• QD Solar

  Participated · Series A · Feb 2017

  QD Solar is a University of Toronto spin-out developing colloidal quantum-dot materials as an insert for conventional silicon solar panels to absorb wavelengths outside silicon's normal range. Its first product is designed to provide a significant efficiency uplift—the company claims it can boost panel energy output by one-fifth and add about four percentage points to typical silicon cell efficiency (from ~20% to ~24%). The firm says it has demonstrated the first tandem solar cell based on colloidal quantum-dot materials and holds two key patents with another pending. QD Solar's leadership includes CEO Don Shea and CTO Ted Sargent, with Sjoerd Hoogland as VP of research and development. The company intends to use recent financing and prior project support to advance, develop, test and de-risk the technology and bring it closer to market. The article highlights scaling and cost as the main challenges for adoption, noting the PV market's intense price competition and the need for manufacturers to differentiate on performance.

• Fibrocor Therapeutics

  Led · Equity · Jan 2017

  Fibrocor Therapeutics develops disease‑modifying therapeutics for fibrosis using a tissue‑based discovery platform that identifies novel targets and molecular pathways from well‑annotated patient samples. The company was launched as a partnership between MaRS Innovation, academic and clinician scientists in Toronto, and Evotec. Evotec will provide all drug‑discovery activities and development services under the partnership. Fibrocor has identified a lead programme and anticipates nominating a lead candidate in 2018. The company plans to expand access to tissue samples across lung, liver, kidney, colon and skin to generate a pipeline of targets for follow‑on drug discovery. Fibrocor launched with CDN $2.8M (approx. $2.1M) in financing, which includes cash from MaRS Innovation; Evotec will receive an equity stake.

• Zucara Therapeutics

  Participated · Equity · Nov 2016

  Zucara Therapeutics is a Toronto-based diabetes life sciences company developing ZT-01, a first-in-class, once-daily therapeutic to prevent hypoglycemia in people with type 1 diabetes and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes. ZT-01 is designed as an SST receptor 2 antagonist to inhibit somatostatin and restore glucagon secretion, improving the body’s counterregulatory response to low blood glucose. Zucara has demonstrated that ZT-01 can increase the glucagon response in people with T1D. The company completed a US$25 million Series B financing to support its clinical and development programs. Proceeds are intended to fund the remainder of the ongoing Phase 2a ZONE trial and the nonclinical development of a once-weekly version of ZT-01. The financing brings strategic and mission-driven investors into the syndicate to advance the candidate toward later-stage development. Zucara Therapeutics is developing ZT-01, a once-daily therapeutic intended to prevent insulin-induced hypoglycemia in patients using insulin therapy. ZT-01 is designed to inhibit somatostatin, restoring glucagon secretion and the body’s ability to recover from hypoglycemia. The company positions ZT-01 as a first-in-class therapy that could improve diabetes management and reduce dangerous hypoglycemic episodes. Zucara was co-founded by Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners and adMare BioInnovations based on foundational intellectual property from the University of Toronto. Preclinical R&D was supported by more than US$7 million in funding, including US$3.9M from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and US$0.8M from JDRF International. The company is preparing to initiate a Phase 1 clinical trial of ZT-01 in mid-2020 and intends to advance the program through Phase 2. Zucara Therapeutics is a diabetes life sciences company developing the first once-daily therapeutic to prevent low blood glucose (hypoglycemia); its lead candidate is ZT-01. The company is a spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation and is based in Toronto and Vancouver, British Columbia. Zucara plans GLP toxicology, GMP manufacturing and IND/CTA‑enabling activities to advance ZT-01 into Phase I clinical trials in 2019, with preclinical work led by CSO Dr. Richard Liggins and scientific support from founding scientist Dr. Michael Riddell. The company secured US$3.9M in non-dilutive funding structured as a program-related investment (PRI) loan from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support preclinical advancement. This new support builds on more than US$1M in earlier funding from JDRF International, the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), CDRD and MaRS Innovation. Zucara will join a Helmsley-supported scientific working group focused on understanding and restoring pancreatic mechanisms to prevent hypoglycemia and continues to collaborate with CDRD to advance its product. Zucara Therapeutics is a pre-clinical life sciences company and a spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation. The company’s lead program is a first-in-class therapeutic designed to prevent dangerous low blood sugar by inhibiting somatostatin and restoring counter-regulation in people with diabetes. Founding scientists include Dr. Michael Riddell and Dr. Richard Liggins, who serves as chief scientific officer. Zucara has shown proof-of-principle in animal models and plans to advance its lead candidate through IND-enabling studies. JDRF has provided previous support to the underlying academic work and has contributed new funding to ready the program for clinical testing beginning in 2019. The company aims to reduce hypoglycemia incidence without affecting insulin efficacy, improving glucose management and long-term outcomes for people with type 1 diabetes. Zucara Therapeutics is a pre-clinical life sciences spin-off of The Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD) and MaRS Innovation developing a first-in-class, once-daily drug to prevent hypoglycemia in patients with diabetes. The program targets somatostatin type 2 receptors in the pancreas to prevent low blood sugar and restore natural glucose regulation, offering a preventative approach unlike rescue therapies. The company licensed a set of compounds from CDRD and is selecting and advancing a lead drug candidate. Further validation and in vivo studies are ongoing. Zucara says the recent funding provides runway to reach near-term value-creating milestones and advance the program toward clinical development. The company plans to seek Series A financing in early 2017 to take the program into clinical trials, which are expected to start in 2018.

• XOR Labs Toronto

  Participated · Equity · Sep 2016

  XOR-Labs Toronto is a medical device company spun off from Toronto General Hospital at University Health Network focused on advancing organ transplantation and treating diseased organs. Led by Dr. Tom Waddell, the company develops the XOR Ex Vivo organ repair technology to reduce waiting lists for lung transplantation. The XOR Ex Vivo system is designed to avoid stressing or damaging donor lungs, allowing transplant teams to assess organs and, if needed, treat them with medications or advanced therapies such as gene or cell therapy. The technology aims to rehabilitate lungs that might otherwise be discarded, improving chances of successful transplant and reducing rejection risk. The company closed an additional CAN$2.85M financing to continue development of its products.

• ScarX Therapeutics

  Participated · Series A · Feb 2016

  ScarX Therapeutics is commercializing SCX-001, a topical formulation of nefopam intended to reduce hypertrophic post-surgical scarring and improve wound healing. The drug candidate is built on Dr. Benjamin Alman’s discovery that nefopam modulates beta-catenin, a protein associated with excessive dermal scarring; the technology originated at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). The company plans to use its recent financing to complete a Phase I, single-site clinical trial enrolling 24 subjects over 18 months to establish a safety profile and collect secondary observational efficacy signals. ScarX was spun off by MaRS Innovation and SickKids and is led by Dr. Alman (scientific founder and chief science officer) and Stephen Whitehead (president and CEO). Prior to the Series A, the company raised $1.7M in dilutive funding and $1.0M in non-dilutive funding to support lead candidate development and preclinical studies. The company is based in Toronto, Canada.

No current team members are available.