Impact Centre / en 茄子直播 startup Honeybee acquired by global clinical trials firm Leapcure /news/u-t-startup-honeybee-acquired-global-clinical-trials-firm-leapcure <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 startup Honeybee acquired by global clinical trials firm Leapcure </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-08/62872eae94f38173287c52a182b2-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=V2vDivej 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-08/62872eae94f38173287c52a182b2-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=uCHOi7eZ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-08/62872eae94f38173287c52a182b2-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=vXBkCVV6 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-08/62872eae94f38173287c52a182b2-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=V2vDivej" alt="A doctor talking to a patient"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-08-16T10:55:48-04:00" title="Friday, August 16, 2024 - 10:55" class="datetime">Fri, 08/16/2024 - 10:55</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>(photo courtesy of Leapcure)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovation-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/onramp" hreflang="en">ONRamp</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Co-founded by Catherine Chan and Weiwei Li, Honeybee Trials' platform helps clinical trial recruiters find, screen and manage patients for their research</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Honeybee Trials, a University of Toronto startup that connects research teams with patients and study participants, has been acquired by <a href="https://leapcure.com" target="_blank">global clinical trials company Leapcure</a> in a deal that is poised to drive more inclusive and affordable trials that鈥檚&nbsp;ultimately applicable to a broader population.</p> <p>Co-founded by 茄子直播 alumni <strong>Catherine Chan</strong> and <strong>Weiwei Li</strong>, Honeybee built a web and mobile platform to help clinical trial teams attract, screen, recruit and manage study participants. Since its founding in 2019, the startup has connected over 30,000 patients and participants to more than 1,000 clinical trials across North America.</p> <p>Leapcure, headquartered in California, offers an array of solutions that combines people-backed services with data-driven technologies to fill clinical trials for global sponsors and CROs, but can now expand affordable patient recruitment to institutional sites, private sites and biotech firms. Moreover, their work alongside patients and advocacy groups has significantly helped to reach underrepresented communities&nbsp;鈥 a focus that will receive a boost following the purchase of Honeybee.</p> <p>Chan, who earned a master鈥檚 degree in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine鈥檚 department of nutritional sciences, says the deal grew out of a desire to partner strategically with a larger company that could provide access to broader sectors within the clinical research world.</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media align-center"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2024-08/Catherine%20and%20Weiwei.jpg?itok=u-8ao3Ad" width="750" height="449" alt="&quot;&quot;" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Catherine Chan (L) and Weiwei Li (supplied image)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>鈥淎t Honeybee, we offered competitive pricing for academic and hospital sites, local CROs [contract research organizations] and biotech firms,鈥 Chan says. 鈥淲ith this partnership, we鈥檙e able to provide services across all of the different types of trial scopes and sizes.鈥</p> <p>She adds that both Honeybee and Leapcure have placed a strong focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility by helping researchers attract study participants of different ethnicities, ages, genders and sexual orientations 鈥 helping make clinical trials more equitable and reflective of the wider population.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 important to us that there's a mission and vision alignment between the companies... it couldn鈥檛 be a better fit,鈥 Chan said.</p> <p>The asset purchase deal for an undisclosed amount, which was <a href="https://www.newswire.com/news/leapcure-acquires-honeybee-trials-expanding-patient-engagement-and-22404508">announced in an Aug. 13 press release</a>, will see Chan transition from CEO of Honeybee to senior director of product at Leapcure.</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to join forces with Catherine and Honeybee. They鈥檝e been really focused on the newest recruitment technologies that are most impactful for both patients and research,鈥 said Leapcure CEO <strong>Zachary Gobst</strong>. 鈥淎 big reason that things came together was our alignment on impact first. It鈥檚 a credit to how they鈥檝e been approaching their business the right way from the beginning."</p> <p>Honeybee <a href="https://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/news/u-t-grad-app-will-help-researchers-find-study-participants-faster">evolved out of the frustrations that Chan faced</a> in recruiting study participants for her master鈥檚 thesis. Motivated to explore solutions, Chan created a prototype that would help match participants with trials; she then enrolled in a one-week accelerator program in the Impact Centre (now the <a href="https://www.entrepreneurship.artsci.utoronto.ca/">Centre for Entrepreneurship</a>) in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science.</p> <p>She soon teamed up with Li, who earned his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 of applied science degrees from the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, to co-found Honeybee. The startup later joined the <a href="https://h2i.utoronto.ca/">Health Innovation Hub (H2i)</a> accelerator and operated out of office space in 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship鈥檚 ONRamp facility prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p> <p>With COVID-19 measures encouraging the adoption of digital tools by clinical research&nbsp;teams, Honeybee found itself well-placed to play an important role. 鈥淭he pandemic provided an opportunity for many tech companies to scale as the market became more open-minded and ready to adopt technologies to help connect them day-to-day," Chan says. "We saw a rapid adoption of Honeybee鈥檚 technology during this time where people moved away from traditional recruitment and patient communications to the current age.</p> <p>鈥淎lthough digital adoption across other industries has grown quite rapidly, healthcare has lagged behind, rightfully so and for many reasons, but we鈥檙e glad the transformation is happening. Just five years ago, clinical trial coordinators were still using paper handouts to recruit on the street and paper calendars to schedule patients.</p> <p>鈥淭he pandemic expedited researchers being able to meet people where they are.鈥</p> <p>Chan says the acquisition by Leapcure will enable the rollout of tiered services ranging from low-cost, self-serve tiers 鈥 targeting research teams with more modest budgets 鈥 to higher levels of service that include dedicated management.</p> <p>鈥淚鈥檓 really excited about the solutions we now have to offer together as well as the next steps in how we鈥檙e going to disrupt clinical trials.鈥</p> <p>Professor <strong>Paul Santerre</strong>, co-founder and director of H2i, hailed Chan as "a model outcome" of the accelerator's mission to empower innovators in translating their ideas into products and companies that tackle important problems.</p> <p>鈥淐atherine and her team鈥檚 achievements are transformative in terms of democratizing the recruitment of patients for clinical study cohorts," said Santerre, the Baxter Chair for Health Technology and Commercialization at the University Health Network and professor in the Faculty of Dentistry and Institute of Biomedical Engineering who is cross-appointed to the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry.</p> <p>"She has much to still teach us about the power of digital tools and their ethical use to achieve impact in clinical research trials 鈥&nbsp;and this acquisition will accelerate that outcome."</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 16 Aug 2024 14:55:48 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 308975 at 茄子直播 startups turn heads at virtual events around the world /news/u-t-startups-turn-heads-virtual-events-around-world <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 startups turn heads at virtual events around the world</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/startup-winners.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ieY9MHKs 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/startup-winners.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4z_dVau1 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/startup-winners.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=G2TqOVzz 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/startup-winners.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ieY9MHKs" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-09-09T14:38:32-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 9, 2020 - 14:38" class="datetime">Wed, 09/09/2020 - 14:38</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Clockwise, from top left: Daniel Szulc of Integral Health; the team from Genecis; Qoherent founder Ashkan Beigi; Mark Elias and Emile Maamary of Steadiwear; Livia Guo, Keith Pardee and Seray Cicek of LSK Technologies (photos supplied) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/peter-boisseau" hreflang="en">Peter Boisseau</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hub" hreflang="en">The Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hatchery" hreflang="en">Hatchery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/onramp" hreflang="en">ONRamp</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Startup companies from the University of Toronto are racking up impressive performances at international pitch competitions 鈥 even as the pandemic forced the high-stakes events online.</p> <p>鈥淭wo of the largest global pitch competitions that have happened in the last few months were both won by University of Toronto startups,鈥 says <strong>Jon French</strong>, director of 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship, the umbrella organization for 茄子直播鈥檚 11 entrepreneurship hubs.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 a testament to the caliber of entrepreneurial talent at 茄子直播 and the fact that programming for student founders has not slowed down 鈥 it has ramped up virtually in response to COVID-19.鈥</p> <p>茄子直播 cleantech startup Genecis is one of the big winners. The company harnesses bacteria to turn food waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), otherwise known as biodegradable plastics that can used for everything from sustainable packaging to 3D printing.</p> <p>Founded four years ago by 茄子直播 alumna <strong>Luna Yu</strong>, the startup was selected a Global Winner at this year鈥檚 Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) in July 鈥 an event featured more than 2,400 competitors from nearly 90 countries.</p> <p>鈥淲inning at XTC over more than 2000 other startups really speaks to what we've been working on and the ability of our team to execute,鈥 says <strong>Abdul Khogali</strong>, the company鈥檚 chief operating officer.</p> <p>He added that the prestigious competition helped connect Genecis with potential investors, including Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Genecis%20Team%20Shot-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Genecis, founded four years ago by 茄子直播 alumna <strong>Luna Yu </strong>(far left), harnesses bacteria to turn food waste into biodegradable plastics (photo courtesy of Genecis)</em></p> <p>茄子直播 quantum computing tech startup Qoherent also notched a big win this summer 鈥 at Startupfest in Montreal, where it competed with over 500 startups from around the world and took home a $100,000 top prize.</p> <p>Meanwhile, LSK Technologies, another 茄子直播 startup, won the $25,000 RBC Entrepreneur Award, the top prize at Toronto-based TiEQuest 2020 in June.&nbsp;Also at TiEQuest, medical device startup Steadiwear 鈥 which produces a tremor reducing glove designed for people with conditions such as Parkinson鈥檚 disease 鈥 walked away with the $2,500 Baylis Medical People's Choice Award.</p> <p>Steadiwear also captured the Montreal Startup Festival鈥檚 highly sought Grandmother鈥檚 Choice Award, which is judged by a panel of seniors who serve as a kind of focus group for emerging products aimed at their demographic. At the same festival, 茄子直播 startup Integral Health, which is developing a smart digital assistant for surgeons, won the Next 36 Young Entrepreneur Award, joining an elite cohort of emerging company founders.