<p>In this special episode of <a href="https://thebusinessleadership.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer">The Business Leadership Podcast</a>, Edwin Frondozo sat down with Sakeena Mihyar, Founder and CEO of SAVIN, as part of BVZ: Five Years Bold — a founder story series celebrating five years of the Brampton Venture Zone.</p><p>Sakeena is a refugee-led founder building a digital, neuroscience-based mental health platform delivering trauma care in fragile and conflict-affected contexts. Inspired by her lived experience as a survivor of war, SAVIN uses evidence-based EMDR therapy principles to make trauma treatment accessible, culturally appropriate, and scalable across languages and regions.</p><p>We explore:</p><ul><li><p>How lived experience became the foundation for a global mental health platform</p></li><li><p>Why neuroscience-based trauma care can outperform traditional talk therapies</p></li><li><p>The challenges of building a HealthTech company as a refugee and Muslim woman founder</p></li><li><p>How empathy and inclusion can be operationalized at scale</p></li><li><p>How BVZ supported SAVIN in identifying blind spots, refining its pitch, and scaling impact globally</p></li></ul><p>Today, SAVIN operates across Canada and internationally, including in post-conflict regions such as Syria, supporting communities affected by trauma with dignity and care.</p><p>This episode is a <a href="https://upnext.world" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>special collaboration with UpNext Global and the Brampton Venture Zone by Toronto Metropolitan University</strong></a>, produced in celebration of BVZ’s fifth anniversary.</p><p><br></p><p>🎥 <strong>Watch the full video interview on YouTube:</strong><br><a href="" target="_new" rel="noopener">https://youtu.be/Gxhz-q0NRWQ</a></p><p><br></p><p><strong>Guest:</strong><br>Sakeena Mihyar<br>Founder &amp; CEO, SAVIN<br>BVZ Launch Program Alum</p>