Cognitrex Inc., Founded by Former Sullivan & Cromwell Lawyer Hana Dhanji, Accepted into YSpace's ELLA Ascend Accelerator

Toronto-based company focused on workforce capability and learning joins York University’s YSpace ELLA Ascend accelerator for high-growth, women-led ventures

TORONTO, ONTARIO , CANADA, April 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Cognitrex Inc., an enterprise learning and workforce capability company founded by Hana Dhanji, today announced that it has been accepted into the 2026 ELLA Ascend accelerator program at YSpace, York University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub.

ELLA Ascend is a selective four-month accelerator designed to support high-growth, innovation-driven, women-led ventures. The program provides founders with structured programming across sales, marketing, operations, and finance, along with mentorship, strategic advisory support, and access to a network of experienced operators and investors.

Cognitrex is focused on a growing challenge facing large organizations: the gap between training completion and actual workforce capability - an issue that is becoming increasingly critical in regulated and AI-enabled environments.

While enterprises have long tracked training completion through learning management systems, many organizations still lack a unified view of whether employees possess the full range of capabilities required to safely and effectively perform critical roles.

As AI systems become embedded in decision-making workflows, that gap is becoming more visible. This challenge is particularly acute in regulated industries, where organizations must demonstrate not only that employees have completed training, but that they are authorized and capable of performing critical tasks.

“Organizations track training, but not capability. Leaders still lack a clear answer to a basic question: who is truly ready to perform critical tasks today?” said Hana Dhanji, Founder and CEO of Cognitrex.

Dhanji founded Cognitrex to explore how organizations might develop a more integrated and operationally relevant understanding of workforce capability.

The company is currently engaging with organizations across sectors including healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, professional services, and infrastructure to better understand how large institutions approach workforce readiness, compliance training, and operational capability development.

Participation in the ELLA Ascend accelerator will provide mentorship, strategic guidance, and access to a network of experienced founders and advisors as Cognitrex continues to refine its approach.

“The accelerator provides an opportunity to test and refine these ideas alongside other ambitious founders,” said Dhanji. “We’re excited to be part of a program that supports thoughtful company building and innovation.”

Cognitrex has also recently begun assembling a Strategic Advisory Council composed of leaders across enterprise technology, law, financial services, operational safety, human capital leadership, and academia to help guide the company’s development.

About Hana Dhanji

Hana Dhanji is the Founder and CEO of Cognitrex Inc. She is a former corporate lawyer at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, where she worked in New York and London, and at Hogan Lovells in Dubai.

Dhanji holds a JD/MBA from the University of Toronto, a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the Graduate Institute in Geneva, and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Toronto. She has also worked as an Executive Coach for Fortune 500 companies and leading Bay Street law firms.

About Cognitrex Inc.

Cognitrex is an enterprise learning and workforce capability company focused on helping organizations better understand, develop, and manage workforce readiness in complex operational environments.

The company works with enterprises to design role-based learning pathways, capability frameworks, and training systems that align learning with real-world performance and organizational outcomes.

Cognitrex is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

About YSpace

YSpace is York University’s entrepreneurship and innovation hub, supporting founders through mentorship, accelerator programs, and access to capital, customers, and industry expertise.

The ELLA Ascend accelerator supports women-led ventures building high-growth, innovation-driven businesses across sectors.

Media Contact
press@cognitrex.com

Hana Dhanji
Cognitrex Inc.
hana@cognitrex.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
YouTube

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.