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/lab-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Daniel Szulc of 茄子直播 startup&nbsp;Integral Health, which is&nbsp;developing a smart digital assistant for surgeons (photo courtesy of Daniel Szulc)</em></p> <p>While going virtual created enormous logistical challenges for pitch competition organizers, it also seemed to encourage a record numbers of competitors, making wins by 茄子直播 startups that much more impressive, according to French. He says entrepreneurship, innovation and research commercialization are more important than ever as Canada looks to bounce back from COVID-19 by rebuilding its battered economy.</p> <p>鈥淚'm looking at these virtual pitch competition victories as a proof that our companies are heading in the right direction,鈥 he says.</p> <p>The Genecis team says being nimble and adaptable have been key to its success this year 鈥 not only at XTC, but at the Novo Nordisk Innovation Challenge, where it captured the top prize of nearly $40,000, and at the 2020 Mondi Lead2030 competition, where it was also among the winners.</p> <p>Khogali says the company 鈥 which earlier this year completed a program at Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator, one of the world鈥檚 premier startup accelerators 鈥 has shifted its initial focus away from manufacturing to the less capital-intensive business of licensing its process to industry partners.</p> <p>He credits mentorship the team received from 茄子直播 professors and alumni, well as 茄子直播 incubators and accelerators such as The Hub at 茄子直播 Scarborough, the Entrepreneurship Hatchery and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), for helping the Genecis team transform its ideas into a potentially disruptive business.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Picture%20of%20three%20founders%204%20boundless-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>From left to right: Livia Guo, Assistant Professor Keith Pardee&nbsp;and Seray Cicek of LSK Technologies, which is developing a&nbsp;portable, 鈥渓ab-in-a-box鈥 technology to diagnose COVID-19 and other diseases&nbsp;(photo courtesy of LSK Technologies)</em></p> <p>Qoherent founder <strong>Ashkan Beigi</strong> also says 茄子直播 played a key role in helping him grow his company, which aims to help scientists and engineers create wireless technologies and harness the power of machine learning.</p> <p>Beigi says CDL, based at 茄子直播鈥檚 Rotman School of Management, provided him with intensive entrepreneurial training, networking opportunities and a 鈥渞oad map鈥 for the company. He also says the startup co-working space at 茄子直播鈥檚 ONramp, shared with partner universities, provided him with an ideal working environment, albeit one he has had to abandon in recent months because of the pandemic.</p> <p>鈥淚鈥檇 love to go back to ONramp when we can because it鈥檚 a good space to be in, one of the best I鈥檝e ever seen 鈥 and a great community to be part of,鈥 he says.</p> <p>Winning the Montreal festival suggests Qoherent is on the right track and underscores the value of the guidance he received from CDL and others, Beigi says.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Ash%20July%2019%202020-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Ashkan Beigi of Qoherent, which aims to&nbsp;help scientists and engineers create wireless technologies and harness the power of machine learning, says the Creative Destruction Lab played a key role in helping him develop the company&nbsp;(photo courtesy of Ashkan Beigi)</em></p> <p>LSK Technologies, co-founded by 茄子直播 alumna <strong>Seray Cicek</strong> and <strong>Keith Pardee</strong>, an assistant professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, also credits 茄子直播 support as a key factor in the startup鈥檚 success. The company, which has also just been accepted into Y Combinator, received support from two of 茄子直播鈥檚 campus-linked accelerators: H2i (Health Innovation Hub) and UTEST.</p> <p>The portable, 鈥渓ab-in-a-box鈥 technology developed by the researchers was originally focused on other diseases, but <a href="/news/u-t-researcher-s-lab-box-promises-boost-covid-19-testing-capacity">the pair pivoted quickly to make COVID-19 a priority when the pandemic hit</a>, Cicek says.</p> <p>She is hopeful about getting their disease screening device to market early next year.</p> <p>鈥淲e are looking forward to a world where we won鈥檛 be looking at a pandemic situation again,鈥 Cicek says. 鈥淚f we had been able to screen people better earlier this year, then perhaps we could be all meeting in person right now.鈥</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/DSC_5020-5.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Mark Elias and Emile Maamary are co-founders of Steadiwear, which makes&nbsp;a tremor reducing glove to help people with conditions such as Parkinson鈥檚 disease&nbsp;(photo courtesy of Steadiwear)</em></p> <p>For their part, Steadiwear co-founders <strong>Emile Maamary</strong> and <strong>Mark Elias</strong> say 茄子直播鈥檚 expansive entrepreneurial ecosystem helped prepare them for high-pressure pitch and marketing competitions.</p> <p>After spending early days working at the Impact Centre at the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, the pair are excited about getting a new, miniaturized version of their glove to customers.</p> <p>鈥淭he original version essentially is like a sleeve that goes halfway up the forearm,鈥 Elias says. 鈥淭he miniature device doesn鈥檛 have any forearm elements and will be available for pre-order before the end of the year.</p> <p>鈥淚t's a big difference when you鈥檙e competing in the market.鈥</p> <h3><a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/">Learn more about 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship</a><br> &nbsp;</h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 09 Sep 2020 18:38:32 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 165565 at 茄子直播 and IIT Bombay to launch entrepreneurship program, shared innovation pipeline /news/u-t-and-iit-bombay-launch-entrepreneurship-program-shared-innovation-pipeline <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 and IIT Bombay to launch entrepreneurship program, shared innovation pipeline</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1157462315-weblead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ANioWofQ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-1157462315-weblead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=h5vYMkax 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-1157462315-weblead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fdo42ZHE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-1157462315-weblead_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ANioWofQ" alt="Photo of Mumbai skyline"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-03-12T15:50:10-04:00" title="Thursday, March 12, 2020 - 15:50" class="datetime">Thu, 03/12/2020 - 15:50</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The new entrepreneurship program developed with the Indian Institute of Technology will be a key component of 茄子直播's new Entrepreneurship Centre in Mumbai, India's financial capital (photo by Pramod Thakur/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/india" hreflang="en">India</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mitacs" hreflang="en">Mitacs</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) are developing a new entrepreneurship program that will strengthen ties between the innovation ecosystems in Canada and India, benefitting startups in both countries.</p> <p>The partnership will see the two top-ranked universities implement exchange programs for budding entrepreneurs, support research collaborations and develop a strong, two-way innovation talent pipeline.</p> <p>The program will be an important component of 茄子直播's new Entrepreneurship Centre in Mumbai, part of the upcoming 茄子直播 Centre in India, <a href="/news/u-t-signs-agreement-iit-bombay-during-canada-s-trade-mission-india">a wide-ranging collaboration</a> that will also include the Indian affiliate of 茄子直播鈥檚 School of Cities. Programming will include an innovation conference that alternates between Canada and India, startup competitions, workshops and sustained support for entrepreneurs.</p> <p>There will also be opportunities for placements within the entrepreneurship hubs of select Indian companies.</p> <p>鈥淭he University of Toronto is delighted to build on our already strong relationship with IIT Bombay, an institution that鈥檚 recognized worldwide for excellence in teaching, research and innovation in the engineering and technology disciplines,鈥 said&nbsp;<strong>Derek Newton</strong>, 茄子直播鈥檚 assistant vice-president, innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship.</p> <p>鈥淎s leading universities in Canada and India, each located in our respective countries鈥 commercial hubs of Toronto and Mumbai, this partnership will leverage our many commonalities, as well as our unique strengths, to promote research collaboration, knowledge-sharing and market access, while creating an environment where new business ideas can thrive.鈥</p> <p>Poyni Bhatt, the CEO of IIT Bombay鈥檚 Society for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship (SINE), said the partnership will&nbsp;enrich entrepreneurship activities in both countries.</p> <p>鈥淪INE IIT Bombay is excited to work with 茄子直播 to leverage mutual synergies for startups from India and Canada,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e look forward to productive outcomes out of this partnership in the coming years.鈥</p> <p>Both 茄子直播 and IIT Bombay are leaders in university-managed startup incubation.&nbsp;</p> <p>Over the past decade, 茄子直播 has nurtured more than 500 startups that have secured more than $1.5 billion in investment. SINE, set up in 2004, has supported more than 150 startups that have raised more than $223 million in funding and created more than 4,000 jobs.</p> <p>Exchange programs will be a central part of the new initiative, with 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship set to welcome IIT Bombay startups to Canada and curate their engagement with the Canadian innovation scene, and SINE doing the same for 茄子直播 startups in India. &nbsp;</p> <p>Up to 30 茄子直播 entrepreneurs will have the chance to go to India through the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program, allowing them to explore new business development opportunities. Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.</p> <p>It鈥檚 an initiative that resonates with the entrepreneurs behind iMerciv, <a href="/news/u-t-startup-aims-make-world-more-navigable-pedestrians-especially-those-vision-loss">a 茄子直播 startup that developed a wearable mobility device for people with vision loss called the BuzzClip</a>. Co-founded by 茄子直播 civil engineering alumnus and CEO&nbsp;<strong>Bin Liu&nbsp;</strong>and chief operating officer Arjun Mali, iMerciv received support from 茄子直播鈥檚 Impact Centre accelerator, one of several 茄子直播 campus-linked entrepreneurship hubs. The company is active in India, where Mali鈥檚 family are longtime supporters of a school and orphanage for blind children 鈥 and where much of BuzzClip鈥檚 early testing took place.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/afwbuzzclip01_0-embed.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Bin Liu, CEO of iMerciv, and Rylan Vroom, a digital accessibility expert who is one of iMerciv鈥檚 senior advisers (photo courtesy of iMerciv)</em></p> <p>Mali said 茄子直播鈥檚 partnership with IIT Bombay presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs in both universities.</p> <p>鈥淭he market potential in India is massive,鈥 said Mali. 鈥淚f your product is competitive when it comes to quality as well as cost, it can be a very large market for your business.</p> <p>鈥淭hat鈥檚 a key benefit for Canadian entrepreneurs who go and explore the Indian market.鈥</p> <p>As for IIT Bombay entrepreneurs who get to take part in exchange programs in Canada, Mali said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 about understanding how the culture and sales-cycle process work&nbsp;on this side of the world 鈥 learning how to take a company that鈥檚 growing in India and adapting that to make it essentially global.</p> <p>鈥淭oronto is a great stepping stone to go international.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 12 Mar 2020 19:50:10 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 163526 at 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship Week: 10 startups to watch /news/u-t-entrepreneurship-week-10-startups-watch-0 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 Entrepreneurship Week: 10 startups to watch</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0321_TrueBlue011.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=V8QzRJ8T 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/0321_TrueBlue011.