Skip to main content

For creatives, by creatives.

Sai is here to help.

Sai is a financial technology start-up on a mission to help artists and creatives take charge of their money 💰

As creatives and artists ourselves, we know the impact money management can have on your mental health, career growth, and ability to focus on your craft.

Why taxes? After two years of research, dozens of interviews, and personal lived experience, tax season emerged as the number one stressor for artists and creatives. It was overwhelming and anxiety-inducing. The language used by accountants felt inaccessible and confusing. No one knew the answers to grant funding questions and laughed when asked what expense category [insert weird art purchase] fell into. Even arts-centric tax preparers placed the task of receipt organizing and expense categorization onto the shoulders of overworked, underpaid creatives. 

We’re here to change the game. 

With decades of experience in arts leadership, business development, and computer engineering, the Sai team is in a unique position to remove the stress, overwhelm, and confusion artists face when it comes to all things money.

Taxes are just the beginning. 💙

Who’s behind Sai? 👀

Owais Lightwala

Co-founder and CEO

Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, former MD Why Not Theatre, 12 years experience as arts and culture leader.
Likes: good chai, motorcycles, plays under 90 minutes.
Dislikes: fitted sheets, bad design.
Fun Fact: Was the original “Sunny” in Jordan Tannahill’s play RIHANNABOI95 🎭

Mustafa Petiwala

Co-founder and CTO

Computer engineer with 10 years of engineering and leadership experience at Intel, Amazon and Veeva.
Likes: photography, his family, bean bag chairs.
Dislikes: traffic, housing inequality.
Fun Fact: His wife is a children’s book writer and illustrator 🎨

Melanie Yan

UX/UI Lead

Product designer and illustrator specializing in communication design and visual storytelling.
Likes: comics, cringe jokes, curated playlists.
Dislikes: winter, windy days.
Fun Fact: Is an award-winner zinester 🏆

Joe Fitzpatrick

CMO

Joe has over a decade of experience scaling start-ups in Europe and Canada through creative advertising and data science.
Likes: Coffee, too many types of music, sculpting, mint ice cream
Dislikes: Poorly made sandwiches, rain, wasabi flavoured things
Fun Fact: He taught himself how to swim when he was 23 and earned his scuba diving license six months later.

Grace Murrell

Marketing & Communications Intern

Grace is a 4th year communications student at TMU with a background in marketing and communications.
Likes: theatre, animals, Starbucks, concerts, New York City
Dislikes: scary movies, anything mint flavoured
Fun Fact: Grace saw her first musical at age 10 and has been obsessed ever since.

Amber Abbasi

Data Intern

Amber is a 4th year Business and Society student at York University with a Diploma in Accounting from Seneca College.

Likes: Anime, Sweets, Concerts, Snow, Home, Pasta, Pakistani dresses

Dislikes: Tomatoes, scary movies, unorganized places, unsymmetrical things

Fun Facts: Amber has a double joint in her elbow (fun party trick)

Mansi Rana

Data Intern

Mansi is a B.Comm graduate from Toronto Metropolitan University with a background in analysis and project management.

Likes: Iced Capp, Scary movies, Binge watching shows

Dislikes: Pigeons

Fun fact: I am a travel enthusiast!

Roy Tsepelevich

Data Intern

Roy is a 4th year Business Management Student at TMU. Passionate in learning about the business world and entrepreneurship.
Likes: Films, reading, writing, basketball and soccer
Dislikes: TTC delays, freezing rain and seafood
Fun Fact: Roy used to play REP and AAU basketball in high school competing in tournaments in both Canada and the USA.

Simreet Kaur

Data Intern

Simreet is a 5th year Business Technology Management student at TMU with a background in Project Management.
Likes: Reese's cups, Horses, travelling, nature
Dislikes: winter, runny eggs, Sundays
Fun Fact: She is part of a professional folk dance team

Chelsi D'Souza

Data Intern

Chelsi is a soon-to-be graduate of the Biology program at the University of Ottawa.
Likes: cooking, listening to podcasts and Japanese-style tattoos
Dislikes: fluorescent lighting and dark roast coffee
Fun fact: Shares the same birthday as the rapper Ice Cube!

Ritika Masand

Data Intern

Ritika is a 4th-year Business Management student, with experience in marketing, project management, and data analysis.
Likes: Gilmore Girls, a great book, poutine, spring
Dislikes: Tomatoes, sushi, any sort of insect
Fun Fact: John Cena follows her on Twitter 💪🏽

Advisory

Natasha Qureshi

Marketing Consultant and Advisor

15 years of progressive leadership experience in CPG and Fintech in Canada, UK, USA, and Pakistan.
Likes: going to brunch, interior design, binge-watching Netflix dramas.
Dislikes: hula hoops, horror movies.
Fun Fact: Studied Computer Science, has an MBA, and was a Fulbright scholar 👩‍🎓

Muhammad Shabbir

Advisor

Tax Specialist and Financial Planner with 7 years experience in doing accounting and bookkeeping, and filing T1 and T2 returns for clients from a broad range of industries.

Aïko Thurlow

Advisor

10 years entrepreneurship experience and CEO of InFounders. Previously Associate Director at York University, Program Director at Shad Canada, and special advisor for Seneca College.

Riyaz Dharamshi

Advisor

Technology entrepreneur with 15 years of tech and leadership experience at Amazon and TELUS.

Allie Harvey

Advisor

Program Manager at ArtReach with 10 years experience in Toronto's non-profit/ community arts sector.

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

take charge of your money

Acknowledgements

Sai’s offices and operations are based in Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario), which is the traditional territory of many Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit.  We recognize that this land has been a site of human activity and settlement for thousands of years, and we honor and respect the enduring presence of Indigenous peoples and their ongoing stewardship of this land. Furthermore, we recognize the ongoing impact of colonization and systemic oppression on Indigenous peoples and endeavor to do our part to end these cycles of violence through educating ourselves, listening to Indigenous leaders and elders, and standing in solidarity with Indigenous communities.

Sai received development funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada.

Homepage image of Natasha Poon Woo, photographed by Drew Berry

Support