Participated · Seed · Jun 2024

Mesosil develops nanometre-scale, silica-based additives that act as a self-assembled hard-material sponge loaded with an antimicrobial drug designed for very slow release to kill bacteria and prevent device-associated infections. The company has finalized its flagship material and is scaling up production to meet demand in the dentistry space. Mesosil is working with professional dental companies in the U.S. and Europe and supports clients through regulatory approval processes related to its material. Management sees near-term applications in dental fillings, bone cement and antifouling coatings, with longer-term potential in orthopedics and other medical or industrial uses. The technology originated from University of Toronto research (work began in 2015; spun out as an independent business in 2018) and the company filed its first patent in 2017. Mesosil closed a C$2.2M equity seed and has total funding of nearly C$3.1M to support commercialization and production scale-up. Mesosil is a Faculty of Dentistry startup from the University of Toronto that launched in early 2018. The company is developing responsive antimicrobial dental materials designed to prevent infection at the medical device–tissue interface and extend lifetime effect to stop bacteria wedging between fillings and the tooth. Mesosil completed a pre-clinical animal study last year. The new $675,000 financing will help the company scale up production of its material and grow the team to meet demand. The company is working with an industrial partner to develop a range of bioactive dental materials and aims to expand into applications within and outside dentistry. CEO Cameron Stewart, a postdoctoral fellow for Professor Yoav Finer, leads the company and said the funds will help bring the materials to patients.

Participated · Seed · Mar 2024

Noa Therapeutics, founded in 2022 and based in Toronto, uses a computer-assisted drug discovery engine to identify multimodal therapeutic compounds for immune diseases. The pre-clinical startup is developing a portfolio of non-steroidal compounds that target immune modulation, barrier restoration, and microbiome modulation. Its lead program is directed at atopic dermatitis, and the company is also advancing work aimed at barrier-dysfunction inflammatory diseases such as ulcerative colitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Noa is a resident company of Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS Toronto within the MaRS Discovery District. The company was co-founded by CEO Carla Spina and CSO Serena Mandla and has announced a board that includes Maura Campbell and François Ravenelle. The new funding will support advancing the lead candidate and the hit-to-lead phase to optimize promising molecules into potential drugs.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2022

Oncoustics develops ultrasound-based tissue characterization solutions that apply AI to raw ultrasound signals for noninvasive surveillance, diagnostics, and treatment monitoring. Its first product, the OnX Liver Assessment Solution, focuses on detecting structural liver diseases including fibrosis and steatosis. The company intends to advance its SaMD (software as a medical device) technology to enable low-cost assessment of structural diseases at point of care. Oncoustics plans regulatory submissions for the OnX solution in the United States (FDA 510(k)), Canada (Health Canada medical device license), and the European Union (CE Mark). The OnX Liver Assessment Solution has not been cleared for clinical use and is For Investigational Use Only. The company is led by CEO Beth Rogozinski.

Participated · Equity · Jun 2022

Able Innovations, co-founded by Jayiesh Singh and Philip Chang, is a Toronto, Canada–based robotic medical device startup. The company develops the ALTA Platform, which automates the demanding task of patient transfer—moving a patient from one surface to another, such as from a bed to a stretcher. ALTA is designed to incorporate safety and dignity into a routine procedure that frequently requires two or more staff and significant physical effort. In a post-pandemic system facing nurse burnout and staffing shortages, Able positions ALTA to help workers do more with less. The company has resulted in partnerships with Canadian and American systems including the U.S. Veterans Health Administration, Toronto’s University Health Network, and Ottawa’s Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital. Financially, Able raised a total of USD $6M in venture capital and grant funding.

Led · Equity · Nov 2021

Rehabtronics is a medical device company based in Vancouver, BC. It developed Prelivia, described as the world's first neuroscience-based technology to protect patients against deadly pressure injuries. The company is focused on commercializing Prelivia to reduce the incidence of pressure injuries in patients. In November 2021 Rehabtronics announced an oversubscribed $1.6M funding round to support commercialization. The round was led by North Spring Capital.