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=qwQssyT7 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/0321_TrueBlue011.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lbEAr_xh 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/0321_TrueBlue011.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=V8QzRJ8T" alt="Catherine Chan speaks to an attendee of the true blue expo at the Mars discovery district"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-03-10T17:45:09-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 10, 2020 - 17:45" class="datetime">Tue, 03/10/2020 - 17:45</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Catherine Chan of 茄子直播 startup Honeybee Hub, which connects researchers with study participants, speaks with attendees at the True Blue Expo in 2019 (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/true-blue-expo" hreflang="en">True Blue Expo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hub" hreflang="en">The Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/computer-science" hreflang="en">Computer Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-hatchery" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Hatchery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-dentistry" hreflang="en">Faculty of Dentistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/ibbme" hreflang="en">IBBME</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomaterials-and-biomedical-engineering-0" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nutritional-sciences" hreflang="en">Nutritional Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-commerce" hreflang="en">Rotman Commerce</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/social-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Social Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>From speeding the discovery of life-saving drugs to reducing the amount of plastic clogging the oceans, University of Toronto entrepreneurs and their startups are engaged in tackling some of the most pressing challenges of the day.</p> <p>Over the past decade, 茄子直播 has nurtured 500 startups that have secured some $1.5 billion in investment. Many of the companies were founded by&nbsp;students who sought to provide innovative solutions to problems. Others were launched by professors who were looking to implement their research in the real world.</p> <p>What they all have in common is that they emerged from a university entrepreneurship ecosystem that鈥檚 ranked first&nbsp;in Canada&nbsp;and among the top 10 in the world.</p> <p><a href="/entrepreneurs?utm_source=UofTHome&amp;utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&amp;utm_content=EntrepreneurshipWeek2020">With Entrepreneurship Week&nbsp;underway</a>, here鈥檚 a look at 10 exciting 茄子直播 startups to keep an eye on in 2020:</p> <hr> <h3>Structura Biotechnology</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2018-02-13-Structura-Ali-Saara-%28weblead%292_0.jpg" alt="\"></p> <p><em>(photo by Chris Sorensen)</em></p> <p>When researchers in the United States&nbsp;worked to create the first 3D, atomic-scale map of the part of the novel coronavirus that infects human cells, a key step toward creating a vaccine,<a href="/news/u-t-startup-s-technology-plays-role-critical-breakthrough-coronavirus-research">&nbsp;they relied on software created by 茄子直播 startup Structura Biotechnology</a>.</p> <p>Structura鈥檚 cryoSPARC program, which uses artificial intelligence&nbsp;to create 3D visualizations of protein, was spun out of <strong>Ali Punjani</strong>鈥檚 PhD research in computer science at 茄子直播 and was designed by alumnus <strong>Suhail Dawood</strong>. The startup received support from 茄子直播鈥檚 UTEST accelerator.</p> <p>The software enables scientists to visualize images captured&nbsp;using cryogenic electron microscopy, a Nobel Prize-winning technique that enables the capture of high-resolution photos of proteins by shooting electrons at frozen samples.</p> <p>The technique has already garnered the attention of several big drug companies, but&nbsp;Punjani鈥檚 sister,&nbsp;Saara Punjani, the company鈥檚 chief operating officer, said the use of cryoSPARC in efforts to battle the coronavirus is an exciting development.</p> <p>鈥淧art of the reason we got into it is, at the end of the day, because we are looking to make a difference,鈥 she told <em>茄子直播 News</em>.</p> <h3>Roll Technologies</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/DSC00523_0.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo couretsy of Roll Technologies)</em></p> <p>Founded by 茄子直播 Scarborough alumnus <strong>Richard Cao</strong>, e-scooter startup Roll Technologies <a href="/news/e-scooter-startup-u-t-alumnus-set-roll-out-kelowna-bc">recently deployed 200 e-scooters and 50 electronic bikes (e-bikes) in Kelowna, B.C.</a> after securing a deal with the city.</p> <p>Cao鈥檚 father works in the e-bike and e-scooter manufacturing sector in China. That helped Cao formulate the idea behind Roll Technologies and develop some of the necessary connections. He then went to The Hub, 茄子直播 Scarborough鈥檚 startup accelerator, and worked with Director <strong>Gray Graffam</strong>, who set about differentiating Cao鈥檚 company from others in the burgeoning e-mobility space.</p> <p>Originally from Shanghai, Cao&nbsp;described e-scooters as 鈥渁 popular and effective form of shared mobility 鈥 and one that provides a green solution to a common urban transportation problem.鈥</p> <h3>BenchSci</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/BenchSci-group-weblead_0.jpg" alt="\"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of BenchSci)</em></p> <p>BenchSci, which uses machine learning to help scientists find the appropriate antibodies for their experiments, is backed by investors including Google鈥檚 Gradient Ventures, and counts some of the world鈥檚 top pharmaceutical companies among its clients.</p> <p>The company grew out of frustrations experienced by&nbsp;<strong>Tom Leung</strong>, who, while working on his PhD in epigenetics, had experiments fail because his antibodies weren鈥檛 detecting target proteins. In search of a better solution, Leung reached out to <strong>David Chen</strong>, who was doing doctoral research in neuroscience, and <strong>Elvis Wianda</strong>, who was doing his PhD in medical biophysics.</p> <p>The trio initially worked with 茄子直播鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Hatchery and Health Innovation Hub (H2i) to get BenchSci up and running. They were later recruited to the Creative Destruction Lab&nbsp;by then-MBA candidate <strong>Liran Belenzon</strong>, who eventually joined the company as CEO.</p> <p>Going forward, Belenzon <a href="/news/google-s-backing-u-t-startup-benchsci-using-ai-create-super-scientists">says he envisions BenchSci 鈥減laying a crucial role in transforming scientists into 鈥榮uper-scientists鈥 and helping them get cures to patients faster.鈥</a></p> <h3>Ecopackers</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/ecopackers-embed.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of Ecopackers)</em></p> <p>Conceived by CEO <strong>Nuha Siddiqui</strong> during her time as president of the 茄子直播 chapter of the social entrepreneurship club Enactus, Ecopackers is on a mission to reduce the world鈥檚 reliance on single-use plastics.</p> <p>The company, developed with support from the Creative Destruction Lab, got its start manufacturing biodegradable packing peanuts made from agricultural byproducts. It&nbsp;has since expanded into producing eco-resins that can be used by manufacturers in place of plastic.</p> <p>Unlike many existing bioplastics, Ecopackers鈥 resin is designed to be compatible with existing manufacturing technologies&nbsp;and processes.</p> <p>鈥淲e were one of the only eco-focused companies out there that wasn鈥檛 going against the plastic manufacturers 鈥 we were actually trying to work with them to develop products that worked with their technology,鈥 Siddiqui, a Rotman Commerce graduate, told <em>茄子直播 News</em>.</p> <p>The all-woman leadership team behind Ecopackers&nbsp;鈥 which also includes chief technology officer <strong>Chang Dong</strong> and chief operating officer <strong>Kritika Tyagi&nbsp;鈥</strong>&nbsp;is now working on pilot products with manufacturers around the world.</p> <h3>Cohesys</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Michael-Floros_VC_web-lead_0.jpg" alt="Portrait of Michael Floros standing beside a novelty check for 20 thousand dollars payable to cohesys"></p> <p><em>&nbsp;(photo by Erin Vollick)</em></p> <p>Spun out of research by Professor <strong>Paul Santerre </strong>at the Faculty of Dentistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), <a href="/news/u-t-bone-tape-startup-takes-home-international-prize">Cohesys is a biomedical startup that has developed a better alternative to the rigid metal plates and screws used to repair facial fractures</a>.</p> <p>The company鈥檚 BoneTape is a flexible, adhesive and degradable material that holds promise in improving surgery times, reducing complications and boosting outcomes for patients who undergo facial surgery.</p> <p>Supported by UTEST and the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), Cohesys raised a total of $1.4 million in funding as it looks to pursue preclinical animal studies, biotechnology industry magazine <em>BioWorld</em> <a href="https://www.bioworld.com/articles/430433-investors-stuck-on-cohesys-adhesive-bone-tape-for-use-in-facial-reconstruction?v=preview">reported</a>.</p> <p>鈥淭his is the only adhesive that sticks to wet bone,鈥 <strong>Michael Floros</strong>, CEO of Cohesys and a recent IBBME post-doctoral researcher, told <em>茄子直播 News</em> last year. 鈥淭here is no other tape for bones or anything similar out there.鈥</p> <h3>Reeddi</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Reeddi_0.png" alt="Olugbenga Olubanjo poses for a photo in Ayegun, Nigeria with members of his reedi team and local community members"></p> <p><em>(photo courtesy of Olugbenga Olubanjo)</em></p> <p>As an international graduate student at 茄子直播, <strong>Olugbenga Olubanjo</strong> regularly spoke with family and friends in his native Nigeria over the phone, only to have the calls cut short due to power outages back home. He decided to do something about it 鈥 and Reeddi was born.</p> <p>The company, which was nurtured by the Entrepreneurship Hatchery, <a href="/news/u-t-entrepreneur-creates-his-own-job-post-graduation-delivering-clean-affordable-energy-nigeria">provides portable energy via capsules that can be charged at solar-powered stations</a>. Customers rent the capsules at affordable prices and earn credits when they return them on time.</p> <p>Reeddi wants to bring clean and affordable energy to communities in Nigeria and beyond, with Olubanjo saying the startup has attracted interest from organizations and communities in countries like South Africa, Indonesia, India and the United States.</p> <p>鈥淎nywhere where there鈥檚 an energy or electricity issue is where we come into play. We want to be in as many countries as possible,鈥 Olubanjo&nbsp;told <em>茄子直播 News</em>.</p> <h3>AmacaThera</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT6182_20140827_MollyShoichet_%28weblead%29_0.jpg" alt="Molly Shoichet smiles for a photo in her lab. Lots of vials are visible and two students are working on the bench behind her"></p> <p><em>&nbsp;(photo by Roberta Baker)</em></p> <p>A gel-based drug delivery system developed by 茄子直播 startup AmacaThera could eliminate the need to prescribe powerful painkillers after surgery 鈥 and reduce the risk of developing opioid addiction.</p> <p>Developed in the lab of <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;<strong>Molly Shoichet</strong>,&nbsp;in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and IBBME, <a href="/news/u-t-startup-raises-325-million-eliminate-prescription-opioids-after-surgery">the gel is capable of significantly increasing the duration of anesthetics injected at the site of surgical incisions</a>.</p> <p>Whereas drugs delivered through conventional injections disperse in a matter of hours, AmacaThera鈥檚 solution is capable of keeping the anesthetic at the surgical site for up to three days.</p> <p>鈥淚f this could obviate the need for people to take opioids in the first place, it would have a real societal benefit,鈥 Shoichet&nbsp;told <em>茄子直播 News</em> early last year.</p> <p>AmacaThera is the third startup built on research from Shoichet鈥檚 lab. It received support from UTEST and the Creative Destruction Lab.</p> <h3>Honeybee Hub</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Catherine%20and%20App_0.jpg" alt="Co-founder Catherine Chan holds up an iphone with the Honeybee Hub App shown">Finding suitable participants for research studies can be an arduous and time-consuming process&nbsp;鈥 something Honeybee Hub is looking to change.