The Ontario Brain Institute (OBI) has announced the the early-stage neurotech entrepreneurs taking home $50,000 as part of the ONtrepreneurs Program.
The ONtrepreneurs Program offers entrepreneurs a $50,000 investment, and one year of training, mentorship, and support.
The winners were announced as part of the 2019 NeuroTech Ontario Showcase in Kitchener-Waterloo. The ONtrepreneurs Program, which was launched in 2011, provides Ontario-based entrepreneurs with an investment of $50,000 in addition to one year of training opportunities, individual mentorship, and communications support, to help them launch and scale neurotechnology initiatives.
“At OBI we take a great deal of pride in helping to take the innovative work that happens in the confines of a lab, and translating it into real life, ultimately better supporting individuals with brain disorders as well as their families and caregivers,” said Tom Mikkelsen, president and scientific director at OBI. “We do this by funding talented people with good ideas and helping their ideas take root and succeed.”
This year’s ONtrepreneurs are:
Israel Gasperin, founder and CEO of Zentrela, which aims to promote road safety through the development of technological wellness solutions that help professional drivers stay alert on the road through preventing them to experience fatigue or drowsiness.
Joshua Lobo, co-founder of Stabilo Medical, a company developing a smart vest that allows stroke patients to exercise safely and properly without the need for a therapist, which the company claims has potential to improve the rate and level of stroke recovery.
Zachary McMahon, co-founder and CEO of Lucid, which curates and creates therapeutic music using biometrics and AI for people looking to reduce stress and increase focus.
Maryam Nabavi, founder and CEO of Village Technologies, which is developing an AI-powered speech recognition platform to monitor brain development in infants.
Michael Philips, co-founder of Vena Medical, a startup that aims to provide physicians with the world’s smallest camera capable of going inside veins and arteries to help physicians treat stroke.
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Alexander Theodorou, founder and CEO of Ocutherapy, a company using virtual reality with a goal to improve the rehabilitation and recovery experience for patients.
“We are very grateful for the support that the Ontario Brain Institute is going to provide us through the 2019 ONtrepreneur Program,” said Gasperin. “The ONtrepreneur Program will contribute to our technology development and commercialization plan, allowing us to further develop our product which will help employers and law enforcers to improve safety in the workplace and on the roads.”
Image courtesy Anna Han