When Maheen Rajani launched her startup with help from Brock LINC, her goal went far beyond helping men care for their skin.

“The brand is a memorial to my late father who passed away in 2020 due to mental health reasons,” she says. “I created Axis Homme Skin as an opportunity to support men’s mental health by engaging in self-care, which may help them to feel better about themselves.”

Drawing on her family’s business background and her long-term interest in cosmetics, Rajani started exploring the skin-care market soon after moving to Canada from Pakistan in 2023

She quickly noticed the industry is largely geared towards women and their skin, which can differ from men’s in thickness, collagen content, oil production and sensitivity. That insight helped her formulate a cleanser and moisturizer tailored to the needs of men’s skin.

When Rajani began her Political Science studies in 2024, she also launched her entrepreneurial journey by enrolling in Brock LINC’s NAVIGATE program.

Just over a year later, she displayed Axis Homme Skin’s prototype products at Brock LINC’s 2026 Innovation Showcase.

The annual event, which took place Tuesday, Feb. 24, brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, students and community partners to highlight innovative Brock ideas and startups.

“Brock LINC’s focus is on getting Brock ideas and technologies to market, and what we saw at the event reflects just how many different ways that can happen — from student entrepreneurs launching their first ventures to researchers collaborating with industry, or commercializing years of discovery,” says Brock LINC Executive Director Farzana Crocco.

Rajani’s display was one of 31 booths exhibiting Brock LINC start-ups, technologies and industry partnerships.

Other exhibits included startups Rowing Precision, Purvivino and Kactis.AI; industry partnerships with Wandler Probiotics, Kevares Autonomous Services and Destiny Copper; and technologies such as high-speed photodetector material and immunotherapy for age-related chronic diseases.

“These are just the tip of the iceberg and this event shines a spotlight on the tremendous work coming out of the University,” says Crocco. “When you add the impacts of partnering with industry, and how research is being commercialized, the potential for real-world change is truly exciting.”

The event also celebrated recipients of four entrepreneurship awards.

The Brock Entrepreneur of the Year Award was given to Milad Nourvand for his company LingUp Education Inc., an app that helps users practice speaking English, Spanish, Turkish, French, and German through real-life, interactive conversations.

Brock Innovator of the Year Award recipients:

• Associate Professor of Geography and Tourism Studies David Brown, who developed a GPS-enabled platform that allows anyone to create and experience location-based multimedia stories in real-world settings.
• Associate Professor of Kinesiology Shawn Beaudette, who develops accessible computer-vision tools that use video to analyze human movement outside of lab environments.

Entrepreneurship Co-op Award recipients:

• Angad Katora for APH Performance, an e-commerce store specializing in aftermarket car performance parts
• Ebad Khan for Momentum AI, an agentic tool designed to help secondary students study more effectively, achieve higher grades and improve their chances of getting into postgraduate programs
• Owen Sartor for Lawn Masters Property Services, a full-service property maintenance company

 Laura Sabia Entrepreneurial Award recipients:

• Aashi Arora for Cake is Bae, which produces homemade cheesecakes, tiramisu, custom cakes and handcrafted desserts
• Alexis D’Silva of Alexis D’Silva Art, which offers original artwork, posters, prints and postcards
• Ivie Osagie for Plan-ED, an academic guidance platform that simplifies the Canadian school-to-post secondary pathway
• Becky Kwok for LinguoTone, an artificial intelligence mentor for high‑stakes language proficiency exams
• Anna Munezero for QuickGlam, a beauty vending machine business that provides convenient 24/7 access to beauty and personal care products

Crocco says part of Innovation Showcase 2026’s purpose is to raise awareness about Brock LINC’s wide variety of programs, services, resources and other supports.

These are available for Brock and Niagara community members to develop research commercialization, entrepreneurship and industry partnerships.

Rajani says she’s grateful for the Brock LINC programs and funding that steered her business journey, including Blueprint, the LINCubator, Lab2Market Validate Foundations: Women in STEM and the Laura Sabia Entrepreneurial Award, which she won last year.

“Through these programs, Brock LINC transformed Axis Homme from an idea into a structured venture,” says Rajani. “I learned how to validate my market, refine my value proposition and approach product development strategically. The mentorship and funding support gave me the confidence to pursue commercialization seriously.”