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Co-founded by CEO <strong>Catherine Chan</strong>&nbsp;(left) while she was pursuing her master鈥檚 degree in nutritional sciences, Honeybee Hub鈥檚 solution is<a href="/news/startup-built-u-t-alumni-helps-researchers-recruit-participants-research-studies"> an online platform that helps researchers find subjects for their studies&nbsp;and makes it easier for the public to find studies to participate in</a>.</p> <p>Chan got the idea while working on her master鈥檚 thesis&nbsp;and was encouraged to pursue it by her supervisor, <strong>Harvey Anderson</strong>, a professor<strong>&nbsp;</strong>in the departments of physiology and nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine.</p> <p>She then partnered with co-founder <strong>Weiwei Li</strong>, who earned a master鈥檚 degree in applied science, with the company receiving mentorship and support from the Impact Centre.</p> <p>鈥淩esearchers are spending too much time on advertising and administrative tasks rather than their expertise, and we want to change that,鈥 Chan told <em>茄子直播 News</em>.</p> <h3>Nanology Labs</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Mohammad-Ali-Amini-weblead_0.jpg" alt="\"></p> <p><em>(photo by Steve Southon)</em></p> <p>Nanology Labs is a pharmaceutical startup that <a href="/news/u-t-pharmacy-grad-co-founded-startup-promises-help-detect-and-treat-cancers">has developed a low-toxicity MRI contrast agent that can improve cancer detection</a>.</p> <p>Launched by <strong>Mohammad Ali Amini </strong>while he completed his PhD, Nanology Labs leverages&nbsp;over two decades of research in the lab of Amini's supervisor, Professor <strong>Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu </strong>in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.</p> <p>The company鈥檚 innovative MRI contrast agent, called Manganescan, uses the element manganese, which naturally exists in the human body and is safer and less toxic than contrast agents made from gadolinium.</p> <p>Built with support from numerous 茄子直播 accelerators including the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), UTEST and the Impact Centre, Nanology Labs has won several awards including the $25,000 top prize at the 2019 RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the True Blue Expo.</p> <p>鈥淚f you want to be successful, create your own path,鈥 Amini told <em>茄子直播 News</em> last year. 鈥淭his is what I鈥檝e learned.鈥</p> <h3>Niu Body</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/alumni---laura-burget_48498071521_o_1.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>(photo by Roberta Baker)</em></p> <p>Co-founded by chemical engineering alumna&nbsp;<strong>Laura Burget</strong>, Niu Body <a href="/news/u-t-alumna-co-founds-company-after-spotting-blemish-skin-care-industry-lack-natural-and">creates skin-care products that are all-natural yet affordable</a>.</p> <p>Burget was inspired to start the company after taking a course on entrepreneurship and small business in her fourth year. She teamed up with Connie Lo, who has a background in business and accounting, and launched the company with an initial budget of only $4,000.</p> <p>In just two years, the number of retailers carrying Niu Body鈥檚 products swelled from one to over 300.</p> <p>鈥淐onsumers are demanding better quality, more natural ingredients and at an affordable price,鈥 Burget told <em>茄子直播 News</em> in September. 鈥淥ur company鈥檚 mission is to create natural skin-care products that won鈥檛 break the bank.鈥</p> <p>Burget credited her 茄子直播 engineering degree with her credibility in the&nbsp;business world.</p> <p>鈥淲hen I tell manufacturers and investors I have a chemical engineering degree, it tells them I know what I鈥檓 talking about and what I鈥檓 capable of.鈥</p> <h3><a href="/entrepreneurs?utm_source=UofTHome&amp;utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&amp;utm_content=EntrepreneurshipWeek2020">Read more about entrepreneurship at 茄子直播</a></h3> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:45:09 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 163264 at 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship Week: By the numbers /news/u-t-entrepreneurship-week-numbers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 Entrepreneurship Week: By the numbers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT17567_0321_TrueBlue007.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YzRf5FmZ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT17567_0321_TrueBlue007.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=IUYU3E4h 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT17567_0321_TrueBlue007.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=7bfuFstE 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT17567_0321_TrueBlue007.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YzRf5FmZ" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-03-05T13:49:58-05:00" title="Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 13:49" class="datetime">Thu, 03/05/2020 - 13:49</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The True Blue Expo, one of the most anticipated events during 茄子直播's Entrepreneurship Week, will feature more than 60 startups (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/icube" hreflang="en">ICUBE</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/true-blue-expo" hreflang="en">True Blue Expo</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The University of Toronto is gearing up for its fourth annual <a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/entrepreneurshipweek/">Entrepreneurship Week</a>, a&nbsp;celebration of 茄子直播 entrepreneurs and their startups.&nbsp;</p> <p>Running from March 9 to 13, Entrepreneurship Week features an array of events hosted by 茄子直播鈥檚 campus-linked startup incubators and accelerators, as well as other programming by 茄子直播 and its&nbsp;government and&nbsp;non-profit&nbsp;partners. There are startup showcases, pitch competitions, keynote talks, workshops, networking events and more.</p> <p>Among the most highly anticipated events are&nbsp;<a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/true-blue-expo/">the True Blue Expo</a>, which will see dozens of startups showcase their innovations at the MaRS Discovery District;&nbsp;the 2020 RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship pitch competition, which&nbsp;offers $50,000 in prizes;&nbsp;and the <a href="https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/rbc-innovation-entrepreneurship-speaker-series-with-michele-romanow-tickets-85540731631">RBC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series</a>, featuring entrepreneur, venture capitalist and <em>Dragon鈥檚 Den</em> judge Michele Romanow.</p> <p>Here鈥檚 a rundown of some key numbers ahead of Entrepreneurship Week:</p> <hr> <div class="statisticsDiv"> <div class="maindiv"><span class="circlespan"> <label class="spantext"> #1</label> <label class="subheadingspan">RANKED</label> </span> <span class="headingspan">茄子直播's ranking in research-based startups among Canadian universities</span></div> <div class="maindiv"><span class="circlespan"> <label class="spantext"> 20</label> <label class="subheadingspan">EVENTS</label> </span> <span class="headingspan">Events making up Entrepreneurship Week</span></div> <div class="maindiv"><span class="circlespan"> <label class="spantext"> 500</label> <label class="subheadingspan">STARTUPS</label> </span> <span class="headingspan">Startups created by entrepreneurs at 茄子直播 over the past decade</span></div> <div class="maindiv"><span class="circlespan"> <label class="spantext" id="spantextid"> $1.5</label> <label class="subheadingspan">BILLION</label> </span> <span class="headingspan">Investment raised by startups at 茄子直播 over the past decade</span></div> <div class="maindiv">&nbsp;</div> </div> <p><strong>1</strong> 鈥 茄子直播鈥檚 rank in research-based startups among Canadian universities</p> <p><strong>10</strong> 鈥 Startups vying for the RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</p> <p><strong>20</strong> 鈥 Events making up Entrepreneurship Week</p> <p><strong>60</strong> 鈥 Startups participating in the True Blue Expo&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>300</strong> - Entrepreneurship-related courses offered at 茄子直播&nbsp;</p> <p><strong>500</strong> 鈥 Startups created by 茄子直播 entrepreneurs over the past decade</p> <p><strong>$1,000</strong> 鈥 Prize money for the winner of the <a href="https://www.impactcentre.utoronto.ca/events/startup-slam-2020">Startup Slam organized by the Impact Centre</a></p> <p><strong>15,000 </strong>鈥 Size in square feet of ONRamp, 茄子直播鈥檚&nbsp;<a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/space/onramp/">collaboration and co-working space</a> for startups</p> <p><strong>$20,000</strong> 鈥 Total prizes at <a href="https://icubeutm.ca/pitch20/">Pitch With a Twist</a> organized by ICUBE at 茄子直播 Mississauga&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <p><strong>$50,000</strong> 鈥 Total prizes&nbsp;at the <a href="http://entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/rbcprize/">RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</a>&nbsp;pitch competition</p> <p><strong>$1.5 billion</strong> 鈥 Investment raised by 茄子直播 startups over the past decade</p> <p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p> <h3><a href="/entrepreneurs?utm_source=UofTHome&amp;utm_medium=WebsiteBanner&amp;utm_content=EntrepreneurshipWeek2020">Read more about entrepreneurship at 茄子直播</a></h3> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 05 Mar 2020 18:49:58 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 162978 at Seven transformational things that happened at 茄子直播 over the past decade /news/seven-transformational-things-happened-u-t-over-past-decade <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Seven transformational things that happened at 茄子直播 over the past decade</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-545132770.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VuBJYASQ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/GettyImages-545132770.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=K_Pzf3X9 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/GettyImages-545132770.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jywI7TA2 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/GettyImages-545132770.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VuBJYASQ" alt="Aerial view of 茄子直播 downtown campus bathed in a rosy glow from the sun rising"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>rahul.kalvapalle</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-12-20T16:19:44-05:00" title="Friday, December 20, 2019 - 16:19" class="datetime">Fri, 12/20/2019 - 16:19</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Wei Fang via Getty Images)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous-initiatives" hreflang="en">Indigenous Initiatives</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-innovation-centre" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-institute-technology-and-society" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/myhal-centre-engineering-innovation-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/black-grad" hreflang="en">Black Grad</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/school-cities" hreflang="en">School of Cities</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/boundless" hreflang="en">Boundless</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/department-computer-science-innovation-lab" hreflang="en">Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship-hatchery" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship Hatchery</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/factor-inwentash-faculty-social-work" hreflang="en">Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/indigenous" hreflang="en">Indigenous</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/landmark" hreflang="en">Landmark</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/lester-b-pearson-international-scholarship" hreflang="en">Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/meric-gertler" hreflang="en">Meric Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/onramp" hreflang="en">ONRamp</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-and-innovation" hreflang="en">Research and Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/sustainability" hreflang="en">Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-pan-am-sports-centre" hreflang="en">Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/truth-and-reconciliation" hreflang="en">Truth and Reconciliation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-mississauga" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Mississauga</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/u-t-scarborough" hreflang="en">茄子直播 Scarborough</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vector-institute" hreflang="en">Vector Institute</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>As we prepare to usher in a new decade, <em>茄子直播 News</em> is looking back at some of the defining and impactful things that happened at the University of Toronto over the past 10 years.