation of CogniCo AI Consulting.
In February 2025, Saif and I took a leap of faith, taking leave from our conventional careers to dedicate ourselves to entrepreneurship and the organizations we had built.
It was a decision to pursue a different definition of success. One centred around the problems we could solve, the opportunities we could create and the people whose lives we could positively influence.
Nothing Meaningful Is Built Alone
Behind everything I have built are the people who have believed in me, challenged me and stood beside me through every chapter of my life.
My family has always been my greatest source of strength. My siblings have been my closest companions, and Saif has been my partner in life, entrepreneurship and the countless ideas we have pursued together.
We have grown together, built organizations together and made some of the most significant decisions of our lives together.
I have also been fortunate to meet incredible mentors, colleagues, friends and young leaders who continue to challenge the way I think and inspire me to dream bigger.
If there is one thing my journey has taught me, it is that individual ambition can take us far, but meaningful and lasting impact is almost always a collective effort.
The people we surround ourselves with can fundamentally change what we believe is possible.
The Making of a Multipotentialite
A journey shaped by curiosity, reinvention, entrepreneurship and the belief that our potential is not limited to a single path.
1997
Where It All Began
◆ Dhaka, Bangladesh
I was born and raised in Dhaka, where my curiosity, imagination and desire to create opportunities for others began to take shape.
2014
A Leap of Faith
◆ Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada
At 17, I moved to Canada with $3,000 and a dream of building a life on my own terms. It was the beginning of a journey that would challenge everything I knew about independence, ambition and possibility.
2017
Finding Opportunity in Failure
◆ Memorial University of Newfoundland
My early entrepreneurial experiences taught me that an idea that succeeds in one environment may not succeed in another. After rethinking our original business concept, my team and I won Memorial University's inaugural Fail Tale Cup. It was an early lesson in adaptability, resilience and the importance of learning from failure.
Source: Memorial Gazette — Fail Tales ↗2018
Discovering Food Systems Innovation
◆ Feeding 9 Billion Challenge
Our team received recognition for an entrepreneurial idea addressing food waste. It introduced me to the scale of the challenges within our food systems and the opportunities for innovation.
Source: Premier’s Youth Policy Council announcement ↗2020
Building From Our Living Room
◆ Co-founding NL Eats Community Outreach
During the pandemic, my family and I began collecting and redistributing food from our home in St. John's. What started as a grassroots response to an immediate community need grew into a registered Canadian charity dedicated to food security, skills development and food systems innovation.
Bringing Young Voices Into Policy
I joined Newfoundland and Labrador's Premier's Youth Policy Council, contributing youth perspectives to conversations about the future of the province. This experience strengthened my interest in the intersection of public policy, community leadership and institutional change.
NL Eats Community Outreach
2021
Recognition for Leadership
◆ Memorial University of Newfoundland
I received the Chancellor's Undergraduate Award and the Fry Family Foundation Undergraduate Leadership Award, recognizing my contributions to student leadership and the wider community.
Source: Official convocation record — page 12 ↗2022
Excellence in Public Service
◆ Canada Revenue Agency
I received the CRA Award of Excellence, marking an important milestone in my public service journey. My experience across government technology initiatives continued to shape my understanding of leadership, organizational transformation and the role of innovation in public institutions.
2023
Taking the Conversation Beyond My Own Organization
◆ Global Government Forum
Through platforms such as AccelerateGov and Global Government Forum, I began sharing my experiences and perspectives on digital transformation, leadership, gender inclusion and the changing nature of work.
2024
From Immigrant to Changemaker
◆ Most Inspiring Immigrant Recognition
I was recognized as one of Atlantic Canada's Most Inspiring Immigrants and featured on Global News. A decade after moving to Canada, this recognition was a meaningful reminder of how far the journey had taken me and of the responsibility I felt to create opportunities for others.
Source: Global News — Meet Mehnaz Tabassum ↗2025
Choosing Entrepreneurship
◆ Ottawa
In February 2025, Saif and I took leave from the federal public service to focus on building our ventures and pursuing our vision for greater impact. It was one of the most significant decisions of our professional lives, and the beginning of a new chapter defined by entrepreneurship, experimentation and continuous learning.
Source: Ottawa Business Journal ↗Building CogniCo AI Consulting
Our experience implementing AI and automation within NL Eats revealed a much larger opportunity. We co-founded CogniCo AI Consulting to help organizations move beyond AI curiosity and adopt practical, responsible technology solutions that enhance productivity and human potential.
2026
Building Beyond Boundaries
◆ From community impact to national and international leadership.
2026 was a year in which the work we had been building across entrepreneurship, food systems and community leadership reached new stages. I was recognized as a QECT 100 Young Leaders Awardee by The Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust and named an inaugural SHIFT Award winner by the Foodservice Women's Alliance. Together with our team and partners, we delivered FOOD FORWARD across St. John's, Ottawa and Toronto, bringing together more than 1,000 participants, 100 speakers and 55 exhibitors. On October 29, I appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry as CEO of NL Eats, contributing to its study of food security in Canada.
For me, these milestones were a reminder of what becomes possible when we connect ideas, people and institutions around a shared purpose. The work that began in our living room had grown into a national platform for collaboration, innovation and policy dialogue.
QECT 100 Young Leaders
Commonwealth recognition for entrepreneurship and community leadership.
SHIFT Award
Inaugural award from the Foodservice Women’s Alliance.
FOOD FORWARD
2026 national series: 1,000+ participants, 100 speakers and 55 exhibitors across three cities.
Senate of Canada
Food security study — October 29, 2026.
The Journey Continues
I continue to build ventures, explore emerging technologies, invest in ideas and bring people together across industries and borders. My ambition is to help shape a future where artificial intelligence expands human potential, innovation creates opportunities and meaningful progress is accessible to more people. There is still so much more to build.
Starting a Conversation About the Future
I launched Mehnaz Talks AI to explore artificial intelligence through conversations with leaders, researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs. The platform was born out of my own curiosity and a desire to make AI more accessible, helping people understand not only how technology is evolving, but how we can evolve alongside it.
In conversation
The story, in my own words.
Navigating Big Career & Life Changes
Watch on YouTube ↗Love, Careers and Adventureship
Watch on YouTube ↗Biography
Mehnaz Tabassum is a Bangladeshi-Canadian entrepreneur, AI strategist and nonprofit leader working at the intersection of technology, food systems and social innovation. She co-founded NL Eats Community Outreach and FOOD FORWARD Summit, and is a co-founder, founding investor and fractional AI strategist at CogniCo AI Consulting. Her work connects practical AI adoption, community food security, skills development and inclusive economic opportunity.
- CogniCo AI Consulting
- Co-Founder, Founding Investor & Fractional AI Strategist
- NL Eats Community Outreach Inc.
- Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
- FOOD FORWARD Summit
- Co-Founder & CEO
The Best Is Still Being Built.
I don't believe our greatest achievements are defined by the titles we hold, the awards we receive or the milestones we reach.
I believe they are defined by what we make possible for others.
My journey is far from complete. There are more ideas to explore, more ventures to build, more people to learn from and more boundaries to challenge.
And that is what excites me most.