Interdisciplinary team from Carnegie Mellon Qatar wins at Qatar Innovation Hackathon

Ekaterina Demenkova and Jemal Velihanova, two students from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q), won in the tech transformation category at Qatar Innovation Hackathon 2024. Demenkova studies information systems, and Velihanova is in the biological sciences program. Their startup, Basira AI, makes the most of these diverse areas of expertise by leveraging technology to improve people’s health and well-being.

Qatar Innovation Hackathon 2024 was organized by the Qatar Development Bank to identify and support promising startups. In addition to the category of tech transformation, participants could develop projects in the areas of enterprise tech, sports tech, mobility tech, fintech and creative tech. 

Demenkova and Velihanova’s startup is an AI-powered waiter for restaurants that provides personalized recommendations, streamlines the ordering process, and collects valuable dietary data. The data is used to create tailored health insights and recommendations for individuals in the future.

Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar offers undergraduate programs in biological sciences, business administration, computer science and information systems. Students are encouraged to reach beyond their academic majors and engage in cross-disciplinary collaborations.