</p> <p>The 茄子直播 community has left an indelible mark on the 2010s by making groundbreaking achievements in artificial intelligence, taking strides toward Indigenous reconciliation and promoting sustainability throughout its operations 鈥 to name just a few. Many of these initiatives have set in motion ideas and actions that will pave the way for the university鈥檚 success for decades to come.</p> <p>Here鈥檚 a list&nbsp;鈥 admittedly a non-exhaustive one&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;of transformational things that happened at 茄子直播 over the past 10 years:</p> <hr> <h3>Campus Transformation</h3> <p><strong>鈥<img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/2018-04-27-CIE_0_0.jpg" alt></strong></p> <p><em>The Myhal Centre for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship on the St. George campus&nbsp;(photo by Lisa Sakulensky)</em></p> <p>The past decade has seen 茄子直播 complete numerous construction and renovation projects as it continues to grow its campuses, expand the facilities available to students, faculty and staff,&nbsp;and lay the groundwork for more ambitious campus-building projects to come.</p> <p>To take one, high profile example: The Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering last year opened the <a href="/news/u-t-engineering-opens-myhal-centre-engineering-innovation-entrepreneurship">Myhal Centre for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship</a>, a building designed to foster multi-disciplinary partnerships, experiential learning and entrepreneurship opportunities. Named after alumnus&nbsp;<strong>George Myhal&nbsp;</strong>and his wife Rayla, the building features technology-enhanced active learning rooms, dedicated space for student clubs and state-of-the-art fabrication facilities for design projects.</p> <p>茄子直播 also laid the groundwork for the Landmark Project, <a href="/news/u-t-landmark-project-make-st-george-campus-s-historic-core-greener-more-walkable-and-accessible">a major initiative to revitalize the historic core of the St. George campus</a> and enhance sustainability and accessibility.&nbsp;The project will feature the expansion of pedestrian-friendly areas around King鈥檚 College Circle, Hart House Circle and Tower Road, and will replace parking spots for cars with green spaces, granite paths&nbsp;and an underground parking garage.&nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT11508_20160412_Landmark_MedSciPlaza_001.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>The Landmark Project will make the historic centre of St. George campus more pedestrian-friendly and add new green space (rendering courtesy of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.)</em></p> <p>The St. George campus is also the proposed site of <a href="/news/u-t-build-academic-wood-tower-downtown-toronto-campus">a 14-storey building&nbsp;constructed from engineered wood</a>, which is prized as an innovative building material due its low carbon footprint, structural integrity, fire-resistant properties and aesthetic appeal. <a href="/news/new-u-t-building-create-cultural-and-intellectual-gateway-between-university-and-city">Another landmark building is proposed for 90 Queen's Park Crescent</a>, providing a home to 茄子直播's School of Cities as well as numerous departments from the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science.</p> <p>At 茄子直播 Mississauga, it鈥檚 been a similarly eventful decade for campus-building.&nbsp;In 2011, the campus unveiled the&nbsp;<a href="/news/new-health-sciences-complex-opens-u-t-mississauga">Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex</a>.&nbsp;In August, 茄子直播 Mississauga&nbsp;acknowledged the Indigenous history of the land, the future of the campus and the university鈥檚 commitment to reconciliation by&nbsp;<a href="/news/maanjiwe-nendamowinan-u-t-mississauga-s-newest-building-honours-past-looks-future">revealing&nbsp;the name of its newest building</a>: Maanjiwe nendamowinan. Sitting on the site the former North Building, Maanjiwe nendamowinan&nbsp;is home to humanities and social sciences&nbsp;and features a six-storey atrium and event space, as well as 40,000 square feet of new classroom space that鈥檚 outfitted with cutting-edge technology and hundreds of new study spaces.&nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT19612_UTM-Maanjiwe-nendamowinan-13.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Maanjiwe nendamowinan&nbsp;at 茄子直播 Mississauga boasts&nbsp;40,000 square feet of new classroom space that鈥檚 outfitted with cutting-edge technology&nbsp;(photo by&nbsp;Drew Lesiuczok)</em></p> <p>At 茄子直播 Scarborough, national-level athletes, Varsity competitors and intramural sports participants alike can all take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities on offer at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre.&nbsp;<a href="/news/welcome-toronto-pan-am-sports-centre">After opening to the public in 2014</a>, the facility hosted several competitions during the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. It is now home to numerous national sport organizations and high-performance centres, while also offering&nbsp;茄子直播 Scarborough students top-notch fitness and wellness facilities.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/GettyImages-454961636.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Wheelchair basketball players practise inside the Toronto PanAm Sports Centre (photo by Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)</em></p> <p>茄子直播 Scarborough <a href="https://utsc.utoronto.ca/news-events/our-community/five-things-you-need-know-about-utscs-newest-building">also opened the new Highland Hall building</a>, creating a striking new gateway to the campus in addition to doubling the amount of space dedicated to students and adding faculty and administration space. And it&nbsp;<a href="/news/wisdom-tettey-walks-ctv-news-through-valley-land-trail-u-t-scarborough">unveiled the 500-metre Valley Land Trail</a>, which was designed to offer accessibility and year-long enjoyment of the ravine abutting the campus.</p> <p>Finally, the university recently&nbsp;completed comprehensive&nbsp;<a href="/news/wow-factor-nearly-half-u-t-research-space-revitalized-sweeping-project">renovations of research labs</a>&nbsp;across its three campuses. Driven by nearly $190 million in funding from the university, province and federal government, the upgrades&nbsp;increased the amount of space available for research activities, improved electrical and internet connectivity and will create utility savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.</p> <hr> <h3>Sustainability and climate action</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT15285_1026_UTSC009_0.jpg" alt><span style="color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;"></span></p> <p><span style="color: rgb(72, 86, 103); font-family: &quot;Open Sans&quot;, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic;">The rooftop garden at 茄子直播 Scarborough (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</span></p> <p>Sustainability has been a central theme of 茄子直播鈥檚 efforts to revitalize and expand its three campuses.</p> <p>One of the most ambitious initiatives is the&nbsp;planned installation of a massive geo-exchange field beneath Front Campus. The&nbsp;project, <a href="/news/u-t-accelerates-emissions-reduction-efforts-new-low-carbon-action-plan">part of&nbsp;茄子直播鈥檚 Low Carbon Action Plan</a>, will see boreholes drilled deep into the ground to allow for storage of surplus heat. It is projected to yield annual greenhouse gas reductions of 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2024.</p> <p>Sustainable design is also a hallmark of 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 Maanjiwe nendamowinan, which has a&nbsp;20,000-gallon rainwater re-use system, energy-efficient mechanical systems, green roof spaces and a green-cleaning initiative, and&nbsp;茄子直播 Scarborough鈥檚 Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which boasts&nbsp;eco-friendly features including 1,854 rooftop solar panels and underground cisterns to collect rainwater.</p> <p>Physical projects aside, the university has also taken steps to <a href="/news/agent-change-u-t-moves-forward-plan-be-sustainability-leader">incorporate sustainability into all levels of academia</a> including working on developing curriculum&nbsp;pathways&nbsp;for sustainability-minded undergraduate students across the university.</p> <p>At an institutional level, 茄子直播 has played a leadership role by engaging with the challenges posed by climate change on the world stage. In 2018, 茄子直播 joined 12 other leading research universities in North America to form the University Climate Change Coalition, which aims to mobilize resources, expand research partnerships and leverage expertise to help businesses, cities and regions implement research-driven climate solutions.</p> <p>This year,&nbsp;President&nbsp;<strong>Meric Gertler </strong>attended the inaugural U7+ Alliance in Paris, <a href="/news/obligation-fill-vacuum-u-t-president-meric-gertler-leads-climate-change-discussion-paris-summit">where he briefed French President Emmanuel Macron on the alliance's commitment to sustainability</a>. 茄子直播 has also hosted numerous speeches, conferences and symposia to further dialogue on climate change.</p> <hr> <h3>Artificial intelligence</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT14364_20170706_GeoffreyHinton_001-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>茄子直播 University Professor Emeritus Geoffrey Hinton has been described as the 鈥済odfather of deep learning鈥&nbsp;(photo by Johnny Guatto)</em></p> <p>Many predict that artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize everything from transportation to medicine&nbsp;鈥 and some of the most exciting work is taking place at&nbsp;茄子直播 thanks to pioneers like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;Emeritus&nbsp;<strong>Geoffrey Hinton</strong>, a Turing Award-winner&nbsp;who is known as the&nbsp;鈥済odfather of deep learning.鈥</p> <p>In bid to build upon its early lead in the field, 茄子直播 partnered with government and industry to&nbsp;launch the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and is now attracting several&nbsp;of the most promising AI researchers from around&nbsp;world.&nbsp;Toronto, in turn, is benefiting from the arrival of global tech companies keen to establish an AI footprint in the city. For example,&nbsp;Google, Uber, Samsung and NVIDIA have all established or expanded&nbsp;AI labs in Toronto that are headed by 茄子直播 researchers.</p> <p>茄子直播 is also addressing AI through a multi-disciplinary lens following the launch of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Set to be housed in the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, the institute&nbsp;<a href="/news/gillian-hadfield-appointed-inaugural-director-u-t-s-schwartz-reisman-institute-technology">leverages 茄子直播's unique strengths across a wide range of fields</a>&nbsp;to explore&nbsp;the role of humanities, social sciences, public policy and law in a rapidly changing technology landscape.&nbsp;</p> <hr> <hr> <h3>A global, inclusive student experience</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT13319_20170622_UofTFirstBlackGraduation_002-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Students at 茄子直播 were the first in Canada to organize a Black Grad event in 2017 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)</em></p> <p>By embracing diversity and expanding its international presence, 茄子直播 over the past decade has continued to further its reputation as an inclusive institution with a truly global outlook.</p> <p>茄子直播鈥檚 student body has played a proactive role in this regard. For example, in 2017, 茄子直播 students organized Black Grad, <a href="/news/uoftgrad17-u-t-s-black-graduation-first-its-kind-canada">Canada鈥檚 first ever graduation celebration for Black students</a>. Black Grad has since gone on to become one of the most highly anticipated convocation-related events on the calendar. After two years of being held at Hart House on the St. George campus, Black Grad 2019 was hosted at 茄子直播 Mississauga in June and&nbsp;organizers say the first Black Grad of the new decade could be held at 茄子直播 Scarborough.</p> <p>The year 2017 also saw the launch of the Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship, which brings some of the most talented and driven students from around the world to 茄子直播. The <a href="/news/world-comes-u-t-meet-year-s-pearson-scholars">2019 cohort</a> comprised 36 students drawn from 27 countries.