How BMO National Scholar Maeesha Biswas turned a U of T capstone project into an AI startup with global ambitions

Jul 24, 2026

When Maeesha Biswas arrived at the University of Toronto as a BMO National Scholar in 2017, she came with a strong work ethic, big ambitions and a belief that technology could create meaningful change. What she didn’t know then was that the people she would meet at U of T, along with the opportunities made possible through the BMO National Scholarship, would ultimately help launch a company at the forefront of artificial intelligence.

“BMO National Scholars like Maeesha exemplify a dedication to excellence and a profound sense of personal responsibility for improving our world,” says Melanie Woodin, U of T president. “Their talents, drive and optimism have never been more essential and contribute to U of T’s strengths as we enter our third century – one in which we continue to be a leading force for positive change, building prosperity and well-being at home in Canada and around the world.”

From a life-changing scholarship to startup founder

Today, Biswas is the co-founder and COO of Chatforce, a game creation platform that enables users to create, publish and monetize their own video games with the help of autonomous AI agents. The startup, founded alongside two fellow U of T alumni she met through her engineering capstone project, has already raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding from investors known for backing successful consumer technology companies including Pinterest, Notion, Vine and Duolingo.

Biswas traces her success today back to a pivotal moment in high school: receiving news that she had been awarded the BMO National Scholarship. Established in 1996 with an endowment funded by both BMO and its employees, the prestigious scholarship is U of T’s largest undergraduate admissions scholarship for domestic students. It covers tuition, incidental and residence fees for up to four years of study for students demonstrating outstanding academics, creative thinking, broad achievement and a deep commitment to their school and community.

“BMO is proud to support the next generation of creative, community-minded leaders. Through the BMO National Scholarship, we recognize students whose curiosity, innovation and commitment to making a positive difference inspire confidence in the future,” says Karen Collins, Chief Talent Officer and Head of Chief Human Resources Teams, BMO Financial Group. “We look forward to seeing the impact these exceptional scholars will have in their communities and beyond.”

The BMO National Scholarship was a signal that a lot of the personal sacrifices I made and excellence I strove for as a teenager had merit and were applicable to the next stage of my life.

For Maeesha, receiving the BMO National Scholarship was transformative, giving her the confidence to pursue her ambitions. “It was a signal that a lot of the personal sacrifices I made and excellence I strove for as a teenager had merit and were applicable to the next stage of my life.”

The BMO National Scholarship was a signal that a lot of the personal sacrifices I made and excellence I strove for as a teenager had merit and were applicable to the next stage of my life.

Years later, she feels an even deeper impact from the scholarship. “Some of these gifts you can only really appreciate in hindsight,” she says. “One thing that was invisible to me until my last year of university was the significance of removing the financial limitation that comes from student debt.”

All about the people

For Biswas, the story begins with people. “I met my co-founders at U of T,” she says. “I think U of T is the only place I could have met peers who have the level of passion, ambition, depth of thinking, resourcefulness and self-belief that they have.”

Biswas graduated from the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering in 2023 with a degree in industrial engineering. She believes her program prepared her for the realities of entrepreneurship.

That transition from student to founder might have been harder if I had studied something else.

“The engineering culture here is completely compatible with startup culture,” she says. “Students learn how to work hard for a really long period of time. That transition from student to founder might have been harder if I had studied something else. Working hard is a skill you develop by continuously doing it.”

That transition from student to founder might have been harder if I had studied something else.

Capturing public attention

That mindset helped shape Chatforce, a company built on the idea that game creation should be accessible to anyone with a compelling idea. Through a team of AI agents that take on various roles, such as director, coder, artist or musician, the platform helps users transform concepts into playable games without needing technical expertise.

“We’re going after a $250-billion opportunity by bringing game creation to everybody,” Biswas says. “The way we see it, game creation is having its YouTube moment right now.”

Already, the company’s projects have captured public attention. One viral game, Grand Theft Toronto, cast players as a DoorDash driver delivering coffee to local celebrities and historical figures. Another project, Reality Check, challenges users to distinguish between AI-generated and real photographs. The educational game has attracted hundreds of thousands of players and is used by teachers, professors, parents and internet safety professionals around the world.

The power of building relationships with peers

Throughout her time at U of T, Biswas found support not only through the scholarship itself but through relationships with faculty, staff and mentors. She credits annual BMO National Scholar events with helping her connect with U of T Engineering Dean Chris Yip, who later invited Chatforce to become a founding industry partner in the Engineering Partnerships Office — a dynamic centre where companies are embedded in downtown Toronto offices, within a community of like-minded researchers and entrepreneurs.

She also remembers the smaller acts of support that made a difference. During the capstone project, when access to campus meeting space was difficult, a departmental staff member helped ensure her team had somewhere to work every weekend.

“Those weekends where we could work together on campus and discover whether we could work together long-term ultimately helped us decide to start a company,” she says. “A lot of that originates from the access she gave us.”

Looking ahead

As Chatforce grows, the company continues to hire students, support student-led initiatives and maintain close ties with the university community that helped shape its founders.

For Biswas, that’s no coincidence. “The university you go to has a direct influence on the kinds of peers you have in early adulthood,” she says. “I could not have met my co-founders and made the choice to start a company anywhere else.”

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