A new initiative, from Toronto-based accelerator the Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation (CABHI), and a pitch competition, from Atlantic Canadian innovation hub Volta, have opened applications for their respective healthtech-focused programs.
Applications open for CABHI’s Silicon Valley-based program for Ontario healthtech startups
In partnership with National Bank and California-based accelerator Berkeley SkyDeck, CABHI has launched a new program for Ontario healthtech startups, called the Mentorship, Capital, and Continuation (MC2) Market Readiness program. Applications for the program are now open, and due by September 7.
The program aims to give Canadian companies direct access to the Silicon Valley ecosystem.
The program aims to give Canadian companies direct access to the Silicon Valley ecosystem through SkyDeck’s six-month Global Innovation Partnership program. According to CABHI, the idea is to help close “the current funding gap” for Canadian healthtech startups looking to grow and scale competitively, both in Canada and internationally.
Successful applicants will receive an investment of up to $150,000 CAD via SAFE or unsecured venture debt, towards achieving an important business milestone and raising seed or Series A funding.
Established in 2015 with funding from the provincial and federal governments, CABHI is an accelerator based out of Toronto research and teaching hospital Baycrest Health Sciences. The accelerator claims it has helped startups secure over $110 million CAD in carry-on investments, 40 percent of which have received follow-on funding.
Through a current pilot phase of the new program offering, CABHI has already connected two Canadian healthtech startups to SkyDeck: behaviour modification platform MindfulGarden, which aims to de-escalate anxiety in people living with dementia, and digital healthtech Curiato, which develops smart mattress monitoring platforms.
Applications open for Volta’s second Health Challenge Pitch Event on mental health, wellness
Applications for Atlantic Canadian innovation hub Volta’s second Health Challenge Pitch Event, which will focus on mental health and wellness, are now open, and due September 15.
The event is scheduled to take place virtually on October 2. Participants will have 10 minutes to pitch a panel of experts, and then field five minutes of questions from judges.
Companies will compete for the chance to take home $100,000, and have their tech be considered for adoption by the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA).
Healthtech startups based in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, or Newfoundland and Labrador, that possess approval to sell products or services in Canada, are eligible to participate.
The five event-long Health Challenge series is the product of a strategic partnership announced in March between the NSHA, Volta, QEII Foundation, BioNova, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. It aims to drive innovation in the medical technology space.
Earlier this year, Volta hosted its first Health Challenge, which focused on cancer care. Halifax-based healthtech startup Adaptiiv Medical Technologies took home the top prize.
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