The RBC EPIC Founders Program is an intensive 12-week accelerator program for startups and early-stage businesses looking to capture market and customer validation. This year, our 2022 cohort began their journey on May 16th and will continue to work towards validating their business model until the final pitch presentations on August 9th (Click here to register). Leading up to the final pitch, we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you to each of our startups. Today, meet Ala Falaki, UWindsorn Computer Science Ph.D. Student, and Founder of Socialization.

EPICentre: Let readers know a little bit about your background.

Ala: I am a research assistant at the UofW, doing my Ph.D. in Computer Science with a focus on Deep Learning and Natural Language Processing. Before it, I worked as a software developer for 5 years, focusing on web applications with multiple responsibilities like server maintenance and coding backend/frontend. These diverse experiences helped me to pursue different ideas in the past, like a SaaS BA platform, mobile application, and a successful e-commerce attempt.

EPICentre: Tell us a little more about your business, Socialization.

Ala: [Socialization is] A platform to integrate multiple social media accounts in one dashboard. It will to not only help with creating the content but also publishing and measuring your success.

EPICentre: Who is your biggest inspiration?

Ala: If I have to name only one person, it would be Steve Jobs. The most important lesson that I learned from him is that having great technology doesn’t mean that one should sacrifice the design thinking process. He always tried to create a seamless experience when no one even thinking about it. It is sometimes hard to follow as a coder, but I keep reminding myself every day.

EPICentre: Let readers know where they can connect with you

Ala: you can follow me on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alafalaki/ Or email me at alamfal@uwindsor.ca