Made in Dublin AI tool Athena gives job candidates greater confidence and clarity.
A University College Dublin student has won €3,000 for developing an artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to help job candidates perform better in high-stakes interviews.
Athena, founded by recent UCD graduate Zander Deans-Xiao, was named winner of the 2025 NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition after beating nine other early-stage ventures in the intensive four-week accelerator program.
“We believe scalable AI should make people more human, not less”
The start-up is developing a hyper-personalized AI coaching platform that adapts to both the candidate and specific job requirements, targeting business, economics, and STEM students applying for competitive finance and consulting roles in Ireland and the UK.
One to Watch
“It is a great honour for Athena to have been named the winner of the One to Watch prize,” said Deans-Xiao, who recently completed a BSc in Economics and Finance at UCD’s Lochlann Quinn School of Business. “The pitches delivered by my fellow program participants were excellent and of a very high standard.”
The platform combines generative AI with recruiter-informed insights to deliver role-specific coaching, but Deans-Xiao emphasised the start-up’s broader mission goes beyond mere performance improvement.
“Athena’s deeper mission is about helping candidates find clarity, confidence, and their authentic voice in moments that shape their future,” he explained. “We believe scalable AI should make people more human, not less.”
The company is pursuing a go-to-market strategy that includes university partnerships, student society demonstrations, and recruiter pilot programs. With a working prototype already developed, Athena is seeking to raise €60,000 to enhance its AI model and develop strategic partnerships.
“We are seeking mentorship and introductions to educational institutions and recruitment agencies which will be invaluable in building our credibility, validating product-market fit and preparing for growth,” Deans-Xiao said.
He added that the start-up’s philosophy centers on authentic self-presentation: “At its core, Athena is more than technology. It’s a belief that confidence doesn’t come from rehearsal, it comes from clarity – clarity of who you are, and the courage to stand behind it.”
The annual NovaUCD Student Enterprise Competition has supported over 220 students and 90+ early-stage ventures over the past 11 years. This year’s program included 20 participants across 10 ventures, covering topics from sustainable agriculture to robotics to health technology.
Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation at UCD, praised the quality of this year’s competition. “The final pitches delivered by the enthusiastic students were all excellent, and I would like to congratulate all the participants for successfully completing the accelerator program,” he said.
Cronin noted that the competition aims to provide students with “the skills, the confidence, and the opportunity to further develop their business ideas and hopefully in time launch their start-ups in Ireland and even internationally.”
The four-week program used Lean Start-up and Business Model Canvas methodologies, with workshops covering customer development, value proposition, design thinking, financial planning, and effective pitching.
The judging panel included Richard Twohig from sponsor Terra Solar, Weili Wang and Liv Torfeldt from Atlantic Bridge, Anton Pluschke from Enterprise Ireland, and Cronin as chair.
Image at top: Richard Twohig, Operations Director, Terra Solar, Zander Deans-Xiao, founder, Athena and Liam Cronin, Director of Innovation, UCD
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