Diana Virgovicova

Diana is the founder and CEO of Xatoms, an award-winning water deep-tech company that leverages patented quantum chemistry and AI technology to discover new materials capable of eliminating some of the toughest contaminants from water. Their mission is to reduce the number of people—currently more than 4 billion—who lack access to clean and safe drinking water. Diana was born and raised in a small village in Slovakia, and at 14, she backpacked through Asia with her mother. It was during this trip that she witnessed black rivers and decided to find a solution. At 17, Diana discovered her first material, winning the world’s most prestigious water award directly from the Swedish Royal Family. This achievement was followed by a fully funded Lester B. Pearson Scholarship to study computer engineering at the University of Toronto. In 2023, Diana was named Canada's Youth Entrepreneur of the Year, and Xatoms received its first funding from Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Reddit. Xatoms is currently executing three pilots in Kenya, South Africa, and collaborating with filtration companies across the US to ensure more people have access to clean water. These pilots are currently providing clean water to more than 106,000 people. Diana was the historic winner at the recent Startupfest, taking home $500k after winning in three categories. Xatoms also recently competed in the global finals of the Hult Prize competition, ranking in the top 6 out of 10,000 startups that entered.