Building What Matters, with Arish Shahab (Co-founder, Amano) | Buildojo Founder Circle #1

Welcome to the First Buildojo Founder Circle!

Buildojo is a Toronto-based, cohort-style program that helps kids build real products and explore entrepreneurship with guidance from founders who have done it themselves.

Students work on real ideas, receive honest feedback and learn practical skills schools do not always teach: how to identify a problem worth solving, understand the people affected and turn an idea into something real.

The big idea behind this first session is simple: there has never been a better time to be a young builder. AI and modern tools have removed many of the barriers that once made building difficult. You no longer need a large team, a massive budget or years of experience. You need curiosity, effort and a willingness to start.

To bring that idea to life, we are welcoming a founder whose journey began as a university side project.

Meet Our Guest Founder: Arish Shahab

Arish Shahab is the Co-Founder and CEO of Amano, a Canadian startup developing radically affordable hearing devices.

While studying Integrated Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences at McMaster University, Arish and his co-founders saw family members struggle with hearing loss and hearing aids that could cost thousands of dollars.

They asked a simple but ambitious question:

What if a hearing device did not need batteries, microphones or electronics at all?

That question became Amano, a purely mechanical, custom-fit hearing device designed to cost a fraction of traditional hearing aids.

What began as a project between classes earned the team a place at Founders Inc., a hardware accelerator in San Francisco, and international attention, including coverage from CBC and publications around the world.

Arish will share how his team moved from identifying a problem to building a prototype and launching a real company, what it is actually like to be a young founder and what he wishes he had known when he started.

Agenda

Welcome and introduction to Buildojo’s mission

Why this is an exciting moment for young founders and builders

Interactive fireside conversation with Arish Shahab

Lunch, which will be provided

Hands-on workshop where students will reverse-engineer Amano’s journey

Team challenge focused on identifying, ranking and breaking down real problems worth solving

Short team presentations and closing reflections

This will be an interactive session. Students should come prepared to participate, ask questions, work with a team and share their ideas.

Who This Event Is For

Aspiring founders, builders and curious students ages 13–18.

No previous startup, coding or business experience is required.

Space is limited, so please prioritize registration for students within the listed age group.

What to Bring

A laptop

A charger

Questions for Arish

Curiosity and ideas, big or small

A Note for Parents and Guardians

This event is designed as an independent, student-only learning experience.

Parents and guardians may assist with check-in, but we ask that they return for pickup at the end of the event. Giving students space to participate independently helps them ask questions, meet their peers, work with their teams and build confidence.

The session will take place in a safe and supervised environment with experienced facilitators and mentors.

Seats are limited. Register now to reserve your spot!

Thank You to Our Sponsor

A huge thank you to Falcon for sponsoring this event.

Falcon is building a new design tool for curious designers, and its support helps us invest in the next generation of founders and builders.