Changing the conversation on fertility

Canadian couples have a new option to help them along their fertility journeys. Hera Fertility developed an at-home fertility test kit for men.

“One of the biggest struggles with infertility is the belief that this is supposed to be something natural that everybody can do,” said founder Thiv Paramsothy. “In Canada, you have to wait a year for the man to even get tested. We’re trying to democratize health care and get more access for something that makes sense to do earlier and be proactive.”

Hera Fertility is among eight medtech startups selected for the inaugural cohort of the Communitech MedTech Accelerator Program. Launched in September, this program supports founders as they revolutionize health care and scale their companies. Participants benefit from sessions with growth coaches, networking opportunities with health-care professionals and access to personalized action plans and resources.

“It’s important to have strong programs like the Communitech MedTech Accelerator to hopefully bring more innovation,” he said.

Everyone loves a fair

On Nov. 6, a group of up-and-coming medtech startups came to the Communitech Hub for the first MedTech Science Fair, an event designed to connect founders with health-care professionals and members of the tech ecosystem. Communitech and MACcelerate hosted the fair, which brought together medtech founders from across Southern Ontario, including those participating in the Communitech MedTech Accelerator Program.

“This is about connection. Connecting the thread, connecting to support the thriving medtech innovation industry in this region,” said Erin Skimson, Director at MACcelerate MedTech Accelerator. “Medtech commercialization is a team sport. So this event brings together clinicians, investors and business coaches that are very interested in connecting with entrepreneurs to help them on their commercialization and technical journeys.”

Among the startups was Qidni Labs, a medical device company developing advanced dialysis solutions for patients with kidney failure.

“It’s a really good vibe and there’s a lot of good energy,” said Morteza Ahmadi, CEO and founder of Qidni Labs. “It’s great to be here.”

Breaking down barriers in health-care delivery

Being an advocate for your or a family member’s medical care is a critical part of any patient's journey. Unfortunately, language barriers can make understanding medical jargon as difficult as reading a doctor’s handwriting.

MedInclude founder Seun Adetunji saw this firsthand while caring for her grandmother who didn’t speak English. 

“I would be the middle person, so to speak, between my grandmother and her health-care provider,” said Adetunji. “There was a lot of frustration for all parties.”

Adetunji saw how this communication gap could lead to worse outcomes, and she wanted to help patients understand what they were reading and receiving. These experiences planted the seed for MedInclude, a Kitchener-based startup that has grown into a platform designed to bridge communication gaps between healthcare providers and patients. The startup has signed a pre-commercialization project with Grand River Hospital in Kitchener supported by the University of Waterloo and Velocity. 

“I’m really looking forward to the feedback we’ll get from the health-care providers and patients, the data points and patient insights,” said Adetunji. “This is a big opportunity to prove that our platform can support hospital systems at scale.”

Bright Lights, Tech City

On Nov. 19, 10 Canadian startups pitched their companies as solutions to five challenges at the Communitech Fast Track Cities Showcase. The event was hosted in the theatre of the Kitchener Public Library’s central branch and included a judging panel of experts from Communitech, the City of Kitchener and the Municipal Innovation Council.

The showcase highlighted growing concerns among municipalities, including providing citizens with information and inspecting aging infrastructure. The winner of the showcase was ConeLabs and its AI-powered inspection platform that accelerates structural health assessments by 50 per cent.

“Each one of these structures needs to be inspected. The problem? We can’t keep up,” said Albert Mansour, co-founder and CEO of ConeLabs.

The Fast Track Cities Solution Showcase is supported by EY, the City of Kitchener, the Municipal Innovation Council and its member municipalities of Bruce County, Ontario Centre of Innovation, OVIN, and the Government of Ontario.

Lifting the next generation of female founders

Communitech announced the latest cohort of the Fierce Founders Uplift program on Nov. 28. One of these founders is Shalini Gupta, whose life took a turn when doctors removed one of her ovaries after an ultrasound raised concerns about the risk of cancer. Although the biopsy results were inconclusive, the experience prompted her to stay on top of her health with regular tests. 

“I’ve seen the journey of cancer survivors quite closely, and this is a growing field. I feel like not enough is being done,” said Gupta. “People who are sort of healthy are de-prioritized on the list because there isn’t enough capacity for getting tests done as part of a standard of care, and it’s costly.”

Gupta is one of 10 founders selected for the latest cohort of Communitech Fierce Founders Uplift. The program supports women and non-binary founders from equity-deserving groups by providing them with the mentorship, funding and networks they need to scale their companies. 

Founders participating in the program receive $10,000 in non-matching funds to help them execute their growth plans and grow their businesses. Fierce Founders is made possible by the City of Kitchener, Google for Startups, the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario, and the Province of Ontario.

She’s the boss

Rosie Del Campo sat down with our interim CEO, Jennifer Gruber, to learn more about her vision for Communitech in 2025. Gruber, previously the CFO at Communitech, took over the reins after it was announced in October that CEO Chris Albinson would be stepping down.

“We’re in a strong position at Communitech,” said Gruber. “We’re here to support founders and the tech community. I’m focused on making sure our team has everything they need to continue delivering for our founders.”

Other news

This edition of the Roundup was compiled by the Communitech News Team. Sign up to receive the Roundup each month by visiting communitech.ca/technews and scrolling to the bottom of the page.