In this exclusive interview with CanadianSME Small Business Magazine, Dr. Naeem Komeilipoor, the visionary founder and CEO of Findora, shares his journey of creating Canada’s first AI-powered, human-centered search engine. With a deep expertise in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and artificial intelligence, Dr. Komeilipoor is on a mission to restore trust in digital search by delivering clear, unbiased, and privacy-first information. His company not only provides cutting-edge tools like ARTA, a deepfake detection engine, but also develops DANA, an AI-powered companion for mental wellness. In this conversation, Dr. Komeilipoor discusses the importance of ethical AI, the role of transparency in technology, and how Findora is shaping the future of search and digital interaction for businesses, governments, and individuals. He also provides valuable advice for small and medium-sized businesses seeking to leverage AI responsibly while staying ahead in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
Dr. Naeem Komeilipoor is a scientist, inventor, and entrepreneur with a background in neuroscience, biomedical engineering, and artificial intelligence. He has studied and worked across several countries, gaining cross-disciplinary expertise and leading both industrial and academic projects that explore the intersection of science, technology, and human well-being.
Findora positions itself as Canada’s first AI-powered, human-centered search engine, aiming to deliver ad-free, unbiased, and privacy-first answers. What inspired you to create Findora, and how does your approach address the growing concerns about misinformation and digital trust in today’s search landscape?
If you remember, around three years ago, everyone was talking about the dangers of artificial intelligence. People were warning about existential risks, misinformation, and deepfakes. Even the godfathers of AI were sounding the alarm. There was a lot of talk, but no one was really doing anything.
It was around that time that I was invited to speak at TEDx about the dangers of AI. While preparing for that talk, I realized that words alone weren’t enough. What we needed was action. We needed to build something that could actually make a difference. That’s how Findora started. It was built to fight back.
Because of my practical and hands-on mindset, I decided to begin with the real problems AI was already creating, such as disinformation, AI-generated video and audio, and the lack of tools to verify what is real. I started the project on my own, self-funded with the support of my family. Within a few weeks, I put together a small team focused on two things: building a fact-checking engine and detecting deepfake audio.
We worked in stealth mode. I contributed in my free time while my team worked full-time. After two years, we started seeing strong results. The fact-checking engine we built was so precise and reliable that we realized it could become the foundation for a complete AI-powered search engine designed for trust and transparency.
That’s when Findora evolved. At the same time, we began developing DANA, our AI agent for mental wellness and accessibility, because we saw an urgent need, especially for people with disabilities such as blindness or limited mobility.
A few months ago, we officially launched Findora. The response has been incredible. We introduced Canada’s first AI-powered search engine, released ARTA, which we believe is the most accurate deepfake detection model available, and launched the beta version of DANA.
Findora was built to protect truth in the age of AI. And this is just the beginning.
Traditional search engines often prioritize advertisers and algorithms over users. How does Findora’s technology and business model ensure that people remain at the heart of the search experience, and what unique features set your platform apart for both individuals and organizations?
When we started evolving our fact-checking engine into a full search platform, I kept asking myself, what’s wrong with the way current search engines work?
Take Google, for example. Most of what you see is influenced by ads, SEO tactics, and user tracking. You’re not always getting the most accurate or helpful answer. You’re getting what ranks highest or earns the most money. On top of that, many AI models give confident answers without showing any sources, which makes it even harder to know what to trust.
So we flipped the model. What if a search engine was built for people, not for profit? That’s how Findora search engine was born. We decided to go in the opposite direction. No ads, no SEO tricks, no data collection. Just verified information that people can trust.
I also realized that search and AI pose serious challenges for organizations. Many don’t want their data going to the cloud. They need secure, private systems they can fully control. So we trained our own small language models that run locally and are designed to reduce hallucinations. We built custom algorithms on top to ensure responses are trustworthy and based on real sources.
Today, Findora offers private and secure deployments for hospitals, businesses, and government agencies where no data ever leaves their environment.
It’s a search experience built on trust, not clicks.
Findora integrates advanced AI modules like ARTA for deepfake detection and DANA for mental wellness support. Can you walk us through real-world scenarios where these tools have made a tangible difference for users or clients?
We have recently opened access to ARTA and DANA to a few select groups for early testing and feedback.
One of the organizations testing ARTA is a foreign government agency that had already evaluated more than 30 deepfake detection models. They were disappointed with the performance of those solutions and reached out to us. After testing ARTA, our deepfake detection engine, their feedback indicated that it was the most accurate and fastest model they had encountered.
We are preparing to officially launch ARTA as a public search engine and API in the coming days. It will be available to individuals and organizations, including financial institutions, governments, and hospitals. We are also partnering with a leading AI chip manufacturer to enable local deployment. Our models are not only highly accurate but also lightweight and fast, making them ideal for edge deployment where privacy and performance are crucial.
DANA is our multi-functional voice agent. It functions as a companion, assistant, mental health coach, and life coach. DANA includes standardized cognitive assessments that evaluate attention, memory, and related functions. These tests typically require lengthy hospital visits and long waiting times. With DANA, they can be performed instantly through conversational AI, greatly increasing accessibility and efficiency.
We also launched the first version of DANA for accessibility. It allows users with low vision or limited mobility to complete daily digital tasks through voice commands. These include sending emails, scheduling meetings, shopping online, and accessing Findora’s search engine, all hands-free.
Currently, a center is testing DANA’s mental health and cognitive support features, and we are also piloting the tool with individuals with low vision to gather early feedback. The public launch of DANA is scheduled for the coming weeks.
This project has been one of my deepest personal commitments. In fact, I began developing DANA before Findora even existed. Findora later became the ideal platform to support and scale it. The mental health features within DANA are based on my own research into traditional psychotherapy and ancient philosophical approaches to healing. I believe DANA has the potential to meaningfully support millions of individuals facing mental health challenges and cognitive decline.
With Findora’s enterprise solutions offering secure, role-based, and bilingual AI models, how are you helping Canadian businesses and institutions navigate sensitive information while maintaining privacy, compliance, and inclusivity?
At Findora, we built our enterprise solutions to meet the needs of Canadian organizations that handle sensitive information and need full control over their data. Our platform can be deployed fully on-premise, so nothing leaves the organization’s infrastructure. This helps ensure privacy, compliance, and proper internal data governance.
We support role-based access, so each user only sees what they are authorized to access. The system is fully bilingual in English and French, which is important for national and public-sector institutions.
For example, an organization can come to us with large amounts of internal data in different formats such as PDFs, Excel files, images, and Word documents. We can process and structure that data, build a custom dashboard to help visualize it, and also provide a chatbot that answers their questions directly based on their own documents. The chatbot does not hallucinate. It uses real information from their files, so the answers are grounded and trustworthy.
We are already working with and having discussions with a few local organizations to provide this support. Our goal is to help businesses and institutions adopt AI in a responsible way, while keeping their data private, secure, and useful.
As a scientist, entrepreneur, and advisor, what key advice would you share with small and medium-sized businesses in Canada looking to leverage AI responsibly and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving digital world?
My humble advice is to try to be simple, pragmatic, and practical. Start with the real problem you’re trying to solve. Don’t assume AI is always the answer. Sometimes a basic fix works just as well.
If you decide to use AI, stay grounded in reality. Choose tools that respect your data, are easy to use, and actually solve your problem. Avoid chasing trends or buzzwords. Focus on what truly works.
It also helps to understand a bit about how AI functions. You don’t need to be an expert, but knowing the basics can help you avoid mistakes and make smarter decisions.
Stay focused, keep things real, and treat AI as a tool, not a shortcut or a hype train.