</p> <p>茄子直播 has also continued to expand its international footprint by way of research agreements with academic and industry partners around the world. Meanwhile, the university鈥檚&nbsp;commitment to equity and diversity has also been formalized in the&nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-releases-new-strategic-research-plan">Institutional Strategic Research Plan</a>, which aims to ensure an inclusive environment and increase the presence of marginalized groups such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, LGBTQ individuals and persons with disabilities.</p> <hr> <h3>Truth and Reconciliation</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT70411_087A4788.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>Skahendowaneh Swamp, a chair of Indigenous knowledge at the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University, is flanked by 茄子直播 President Meric Gertler (right) and Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-president of human resources and equity&nbsp;(photo by Lisa Lightbourn)</em></p> <p>In early 2016, 茄子直播 President&nbsp;<strong>Gertler</strong>&nbsp;and Vice-President and Provost&nbsp;<strong>Cheryl Regehr</strong>&nbsp;<a href="/news/u-t-take-action-truth-and-reconciliation-commission">established 茄子直播鈥檚 Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee</a>&nbsp;in response to the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada鈥檚 call to Canadians to engage in ongoing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.</p> <p>The report produced 34 calls to action focusing on the following areas: Indigenous spaces; curriculum; students and co-curricular education; faculty and staff; research ethics and community relationships; and institutional leadership and implementation.</p> <p>Since then, 茄子直播 has moved forward with a range of initiatives including the creation of the Master in Social Work, Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency program at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work; organizing an Indigenous Mentoring Day to match Indigenous job-seekers with employers at the university; and the appointment of academic advisers for Indigenous research and Indigenous curriculum and education.</p> <p>The university is also launching an Indigenous Landscape project, to be installed on 4,500 square metres of Hart House Green, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee's call for a&nbsp;鈥減rominent, visible space at the very centre of the St. George campus&nbsp;be dedicated as an Indigenous space.鈥</p> <p>鈥淚ndigenous students will be able to walk through campus and see an outdoor space and know it was created for them, with them and with their needs in mind,鈥 said&nbsp;<strong>Shannon Simpson</strong>, 茄子直播鈥檚 new director of Indigenous initiatives and&nbsp;co-chair of the Indigenous Landscape project.</p> <p>The project is being planned on the basis of in-depth consultations with Indigenous groups at 茄子直播 and First Nations communities with historic ties to the area.</p> <hr> <h3>Innovation and&nbsp;entrepreneurship</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT16178_20170920-0W7A4518-crop.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>茄子直播鈥檚 ONRamp co-working and collaboration space opened to entrepreneurs in 2017 (photo by Kenneth Cheung)</em></p> <p>Over the past decade, 茄子直播 entrepreneurs have created more than 500 startup companies that have secured over $1.5 billion in investment and helped establish the university as an engine of Toronto鈥檚 thriving innovation scene.</p> <p>茄子直播 alone is home to more than 10 campus-linked accelerators that cater to startups at various stages of development. They include the Creative Destruction Lab, which was founded at the Rotman School of Management and has since expanded to seven other locations in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.; the Entrepreneurship Hatchery, which serves entrepreneurs in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering; ICUBE, based in the Institute for Management and Innovation at 茄子直播 Mississauga; and 茄子直播 Scarborough鈥檚 The Hub. Others include: UTEST, DCSIL (Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab), H2i (Health Innovation Hub), Impact Centre and&nbsp;InnovED.&nbsp;</p> <p>Many entrepreneurs from 茄子直播 and partner universities work out of 茄子直播鈥檚 ONRamp,&nbsp;<a href="/news/space-startups-u-t-s-onramp-connect-ontario-entrepreneurs">a 15,000-square-foot space that opened in 2017&nbsp;</a>and offers co-working and collaboration spaces 鈥 not to mention ready access to downtown Toronto鈥檚 vibrant business community.</p> <hr> <h3>Unprecedented community support</h3> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/UofT17626_c03.jpg" alt></p> <p><em>The soon-to-be-built Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will accelerate innovation in Toronto and Canada by creating the country鈥檚 largest university-based innovation node (rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI)</em></p> <p>In March, 茄子直播 received $100 million from&nbsp;<strong>Gerald Schwartz</strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong>Heather Reisman&nbsp;</strong>鈥<a href="/news/landmark-100-million-gift-university-toronto-gerald-schwartz-and-heather-reisman-will-power">&nbsp;the largest single donation in its history</a>.&nbsp;The funds are being used to support construction of the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre that&nbsp;will anchor 茄子直播's growing cluster of AI scientists, biomedical experts and entrepreneurs.&nbsp;</p> <p>But that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to supporting the university over the past decade.</p> <p>Spanning a period of seven years, 茄子直播鈥檚 Boundless campaign raised $2.6-billion from more than 104,000 donors in nearly 100 countries. The generous contributions from individuals, families, corporations and charitable organizations will go towards an array of initiatives aimed at accelerating research and educational opportunities, enriching the student experience and transforming the university鈥檚 three campuses to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.</p> <p>What's more, the campaign saw endowments for student aid and student support cross the $1-billion mark for the first time in the university's history.</p> <p>In an&nbsp;<a href="/news/david-palmer-vice-president-advancement-how-u-t-harnessed-generosity-donors-raise-26-billion">interview with&nbsp;<em>茄子直播 News</em></a>&nbsp;this past summer,&nbsp;<strong>David Palmer</strong>, 茄子直播's vice-president, advancement, said the Boundless campaign鈥檚 success suggests the best is yet to come.</p> <p>"People ask me all the time: 'Have we exhausted the capacity of our donors and the time and efforts of our volunteers?' And I have to say we all feel we鈥檝e barely begun to scratch the surface of what we are capable of together, and what our donors and volunteers are so generously willing to do for us," Palmer said.</p> <p>"We think there鈥檚 a very, very exciting future ahead of us right now."</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:19:44 +0000 rahul.kalvapalle 161271 at 茄子直播 startup aims to make world more navigable for pedestrians, especially those with vision loss /news/u-t-startup-aims-make-world-more-navigable-pedestrians-especially-those-vision-loss <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 startup aims to make world more navigable for pedestrians, especially those with vision loss</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/afwbuzzclip01_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6uVvpHYQ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/afwbuzzclip01_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=-KnBslCa 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/afwbuzzclip01_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=x9_pr-an 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/afwbuzzclip01_0.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6uVvpHYQ" alt="Bin Liu, CEO of iMerciv, and Rylan Vroom"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-11-14T08:54:03-05:00" title="Thursday, November 14, 2019 - 08:54" class="datetime">Thu, 11/14/2019 - 08:54</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Bin Liu, CEO of iMerciv, and Rylan Vroom, a digital accessibility expert who is one of iMerciv鈥檚 senior advisers (photo courtesy of iMerciv)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/tyler-irving" hreflang="en">Tyler Irving</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/accessibility" hreflang="en">Accessibility</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-and-innovation" hreflang="en">Research and Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Whether you are driving or hopping in an Uber, you probably depend on a navigation app to get where you need to be.</p> <p>But as handy as these tools are, they have significant drawbacks that leave behind many potential users, especially those with accessibility needs who travel on foot. University of Toronto&nbsp;Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering alumnus <strong>Bin Liu</strong> aims to change that.</p> <p>鈥淎nything physical has an impact on the way we travel,鈥 says Liu. 鈥淧otholes, narrow sidewalks, low hanging tree branches, construction 鈥&nbsp;none of these things are considered by current solutions.鈥</p> <p>Liu has spent a lot of time thinking about barriers to mobility. Five years ago, while studying civil engineering with a minor in engineering business, Liu met&nbsp;Arjun Mali, the future co-founder of their company iMerciv, at a poker game. The two&nbsp;students quickly discovered that they shared a love of entrepreneurship, as well as experience working with people who have impaired vision.</p> <p>鈥淚 had recently learned that my dad has glaucoma, and Arjun grew up working at an orphanage and school for the blind in India,鈥 says Liu. 鈥淲e wanted to see if we could do anything to help.鈥</p> <p>Initially, the pair planned to approach the challenge with a mix of hardware and software. But after talking to potential users they met through CNIB, they decided to focus on the hardware first.</p> <p><a href="/news/tiny-device-u-t-startup-helps-blind-and-partially-sighted-people-navigate-daily-life">The result was the BuzzClip</a>, a discreet, wearable device that detects obstacles using ultrasound. Through haptic feedback in the form of a buzz that can be felt through the skin, the BuzzClip provides early warnings about objects up to three&nbsp;metres away.</p> <p>鈥淐anes and guide dogs are extremely useful, but they can have trouble detecting things that are above the waist,鈥 says Liu. 鈥淥ur sensor fills that gap.鈥</p> <p>Mali and Liu developed their company with the support of the Impact Centre, one of 茄子直播's many campus entrepreneurship hubs.&nbsp;</p> <p>The BuzzClip has been a great success, with more than 3,000 units sold so far through a network of distributors in North America and Europe. Now, after five years and a lot of learning, the iMerciv team feels that the time is right to return to the software side of the problem.</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/73395400_106541627432359.jpg" alt><br> <em>MapinHood is a new navigation app designed especially for people with low vision. It maps obsctacles that affect pedestrians, from sidewalk construction to low-hanging branches (photo courtesy of iMerciv)</em></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Their first step will be to gather information about potential hazards 鈥&nbsp;from the quality of street lighting to the unevenness of pavement 鈥&nbsp;that are ignored by current navigation apps.</p> <p>Liu and his team have started using open-source information, but going forward they plan to fill in more details via crowdsourcing&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;that is, by asking volunteers to log hazards in real time using a simple app.</p> <p>Based on this data, the team will then build a routing engine that is optimized for pedestrians, not vehicles. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the algorithm will be able to adapt to the travel preferences of individual users, including those with visual impairments.</p> <p>鈥淓very individual has different levels of mobility training and skill sets,鈥 says Liu. 鈥淥ver time, our app learns the user's preferences and provides personalized routing for them based on what is most important to their needs.鈥</p> <p>Development of the app 鈥 which the team is calling MapinHood 鈥 will be supported in part by Microsoft鈥檚 <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/ai/ai-for-accessibility">AI for Accessibility</a> program, which aims to harness the power of AI to amplify human capability for the more than one billion people around the world with a disability. <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/en-ca/2019/10/17/ideas-from-the-heart-could-help-make-employment-more-attainable-for-people-with-disabilities/">iMerciv is one of 11 organizations</a> that joined the program on Oct.