Nuha Siddiqui embarked on her academic journey at the University of Toronto’s (U of T) Bachelor of Commerce program with a conventional goal of becoming an accountant. Her true passion, however, lay beyond ledgers and balance sheets. Siddiqui was driven by a desire to create meaningful social impact.
By the time Siddiqui graduated, she was the CEO and co-founder of a materials science company. Fast forward six years, and erthos® has transformed into one of Canada’s fastest-growing climate tech companies, with Siddiqui — an Enactus Canada alum — at the helm.
One of the largest experiential learning platforms for post-secondary students, Enactus helps students tackle social, economic, and environmental challenges through entrepreneurship. Currently, 2,100 Canadian students are involved with Enactus Canada, which has social entrepreneurship clubs at 76 colleges and universities.
As the world celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week and Women Entrepreneurship Day on November 19, Siddiqui’s professional trajectory highlights Enactus Canada’s critical role in supporting and nurturing entrepreneurs.
“Enactus transformed my career path entirely,” Siddiqui says. “It gave me the courage, determination, and foundational skills to tackle massive global issues and create meaningful solutions. I took the leap after graduating, unsure if I would succeed but eager to try.”
The Journey from Enactus to erthos®
When Siddiqui joined her campus’s Enactus team in 2014, she had heard about the organization’s positive impact mission. Starting her own company, she says, was a foreign concept at the time.
Siddiqui is not alone. The Business Development Bank of Canada reports that the number of entrepreneurs in Canada has decreased by 100,000 in the past 20 years while the population grew by more than 10 million. Despite the general decline, women-owned businesses increased. According to the Diversity Institute, in 2023, 18.4 per cent of businesses were majority-owned by women, up from 15.6 per cent in 2017.
In addition to student-run clubs, Enactus Canada supports entrepreneurship in other ways. This includes providing relevant training, personalized support, monetary awards, competitions and best practice sharing. Globally, 97 per cent of Enactus participants say they plan to use their experience to find a job or start a business.
“Enactus was my first glimpse of how business and impact could coexist meaningfully,” says Siddiqui. “The concept of social entrepreneurship instantly captivated me, sparking a new vision for what I wanted my career to represent.”
That new vision took shape when Siddiqui learned that the World Economic Forum predicted there would be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. Determined to reduce the global reliance on single-use plastics, Siddiqui led her campus’s Enactus team in researching alternatives to Styrofoam packaging made from agricultural by-products, such as vegetable waste.
The project turned into a start-up. Co-founded with Kritika Tyagi, a fellow Enactus alum, EcoPackers focused on creating biodegradable packing materials from potato starch. The venture quickly attracted $4 million in funding.
“Enactus was instrumental in the early days,” says Siddiqui. “It gave us the encouragement and resources to pursue what seemed impossible. It made made entrepreneurship accessible.”
Eventually, the company pivoted to pioneering biomaterials and became erthos®. Over the years, Siddiqui and Tyagi raised over $15 million (CAD) and earned accolades like the Governor General’s Innovation Award and a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. This year, to accelerate the adoption of sustainable materials worldwide, erthos® transitioned again to an AI-powered climate technology company.
“We have always been driven problem-solvers, pursuing creative solutions for our clients and industry challenges,” says Siddiqui. “Staying agile keeps us ahead in a fast-paced industry, ensuring resilience and adaptability.”
erthos® Studio’s new direction is powered by its proprietary machine learning AI platform ZYA™. The internal platform has a database of hundreds of replacements for traditional plastic ingredients, creating films, coatings, and resins for everything from hangers and pill bottles to keg caps for drink and brewing company AB InBev.
Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, Co-Founders, erthos ®
The Making of an Entrepreneur
Innovation, adaptability, and fundraising efforts have helped position erthos® at the forefront of accelerating change in plastics. But the journey hasn’t been without its challenges.
While still at UofT, for example, Siddiqui says she juggled her education with Enactus and navigated an environment that didn’t always support unconventional paths. By then, she was also president of the Enactus University of Toronto – St. George Campus team, transforming it from a team of eight into a powerhouse of over 80 students.
In 2017, amid these challenges, Siddiqui received the Woman Leader of the Year Award from Enactus Canada, which HSBC sponsored at the time. The distinction recognizes post-secondary students who exemplify success and inspire others through entrepreneurial leadership. It also includes financial and mentorship support. These are vital aids, as Pitchbook Data finds that women-founded start-ups accounted for about only 2 per cent of venture capital invested in Europe and the United States in 2023.
“Receiving this award from Enactus was incredibly meaningful,” says Siddiqui of the distinction. “Being recognized validated the work I was doing gave me the confidence to keep pushing forward.”
This year, nine Enactus Women’s Leadership Award finalists will receive $2,500 each to support their education and leadership journeys. One standout will be named the Enactus Woman Leader of the Year and receive a $5,000 stipend. Award recipients are also paired with a leadership mentor.
A lot has changed for Siddiqui since 2017. But even as she positions erthos® to be a global leader in biomaterial design, Siddiqui says she holds onto the lessons she learned through Enactus.
“At Enactus, I learned the importance of advocating for a cause greater than myself and inspiring others to join that mission,” Siddiqui says. “You tackle unfamiliar challenges, take risks, and sometimes fail, all while trying to bring others along with you. My role as CEO of erthos® similarly relies on showing stakeholders a vision for a future that doesn’t yet exist and adapting our approach as we evolve. Enactus taught me the art of building and maintaining that shared vision.”
Learn more about Enactus Canada’s contributions to entrepreneurship, and how your donations can support emerging women leaders and the Women’s Leadership Awards.
Written by: Izabela Shubair