Azfar Adib just won Controlio’s student scholarship. He’s a PhD candidate in electrical and computer engineering at Concordia University. GPA of 3.78. The judges liked his essay and the rest of what he put on the application.
Controlio makes productivity software that more than 2,200 companies already use. One of its main pieces is remote tracking. Every year the company picks two students and gives each of them $2,500. They look at grades, financial need, community work, extracurriculars, and whether the person shows real drive. Adib is the third winner so far.
You need a 3.5 GPA, and you have to be enrolled in a technical, IT, marketing, business, or similar program. Controlio will hand out another scholarship later in 2026. The application is still open on their site.
Adib said the motto caught him first: helping ambitious students who already think like entrepreneurs. The tech angle fit what he does. He wants to buy some smart wearables for the research he’s already running. What’s left goes toward awareness programs about digital identity for regular people. He’s doing both of those things now on a smaller scale. The money should push them further.
Ivan Petrovic, Controlio’s CEO, said Adib earned it and hopes the funds help with whatever comes next. “We’re glad to give this to Azfar and recognize the work he puts into his education,” Petrovic said. “This is one way we put money behind students who are already making moves in their fields and their communities.”
Controlio software tracks time, productivity, and day-to-day workflows for teams that aren’t always in the same office. More than 130,000 people use it daily. It includes monitoring tools and productivity scores, and it tries to give managers better information without turning everything into pure digital worker surveillance. The Controlio Tool sits in that space where companies want clearer data instead of guesses.
Adib’s work sits right where hardware meets identity questions that keep getting more practical. Smart wearables spit out constant data. Figuring out how to use that data without wrecking privacy is still treated as an afterthought in a lot of engineering programs. He’s already testing ideas on a tight budget. The scholarship takes some of the pressure off.
Controlio keeps the application short. No long recommendation lists. No essays full of corporate fluff. They want proof of real momentum and a clear plan for the cash. Adib’s split—lab gear plus public programs—matched what they look for.
The timing lines up with the reality that remote and hybrid work still force companies to rethink how they measure output. Counting hours alone doesn’t cut it. Controlio’s approach tries to show actual activity so managers can coach instead of just watch. Adib’s digital-identity projects run on the same track: how people stay visible and protected when more of life happens online.
Students still have time to apply for the next round in 2026. Keep the GPA at 3.5 or higher and stay enrolled in a qualifying program. Essays that show both serious academics and a practical next step tend to rise to the top.
Controlio treats the scholarship as a direct bet on people who will build the next set of systems. Adib’s win shows the process can find candidates whose work already sits outside the usual classroom lane.
