How Saint Mary’s University gave birth to the Novastorms AI success story
It sounds like a joke setup: “An engineer, a professor and a salesman walk into an AI company. What happens next is unreal!”
But it’s real: after just 18 months in business and a few pivots, Novastorms Data Analytics has landed a 3-year, seven-figure deal with Dubai-based AI software company Qorellian.
So where does the story start?
Emeka Nwankwo MTEI’25
The Engineer
Chukwuemeka (Emeka) Nwankwo MTEI’25 has a unique blend of gravitas and enthusiasm. You can easily trust him, and you have only to ask him a technology question to be impressed by his knowledge.
He came to Saint Mary's University from Lagos, Nigeria, having spent more than six years as a senior software engineer with a Utah-based real estate company. He entered the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation degree program in September 2023. The MTEI degree appealed to Emeka as a way to learn how to build a business around his technological prowess.
While studying in the MTEI program, Emeka discovered the Machine Learning course that Dr. Yigit Aydede taught in another graduate program. He sought special permission to take it. Dr. Aydede, recognizing Emeka’s talent and experience, not only granted him entry to the course, but he soon enlisted him as a research assistant.
"As a software engineer, I'd spent years building systems that moved data around,” said Emeka. “Working with Dr. Aydede, I started asking what that data could actually tell us. Machine learning and AI were the missing piece."
Dr. Yigit Aydede
The Professor
Dr. Yigit Aydede is intense and has a strong “no-nonsense” demeanour. He got on the AI train early, with research, lectures, and courses centred on machine learning dating back at least a decade. He’s written two books on Machine Learning. As he says, “I became the ‘AI guy’.”
His analytical mind and active involvement in the broader economics and technology field are crucial elements in the Novastorms mix. So are his robust connections – particularly in his native Turkiye.
Kevin Buchan
The Salesman
Kevin Buchan has led the Office of Innovation and Community Engagement since 2014. A curious and gregarious man, he is active in the efforts to commercialize university projects and promote collaboration and research. He co-founded a biotech company in 2018. When Dr. Aydede began seriously considering what Novastorms could be, he brought Kevin on board for his complementary skills in marketing, sales, and promotion, as well as his similarly strategic approach to the business.
The Product
When Emeka talks about Novastorms’ AI product, his excitement is contagious. He will offer you a demo. His hands tap an invisible keyboard, and he gestures a picture to life in the air.
Novastorms AI started by building public information dashboards for the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), using open datasets available to them. There were two main products:
A neighbourhood dashboard that included school zones and other local information.
A safety dashboard with a built-in AI chat, so users could ask questions and get insights from the data on the dashboard.
As they developed the AI analytics on those dashboards, they realized the same capability could be much more useful if people could apply it to their own data.
Thus, the current product came into focus: In-House Insights. A private, secure environment where users with their own datasets in protected spaces use AI to explore them and get insights. The model is meant to offer security for sensitive information, like personnel records or health records.
With the successful first sale, the team are now intent on continuing to iterate in response to new technology demands and to seek out new markets. Saint Mary’s University is implementing the product under the oversight of Chief Information Officer Todd Williams.
With a hospital in Turkiye already showing interest, the team are determined to make the case for In-House Insights’ role in health care. As Kevin says, “From a research perspective, getting health data is painful. Rightfully so! No one should share health data.” However, he notes, this keeps the health system from fully being able to utilize the capabilities of AI. With Novastorm’s architecture, data remains guarded and private.
Emeka is grateful for the path that brought him to Saint Mary’s University and looks forward to what the future brings.
"AI has opened up possibilities we're only beginning to understand. If you have an idea, there's never been a better time to explore it and build it into something real. I can't wait to see what comes next."