Biographical Info
Jordana Barmish has 15+ years of healthcare experience in a variety of clinical, academic, startup, and corporate roles. Jordana currently serves as an Executive in Residence at TIAP where she helps to build, grow, and fund early-stage med device and digital health companies. She also runs a venture consultancy in Toronto where she offers strategic development and operations services, as a business advisor and fractional executive.
Prior to moving to Toronto, Jordana managed a portfolio of med-tech and healthcare IT startups at PCI Ventures. She collaborated with clinicians, researchers, and faculty at the University of Pennsylvania to create companies centered around their inventions. She actively supported founders via operational infrastructure development, leadership team recruitment, Board of Directors participation, strategic advising, investor relations, pitch coaching, interim executive management, and deal negotiations. Before joining PCI Ventures, Jordana developed strategic partnerships for a corporate startup, Comcast Connected Health, which has since spun out into a joint venture with Independence Health Group.
Before pursuing a career that fuses her interests in business, healthcare, and technology, Jordana treated patients with neurological and vestibular conditions for 7 years, as a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Jordana graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from McGill University, a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree from Duke University, and an MBA in Strategic Management from Temple University.
Biographical Info
Phil manages intellectual property (IP) rights across all technologies within TIAP’s (previously MaRS Innovation) portfolio. He advises on various forms of IP protection, assessing patentability and managing patent application filings and prosecution decisions. Phil also manages projects in TIAP’s Life Sciences portfolio. He performs technical and market due diligence on new technologies to support and expand TIAP’s portfolio. In addition, he develops business, technical, and strategic plans and engages with industry partners in order to support new start-up ventures.
Prior to joining TIAP, Phil trained with an intellectual property boutique law firm in downtown Toronto as a member of the firm’s life sciences patent practice group, where he was exposed to a wide array of technologies including biologics, small molecules, medical devices, and information technologies. He has also acted as director of intellectual property for a biotechnology start-up company in Mississauga that specializes in developing antibody-based products for use in animal health and food safety.
Phil holds a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Toronto and a JD from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Biographical Info
As Manager of UTEST, Hassan works with early-stage startup companies from the University of Toronto and its affiliated hospitals. He helps guide UTEST portfolio companies in the areas of business development, marketing, intellectual property, fundraising and strategy.
Previously, Hassan was a commercialization manager at MaRS Innovation, now Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners, where he divided his time between projects located in Innovation York and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s Technology Transfer office, located in the Sunnybrook Research Institute. He conducted due diligence on invention disclosures, aided in patent application preparation and prosecution, executed business development for early-stage technologies and pursued public and private funding to advance early-stage research projects.
Before joining TIAP, Hassan was a commercial development analyst with PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer office of Queen’s University, where he managed the commercialization of early-stage technologies and helped managed a start-up company. He has also worked as a patent examiner with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
Hassan holds a M.Sc. in space management from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and a B.Sc. in computer engineering from the University of Ottawa.
Biographical Info
Prior to joining TIAP, Ido Kaminsky served as the Director of Business Analysis at FutuRx, a biotech incubator jointly established by J&J (JJDC), Takeda Ventures, and Orbimed Israel. There, he conducted scouting, deal flow, scientific and business analysis, and transactional activities. Ido was responsible for expanding FutuRx’s network with research centers and tech-transfer offices, conducting technology evaluation, and licensing IP as part of venture formation processes. In his time with FutuRx he took part in the inception of over 10 biotechnology start-ups.
Biographical Info
Parimal Nathwani has over 15 years of experience in various aspects of the biotechnology industry including corporate finance, business development, transactions, intellectual property management, technology development and operations. He has been actively involved in forming and managing start-ups, preparing and executing on business plans, raising early-stage capital and in- and out-licensing activities.
Before joining MaRS Innovation, now Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP), Parimal was a healthcare analyst with a boutique investment bank, where he conducted equity research on publicly-traded biotechnology companies in Canada and the U.S. He has also led commercialization activities out of BC Women’s and Children’s Hospital as part of his role at the University of British Columbia’s Industry Liaison Office, and was a research scientist at a start-up biotechnology company involved in drug discovery targeting ABC Transporters.
Parimal received his MBA from Simon Fraser University and his M.Sc. from the University of British Columbia. He currently sits on the boards of TRIUMF Innovations, Zucara Therapeutics, and Vasomune Therapeutics, and is an observer on the board of Encycle Therapeutics.
Biographical Info
Diana Resetca joined TIAP as an Analyst, Technology and Venture Development in 2020 to support TIAP’s technology commercialization activities and the LAB150 program. She works closely with the members of the TIAP Life Sciences team, and researchers and principle investigators at TIAP’s Member Institutions. She performs scientific due diligence, researches market opportunities and analyses competitive landscapes to evaluate the commercialization potential of TIAP’s venture projects.
Prior to joining TIAP, Diana worked with a number of local AI and biotechnology startups and non-for profit organizations, where she provided deep scientific expertise as an analyst and scientific consultant. She is trained in cancer biology, proteomics, microfluidic device fabrication, structural biology and chemistry. In her academic work, Diana contributed to the development of novel mechanistic insights on key drivers of cancer progression and to drug discovery efforts for small-molecule anti-cancer therapeutics. She published 14 research articles, including papers in Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, and Molecular Cell.
Diana holds an MSc in Chemistry from York University and a BSc in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Toronto.
Biographical Info
Sohaib provides medical, scientific and business support to early-stage startups in TIAP’s ecosystem. He works alongside TIAP’s academic and institutional partners to identify promising medical technologies in digital health and medical devices. He works closely with companies to provide subject matter expertise in order to develop impactful technologies that can address the needs of patients, clinicians and healthcare systems.
Prior to joining TIAP, Sohaib worked at Kettlebeck Ventures, a family-office backed healthcare fund where he managed their healthcare strategy. He also trained as a medical doctor and pediatric clinical researcher. His area of research focused on improving the access and quality of care for pediatric patients in rural and developing countries while improving the operational efficiency of the delivery of healthcare. He concurrently has an academic appointment at Women’s College Hospital as an Innovation Fellow, where he evaluates how new technologies can integrate into the healthcare system.
Sohaib holds a B.ScH from Queen’s University, degrees in Medicine, Surgery & Obstetrics from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Executive Education Certification in Digital Health from Harvard Medical School.
Biographical Info
Susanne is the Corporate Secretary for Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP) and as such is in charge of the integrity of the organization’s governance framework, including compliance with various governing and funding requirements; efficient administration of the Board of Directors and its various governing and advisory committees; and management of the process related to the annual general meetings and accurate record keeping of Board decisions and organizational history.
In addition, Susanne delivers administrative expertise to the executive office, and oversees marketing, external communications, social media and website development. She maintains office efficiency by establishing procedures and standards, and is the point-person for all aspects of the administration of TIAP.
Prior to joining TIAP, Susanne worked closely with two senior partners in a nation-wide law firm, in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and securities, and general corporate matters. Susanne also trained new administrative staff and was instrumental in setting up various intranet functions as they pertained to training and staff administration.
Susanne has an international administrative background through her work in the diplomatic corps under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, through which she was posted to the Royal Danish Embassies in Russia and Ghana.