Participated · Series A · Jul 2024

RetiSpec develops AI solutions applied to non-invasive retinal images to identify neurodegenerative disease markers and provide real-time results at the point of care. Its first clinically validated AI is intended to predict amyloid burden to aid evaluation for Alzheimer’s disease. RetiSpec’s solutions are currently available for Research Use Only. The company aims to enable widespread early and accurate detection of neurodegenerative disease through a routine eye exam. Leadership is headed by co-founder and CEO Eliav Shaked. The company is based in Toronto, Canada and has raised $17M USD to date.

Participated · Seed · Jul 2024

Roga is a Los Angeles-based neurotech and mental-health company focused on relieving severe stress and burnout. Founded by Dr. Alison Smith and Ami Lebendiker, the company develops a paired wearable/app device that combines peripheral nerve stimulation with personalized guided meditation. It launched its first device in 2023. Roga raised $1.2M in a Pre-Seed round and intends to use the funds to support the launch of its wearable device to reduce chronic stress and burnout. The company positions the product as a safe, effective, convenient and cost-effective solution. Roga is supported by LBAN at Stanford University and Velocity at the University of Waterloo.

Participated · Seed · Oct 2021

Steadiwear develops the Steadi-Two, a second-generation glove that uses a magnet-based tuned mass damping system to move opposite a user’s tremor and stabilize the wrist and forearm. The company reports tests showing the device can reduce tremor amplitude by over 80 percent; the Steadi-Two is half the size of its predecessor, about 30% lighter (under one pound), and adaptable to a wider range of tremor types. Steadiwear released the first Steadi-One in 2019 and incorporated user feedback into the new design. Founded in 2015 by CEO Mark Elias and CMO Emile Maamary, the startup has begun accepting pre-orders in Canada and the United States at a planned retail price of $650, with delivery slated for Q1 2022 and sample distribution to assistive-technology clinics planned for the first half of next year. The Steadi-Two is battery-free and positioned as an affordable daily assistive tool to improve independence and reduce healthcare costs for patients. The company plans to use the fresh seed financing mainly for manufacturing and marketing as it moves toward international commercialization.

Participated · Seed · May 2021

Nanology Labs leverages a patented polymer-lipid platform to create nanoparticles that actively transport therapeutic and diagnostic payloads into cells and across the blood–brain barrier. Its lead product, T-MX (aka Manganescan), accumulates in cancer cells, is MR-detectable, and generates oxygen to reprogram hypoxic tumors from cold to hot, sensitizing them to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. T-MX is completing GLP-toxicology and GMP manufacturing in preparation for a Ph1/2 study in patients with oligometastatic brain cancer at Princess Margaret Cancer Center. The company reports extensive safety, efficacy, and manufacturing studies that have de-risked T-MX. Nanology’s platform can deliver proteins, nucleic acids, drugs, and imaging agents, and its work has been published in journals including Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Research, Advanced Functional Materials, and ACS Nano. The company secured an oversubscribed $3M seed round to advance development. Nanology Labs has developed Manganescan, a low-toxicity MRI contrast agent that uses manganese to improve visualization of early-stage tumours and produces oxygen in tumours to enhance radiation therapy effectiveness. Its platform enables active transport of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to brain tumour tissue. The company is advancing its system toward clinical translation and seeking further investment to reach the next inflection point, per CEO Mohammad Ali Amini. Nanology is a participant in the University of Toronto Early Stage Technology (UTEST) Program, which provides investment capital, mentoring, business strategy, and incubation space. Financially, the company recently received seed funding from FACIT’s Prospects Oncology Fund (amount undisclosed) and previously was one of six recipients of a $50,000 Ontario Brain Institute early-stage award.