&nbsp;17.</p> <p>Liu says the funding will help with both refining the optimization engine, and with the data collection. On the latter, the team plans to work closely with the network of volunteers identified through their partnership with CNIB, an approach that Liu says has been key to the success of iMerciv so far.</p> <p>鈥淣o matter how many market research reports you read, there is no substitute for talking to real people,鈥 he says. 鈥淭hey can give you small hints and details that really add up to paint what is sometimes a very different picture. Getting that early on saves you a lot of time and effort down the line.鈥</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:54:03 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 160572 at Startup built by 茄子直播 alumni helps researchers recruit participants for research studies /news/startup-built-u-t-alumni-helps-researchers-recruit-participants-research-studies <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Startup built by 茄子直播 alumni helps researchers recruit participants for research studies</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Weiwei-Catherine.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gFi2-dca 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Weiwei-Catherine.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=fnAX4M6r 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Weiwei-Catherine.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=LeKZNugy 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Weiwei-Catherine.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=gFi2-dca" alt="Weiwei Li and Catherine Chan stnad in front of a large mural on a wall depicting hands of different colours raised up"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-10-18T11:24:55-04:00" title="Friday, October 18, 2019 - 11:24" class="datetime">Fri, 10/18/2019 - 11:24</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Weiwei Li and Catherine Chan, both 茄子直播 alumni, built their startup after Chan experienced challenges recruiting and managing participants for research studies during her master's degree in nutritional sciences (photo courtesy of Honeybee Hub)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/impact-centre-staff" hreflang="en">Impact Centre Staff</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/nutritional-sciences" hreflang="en">Nutritional Sciences</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/physiology" hreflang="en">Physiology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>University of Toronto alumni <strong>Catherine Chan </strong>and <strong>Weiwei Li</strong> have developed a digital solution to reduce the time and money it takes for researchers to find suitable participants for their research studies. At the same time, they鈥檝e also created an innovative way to encourage stronger public participation.</p> <p>Chan has first-hand experience with the challenges of participant recruitment and management. As a master鈥檚 student in the department of nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, she spent much of her time looking for people to participate in her study on how&nbsp;faba bean pasta affects glycaemia, satiety, and metabolic control in young adult males.</p> <p>Frustrated, she saw other university researchers spending a large portion of their time and budget on recruitment.</p> <p>鈥淩esearchers are spending too much time on advertising and administrative tasks rather than their expertise and we want to change that,鈥 says Chan.</p> <p>鈥淭he goal of human-based research studies is to get important data that will help researchers create a better community for everyone to live in. Difficulties in recruitment delay research outcomes that could change lives.鈥</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/Catherine%20and%20App.jpg" alt>Chan鈥檚 solution was <a href="http://www.honeybeehub.ca/">Honeybee Hub</a>. Instead of paper notices on cluttered bulletin boards and ads on public transit and radio, the startup provides a platform where academic researchers can post research studies that are actively recruiting participants. At the same time, the general public can use Honeybee Hub to find interesting studies to join.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Chan (left) first got the idea as she was writing up her master鈥檚 thesis. With encouragement from her supervisor, <strong>Harvey Anderson</strong>, a professor in the departments of physiology and nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Chan was accepted into Techno, the entrepreneurship training program at the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science鈥檚 Impact Centre 鈥 one of several entrepreneurship hubs on campus.</p> <p>鈥淐atherine made a fantastic first impression 鈥 she came with a passion to solve a problem experienced by people at 茄子直播 and beyond and was absolutely determined to solve it,鈥 says <strong>Leo Mui</strong>, the Impact Centre鈥檚 manager of entrepreneurship programs.</p> <p>鈥淲e were delighted to help her start her company.鈥</p> <p>Chan soon partnered with Li, who received two applied science degrees from 茄子直播鈥檚 Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, to found Honeybee Hub.</p> <p>The Impact Centre provided Honeybee Hub with mentorship and workspace through its startup incubation process.</p> <p>Recognizing the importance of data security, Chan and Li built an anonymous and encrypted chat feature to ensure secured communication. By replacing other instant messaging platforms, social media chats and third-party emails, participants can join studies without the risk of compromising their online identities.</p> <p>Heartened by the willingness of 茄子直播 researchers to use their website, Chan and Li plan to launch a mobile app in November to better communicate with potential participants and busy researchers.</p> <p>鈥淩ecruitment for research study participants was challenging because people didn鈥檛 know what opportunities existed and they aren鈥檛 aware of how rewarding it can be to take an active part in research,鈥 says Chan. 鈥淭he participants from my pasta study asked me where they could join more studies but I had no idea where to direct them.</p> <p>鈥淣ow, I can tell them to visit HoneybeeHub.ca.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 18 Oct 2019 15:24:55 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 159771 at 茄子直播 pharmacy grad co-founded startup that promises to help detect and treat cancers /news/u-t-pharmacy-grad-co-founded-startup-promises-help-detect-and-treat-cancers <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">茄子直播 pharmacy grad co-founded startup that promises to help detect and treat cancers</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Mohammad-Ali-Amini-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=X5tKn6u1 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Mohammad-Ali-Amini-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=_XxkyS9P 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Mohammad-Ali-Amini-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=ef2vNlXu 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Mohammad-Ali-Amini-weblead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=X5tKn6u1" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-06-06T14:54:47-04:00" title="Thursday, June 6, 2019 - 14:54" class="datetime">Thu, 06/06/2019 - 14:54</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">鈥淥ur nanoparticulate system uses manganese and can simultaneously detect cancer using MRI and improve radiation therapy by sensitizing cancer cells,鈥 says Mohammad Ali Amini, the co-founder and CEO of Nanology Labs (photo by Steve Southon) </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/kate-richards" hreflang="en">Kate Richards</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/convocation-2019" hreflang="en">Convocation 2019</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-stories" hreflang="en">Graduate Stories</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/global" hreflang="en">Global</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health-innovation-hub" hreflang="en">Health Innovation Hub</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/innovations-partnerships-office" hreflang="en">Innovations &amp; Partnerships Office</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/leslie-dan-faculty-pharmacy" hreflang="en">Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When <strong>Mohammad Ali Amini</strong> receives his PhD&nbsp;from the University of Toronto this week, he will also be celebrating the successful rise of Nanology Labs, the startup he launched while completing his research at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.</p> <p>Based on technologies invented in the lab of Professor <strong>Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu</strong> over two decades, Nanology is developing an innovative low-toxicity MRI contrast agent that circumvents the limitations of other MRI contrast agents currently available to detect and treat brain cancer.</p> <p>鈥淥ur nanoparticulate system uses manganese and can simultaneously detect cancer using MRI and improve radiation therapy by sensitizing cancer cells,鈥 says Amini.</p> <p>Manganese, an element that already exists in the human body, is safer and less toxic than MRI contrast agents made of gadolinium, which comes with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning.</p> <p>In addition to concerns about toxicity, current MRI contrast agents are not sensitive enough to catch cancer early, says Amini. 鈥淲e lack means for early-stage brain cancer detection in clinics. Roughly 65 per cent of brain cancer patients are diagnosed at later stages and, in North America, roughly 20,000 people a year lose their lives.鈥</p> <p>Patients would receive an injection of the agent, which passes the formidable blood-brain barrier. It&nbsp;then illuminates and oxygenates the tumor to improve radiation therapy performance. To date, Amini has seen promising results in various pre-clinical models. The goal is to move the technology toward first-stage clinical trials.</p> <p>Connecting with 茄子直播鈥檚 Innovations &amp; Partnerships Office and several 茄子直播-based accelerators, including the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), UTEST and Impact Centre, helped Amini understand how a technology could be translated into commercialization and patient care. He got advice on how to conduct market research, write a good business plan and effectively explore the feasibility of his idea.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 a very challenging path and it is a huge learning curve for scientists 鈥 you have to be persistent and passionate and believe in yourself and the technology,鈥 says&nbsp;Amini, who completed a degree in veterinary medicine in Iran before joining Wu鈥檚 lab in 2013.</p> <p>He also credits Wu, who is both a co-founder of Nanology Labs and his doctoral supervisor, for providing him with the necessary support and opportunities.</p> <p>During Wu鈥檚 25-year academic career, her lab has invented many delivery technologies with issued or pending patents.</p> <p>鈥淗owever,鈥 she says,&nbsp;鈥渢here is a huge gap between patenting technologies and developing nanomedicine products to provide benefits to patients. Trainees, like Mohammad, with a strong passion to lead a startup to develop technologies into products, are extremely valuable. I am delighted to see the success that Nanology has achieved at this early stage under his leadership.</p> <p>鈥淢ohammad has set a role model for other trainees who may explore entrepreneurship as their career path, especially with an aim to commercialize technologies for which they have been involved in the invention.鈥</p> <p>Nanology is the first startup to come out of the Wu lab.</p> <p>While Amini has entertained offers to pursue a post-doctoral degree from other institutions, he has decided to stay the course as CEO and co-founder of Nanology Labs.</p> <p>Since June 2018, Nanology Labs has picked up significant funding support from several entrepreneurship pitch competitions, including $50,000 from the Ontario Brain Institute's ONtrepreneurs program, $25,000 from MaRS HealthKick Pitch Competition 2019, and the $25,000 first prize at this year鈥檚 RBC Prize for Innovation &amp; Entrepreneurship, <a href="/news/u-t-startups-true-blue-expo-take-home-cash-prizes-receive-advice-wealthsimple-co-founder">an annual pitch competition and finale of the True Blue Expo</a>, the capstone event of 茄子直播鈥檚 Entrepreneurship Week.</p> <p>The financing Amini has secured will help the company manufacture the agent formulation and lead to additional pre-clinical studies for safety evaluation. He will also be part of the Creative Destruction Lab鈥檚 (CDL) Super Session, an annual showcase of CDL鈥檚 graduating early-stage tech companies. The CDL Super Session 2019 is taking place June 12-13 at 茄子直播鈥檚 Rotman School of Management.