University of Toronto
Top 10 Portfolio Stories for 2015
2015 created a flurry of activity for MaRS Innovation and our portfolio. As the holidays begin, here are our picks for the top 10 news stories from MI's portfolio in 2015. We look forward to more exciting developments in 2016.
You may also have noticed we've refreshed our website and re-organized how we communicate about our work and services. We'd love to hear your thoughts: contact Elizabeth Monier-Williams.
Top 10 MI Portfolio Stories for 2015
1. ChipCare Corporation, a University of Toronto start-up company ...
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UTEST grad eQOL receives $350,000 for remote patient monitoring program
UTEST graduate eQOL has received $350,000 from the Ontario Government to support patients managing their kidney dialysis at home. eQOL's solutions use mobile tablets technology to support patients in managing independent care at home.
The funding, part of an Ontario Centres of Excellence program to support technology used to remotely monitor and care for Ontario patients, was announced December 1, 2015 and covered in Canadian Healthcare Technology.
eQOL has partnered with London Health Sciences Centre, Ontario Telemedicine Network and the Kidney Foundation of Canada ...
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University of Toronto sperm selection technology featured in the Toronto Star
"In a project spearheaded by PhD candidate Reza Nosrati, U of T researchers are trying to learn more about the way sperm cells move — something that could benefit those using in vitro fertilization (IVF)," writes Daniel Otis in "Sperm show U of T researchers a new trick: slithering" published in the Toronto Star on November 13, 2015.
MaRS Innovation is working with Professor David Sinton, Nosrati and the university's Innovations and Partnerships Office to commercialize the technology for the human sperm ...
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UTEST cited among Toronto’s top 10 tech accelerators
UTEST, the tech accelerator co-directed by MaRS Innovation and the University of Toronto, was named to BlogTO's Top 10 list of technology accelerators on November 8, 2015.
The list was published just weeks before the announcement of the fourth UTEST cohort, and included recognition of TrendMD and Whirlscape as notable startups among the graduated UTEST companies.
Here's the excerpt:
UTEST, a collaboration between U of T and MaRs Innovation, is in its fourth year of operation with 15 teams. The program is one year ...
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TrendMD’s recommendation engine now reaches 70 STEM publishers, 12 million readers
TrendMD's content recommendation engine, an innovative content marketing solution, delivered 450,000 article readers last month
Faced with the challenge of finding research they need across a staggering and ever-growing number of articles online, researchers and clinicians are clicking on personalized article recommendations delivered by TrendMD’s recommendation widget.
TrendMD is a graduate of the UTEST program's third cohort.
Using sophisticated algorithms across millions of articles served each month, recommended articles are identified based on keywords and user behaviour, such as click behaviour (“people that read ...
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Crowdmark successfully pilots two-stage exams in North America
TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2015 - Working with five leading universities in North America during 2014-15, Crowdmark Inc., a collaborative online grading and analytics platform, has demonstrated the benefits and advantages of using two-stage examinations in a number of undergraduate programs in post-secondary institutions across the world.
Crowdmark has worked with universities to introduce two-stage exams as a way to integrate collaborative learning and assessment into the traditional exam format. In a two-stage exam, students individually complete the exam and then, working in ...
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Encycle Therapeutics raises $2.85 million to advance macrocycle platform and pipeline
TORONTO, ON (September 30, 2015) — Encycle Therapeutics, Inc., a University of Toronto spin-off company created in partnership with MaRS Innovation, announced today that it has completed a $2.85 million (CAD) financing led by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Ltd. through its venture capital arm, Takeda Ventures, Inc., with Accel-Rx Health Sciences Accelerator, BDC Capital and MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund.
This news was covered in PEHub, BetaKit and TechVibes.
The funding will support ongoing development of Encycle’s unique nacellin platform chemistry and advance the company’s ...
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Financial Post covers Onyx Motion’s Swish app, scheduled to launch in November
Company plans future sports applications for tennis and golf for its Motion Marketplace
Swish by Onyx Motion "takes advantage of motion sensors to provide accurate tips and feedback to improve play," wrote Robert Liwanag in "App for smartwatches helps users become better basketball players" for the Financial Post's "Entrepreneur" section on September 28, 2015.
"Using it is simple — you turn it on, press calibrate and lift your arms and hands as you would to shoot a basket," wrote Liwanag. "The objective is to ...
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Ontario Government, University of Toronto, and MaRS secure Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS for Toronto – first JLABS Incubator outside of United States
Partners for JLABS @ Toronto include Janssen Inc., MaRS Innovation and seven of MI's 15 member institutions
TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2015 — The Ontario Government, University of Toronto, and MaRS Discovery District (MaRS) today announced a collaboration with Janssen Inc. to launch the successful Johnson & Johnson Innovation, JLABS incubator model in Toronto.
This announcement has been covered in the Toronto Star, Metro News Canada, Sing Tao Daily, OurWindsor.ca, FierceBiotech, BioCentury, MedCity News, BioSpace, Biotechnology Focus, Lab Product News, ChinaNews.com, Pan European Networks, Economic ...
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UTEST company Nvest listed in Omers’ Canadian #FinTech Infographic
"Over the past few weeks, a few members of our investment team took the seopportunity to map out FinTech companies from coast-to-coast, focusing on those that are developing next generation technologies or technology enabled services," wrote the OMERS Venture team in a blog post accompanying a new #fintech infographic that lists 89 Canadian businesses operating in the financial start-up sector.
Nvest, part of the third UTEST cohort, in included in the graphic (see below). The infographic's release was also covered in BetaKit ...
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