</p> <p>When he began his PhD six years ago, Amini did not envision he would be leading a startup company. His&nbsp;takeaway?</p> <p>鈥淚f you want to be successful, create your own path,鈥 he says. 鈥淭his is what I鈥檝e learned.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 06 Jun 2019 18:54:47 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 156829 at Like TIFF for tech: Collision conference shines a spotlight on city鈥檚 booming innovation scene /news/tiff-tech-collision-conference-shines-spotlight-city-s-booming-innovation-scene-0 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Like TIFF for tech: Collision conference shines a spotlight on city鈥檚 booming innovation scene</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Toronto-sign-web-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=HOMr6Aq5 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Toronto-sign-web-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=T997nDpJ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Toronto-sign-web-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=1ZLmIumK 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Toronto-sign-web-lead.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=HOMr6Aq5" alt="photo of the &quot;Toronto&quot; sign at Nathan Phillips Square"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-05-16T12:26:48-04:00" title="Thursday, May 16, 2019 - 12:26" class="datetime">Thu, 05/16/2019 - 12:26</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">茄子直播 President Meric Gertler and alumnus Allen Lau, the CEO of Wattpad, will be among the conference's more than 600 speakers, while several 茄子直播 startups will be in attendance (photo courtesy of Collision)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/rahul-kalvapalle" hreflang="en">Rahul Kalvapalle</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/global-lens" hreflang="en">Global Lens</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/schwartz-reisman-innovation-centre" hreflang="en">Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">茄子直播</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/creative-destruction-lab" hreflang="en">Creative Destruction Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/impact-centre" hreflang="en">Impact Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/president-gertler" hreflang="en">President Gertler</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-entrepreneurship" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Entrepreneurship</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/rotman-school-management" hreflang="en">Rotman School of Management</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/startups" hreflang="en">Startups</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/thisistheplace" hreflang="en">ThisIsThePlace</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/utest" hreflang="en">UTEST</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vector-institute" hreflang="en">Vector Institute</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><strong>Roberto Cervantes</strong> and his team at CryptoNumerics are keen to take advantage of next week鈥檚 giant Collision tech conference to put the startup co-founded by University of Toronto alumni on the map.</p> <p>One of the world鈥檚 fastest-growing and most influential technology conferences, Collision鈥檚 arrival in Toronto speaks to the rising importance of the city鈥檚 thriving tech and startup scene 鈥 not to mention the support it has received from 茄子直播 and its various innovation partners.</p> <p>The three-day affair, which has relocated to Toronto from New Orleans for the next three years, will feature over 600 speakers as well as exhibits catering to the startup and tech sectors. It kicks off on Monday and wraps up on Thursday.</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檙e going to use Collision to talk to people and spread the word about who we are,鈥 said <strong>Cervantes</strong>, a co-founder of CryptoNumerics, which uses artificial intelligence, or AI, to help companies in the financial and medical sectors crunch people鈥檚 data without compromising privacy.</p> <p>鈥淲e want to talk to the corporate ventures and the innovation departments of companies to see how we can get in.鈥</p> <p>Cervantes adds that Collision鈥檚 move to Toronto will give startups like CryptoNumerics, which received support from 茄子直播鈥檚 Creative Destructive Lab, an unprecedented degree of global exposure. 鈥淐ollision will bring a lot of people who might not have come to Canada and Toronto otherwise,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very positive thing for Toronto startups because it will offer access to other startups, investors and different ways of thinking and doing things.鈥</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10963 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Cryptonumeric-team-%28embed%29_0.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>鈥淐ollision will bring a lot of people who might not have come to Canada and Toronto otherwise,鈥 said&nbsp;Roberto Cervantes (second from right), one of&nbsp;CryptoNumerics' co-founders (photo courtesy of&nbsp;CryptoNumerics)</em></p> <p>Collision arrives in Toronto at a time when the city鈥檚 tech and startup scene has plenty of momentum behind it. Just last year, for example, <a href="/news/toronto-added-more-tech-jobs-last-year-silicon-valley-or-anywhere-else-report">commercial real-estate firm CBRE said Toronto added more tech jobs than San Francisco, Washington and Seattle combined</a>, and now ranks among North America鈥檚 top five tech talent markets. Meantime, a recent report by Silicon Valley think-tank Startup Genome ranked the Toronto-Waterloo region 13<sup>th</sup> globally, and number one in Canada.</p> <p>As for 茄子直播, the university <a href="/news/landmark-100-million-gift-university-toronto-gerald-schwartz-and-heather-reisman-will-power">recently announced plans for the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre</a>, a 750,000-square-foot complex designed to anchor 茄子直播鈥檚 unique cluster of world-leading artificial intelligence scientists and biomedical experts, its world-class entrepreneurship network, and the country鈥檚 largest concentration of student- and faculty-led startups. The centre was made possible by a $100 million gift to the university from Canadian business luminaries <strong>Gerald Schwartz</strong> and <strong>Heather Reisman</strong>.</p> <p>In 2017, 茄子直播 also made headlines for partnering with government and industry to launch the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which counts deep-learning pioneer and <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/#section_2">University Professor</a> Emeritus <strong>Geoffrey Hinton</strong> as its chief scientific adviser.</p> <p><strong>Charles Plant</strong>, a longtime tech entrepreneur and investor who is at 茄子直播鈥檚 Impact Centre accelerator, said landing Collision could give the city an extra push to launch it into the top echelon of tech ecosystems.</p> <p>鈥淐ollision is a great opportunity for us to make a bigger impact to show the world what we鈥檙e doing,鈥 Plant said, adding that the conference has the potential to do for Toronto鈥檚 tech industry what the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) did for the city鈥檚 film scene.</p> <p>鈥淭IFF put Toronto on the map and associated Toronto with the film industry in a way that enabled it to grow more effectively. I think that鈥檚 what Collision can do for the tech industry. It can put Toronto in a place in the world that鈥檚 more prominent.鈥</p> <p>The speakers announced for this year鈥檚 summit include leading figures from Fortune 500 companies, heads of some of the world鈥檚 most exciting startups and influential figures from media, entertainment and sport.</p> <p>茄子直播 President <strong>Meric Gertler</strong> will speak to the challenge of scaling up companies and innovation ecosystems during a panel discussion titled 鈥淢anaging Unexpected Growth,鈥 scheduled for May 23 at Collision鈥檚 Startup University stage. 茄子直播 alum <strong>Allen Lau</strong>, <a href="/news/content-factory-how-u-t-alumnus-allen-lau-disrupting-way-books-movies-and-tv-shows-are-made">CEO of self-publishing startup Wattpad</a>, will also be on the panel.</p> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__10964 img__view_mode__media_large attr__format__media_large" height="453" src="/sites/default/files/Wattpad-Allen-Lau-%28embed%29.jpg" typeof="foaf:Image" width="680" loading="lazy"></p> <p><em>Alumnus Allen Lau, who is co-founder and CEO of the story-telling platform Wattpad, will be on a panel with 茄子直播 President Meric Gertler (photo courtesy of Wattpad)</em></p> <p>鈥淭oronto is fast becoming one of the top global cities for technology innovation, so it鈥檚 only fitting that one of the world鈥檚 most influential technology conferences should move to our city,鈥 said <strong>Derek Newton</strong>, 茄子直播鈥檚 assistant vice-president of innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship.</p> <p>鈥溓炎又辈 is proud to be one of the pillars of Toronto鈥檚 startup ecosystem, with our world-class research, talent production pipeline, assortment of accelerators and the university鈥檚 leadership role as a founding partner of innovation organizations like the MaRS Discovery District and the Vector Institute, which are crucial to making this city the vibrant technology hub that it is today.</p> <p>鈥淲e look forward to Collision鈥檚 speakers, events and workshops energizing and inspiring the next generation of innovators from 茄子直播.鈥</p> <p>茄子直播 will have a strong presence at Collision and will maintain a booth near the conference鈥檚 main stage, with a rotating cast of university-linked startups, incubators, co-op programs and alumni given the chance to engage with attendees.</p> <p>Among the 15 or so startups to be featured at 茄子直播鈥檚 booth is Blue J Legal, <a href="/news/u-t-startup-blue-j-legal-raises-us7-million-plans-cross-border-expansion">which uses AI to predict the outcomes of tax and employment law cases</a>.</p> <p>鈥淲e see Collision as an excellent opportunity to share our vision of bringing absolute clarity to the law, everywhere and on demand,鈥 said Michael Rodgers, director of marketing at Blue J Legal, which received support from 茄子直播鈥檚 UTEST program and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), a seed-stage accelerator affiliated with the Rotman School of Management.</p> <p>鈥淚t鈥檚 a chance for us to showcase our one-of-a-kind technology and connect with innovative companies and professionals pushing the envelope of what鈥檚 possible in their respective fields.鈥</p> <p>茄子直播 <a href="file://vault13/home13$/sorens28/My%20Documents/entrepreneurs.utoronto.ca/Collision">will also host innovation tours during the conference</a>, giving attendees the chance to learn about opportunities to collaborate with the university鈥檚 vibrant research and entrepreneurship community.</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檝e heard from Silicon Valley alumni of ours, investors, potential corporate partners and startups looking for talent,鈥 said <strong>Keri Damen</strong>, managing director of 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great opportunity to showcase 茄子直播, Toronto and Canada at large to the global tech community.</p> <p>鈥淐ollision will bring in hundreds of global media, so it鈥檚 a great opportunity for us to reach a wider audience and let them know about the fantastic work being done here at 茄子直播.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>茄子直播 entrepreneurs have created over 500 startups over the past decade and have generated more than $1 billion in investment. The university鈥檚 innovation network 鈥 which includes 10 campus-linked accelerators 鈥 is <a href="/news/u-t-entrepreneurship-ranked-among-best-university-managed-business-incubators">ranked among the world鈥檚 top five university-based incubators</a> in the world, according to UBI Global.</p> <p>Plant said 茄子直播鈥檚 world-leading leading research makes it perfectly placed to produce new tech companies. He hailed the impact of 茄子直播 Entrepreneurship in fostering a community of innovators and entrepreneurs 鈥 something he said didn鈥檛 exist during his early days as an entrepreneur.</p> <p>鈥淲e鈥檝e now acquired a community of people who know each other, that work together, that see each other at events,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 fundamental to establishing a successful tech economy.鈥</p> <p>However, Plant said several challenges remain, particularly related to the scaling up of promising startups into world-leading companies.</p> <p>鈥淚f we can figure out how to scale companies, our potential is limitless,鈥 he said. 鈥溓炎又辈 has raw potential like you wouldn鈥檛 believe.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 16 May 2019 16:26:48 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 156705 at