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Assunta Krehl

Electric bike design firm races ahead of competition for $10K prize - ITBusiness - May ... - 0 views

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    Henry Chong, LIFEbike completed MaRS Entrepreneurship 101 course and entered in MaRS 2012 Up-Start Competition. Keri Damen, Director of Entrepreneurship Education states "the Upstart competition serves as the capstone to the program." Chong won the competition for $10K.
Assunta Krehl

Shape Collage out-Grows DMZ - Ryerson University - August 15, 2011 - 0 views

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    Ryerson University's Digital Media Zone (DMZ) announced its sixth and newest graduate, Shape Collage. Shape Collage is a MaRS Client and is a MaRS Up-Start Competition Champion.
Cathy Bogaart

Waterloo Region Economic Development - Canada's Technology Triangle - Waterloo, Ontario... - 0 views

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    Canada's Technology Triangle Inc (CTT) is a not-for-profit, public-private regional economic development partnership that markets the competitive advantages of the Waterloo Region to the world, and works to attract new businesses, investment and talent to the Region. As an information provider and business network facilitator, CTT is typically the first point of contact for enterprises outside the Waterloo Region interested in start-up, expansion, or relocation to the Waterloo Region. CTT's activity complements its partner municipalities, who focus on local business retention and expansion, and investment-related site location, business cost, servicing, and development approval considerations. CTT's municipal partners are the cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo, and the townships of North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmot and Woolwich.
Cathy Bogaart

Top Chinese-Canadian businesses pick up hardware - Financial Post, April 2, 2011 - 0 views

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    The Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs presented its 15th annual awards on April 2, 2011, including one to Vincent Cheung of Shape Collage. Shape Collage, a MaRS client, won Best Start-up for their web application that creates collages in shapes using digital photos.
Assunta Krehl

MaRS clients clean up at Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards - Canada Newswire - 0 views

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    Four Ontario start-up companies working with MaRS advisory services are among those recognized by this year's Deloitte Technology Fast 50(TM) program, Canada's pre-eminent technology awards. These companies were Aeryon Labs Inc., Bayalink Solutions Corp., Real Tech Inc. and Vive Nano. Oct 1, 2009
Assunta Krehl

MobileMonday Toronto Launches Mobile Marketing Awards Competition September 8th - Marke... - 0 views

  • On September 8th, MobileMonday Toronto, Toronto's premier networking event for mobile industry professionals, will be hosting its first annual MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards. This event was set up to recognize Toronto area marketing professionals for their effort in helping grow the use of mobile as a marketing channel.
  • Since announcing the partnership with MaRS in February 2009, MobileMonday Toronto has experienced explosive growth with monthly attendance exceeding 250+ attendees and has received general appreciation for the chapter's approach to support all stakeholders within the mobile industry which includes telecom providers, device manufacturers, startups, venture capital and developers in addition to many industry verticals such as search, m-commerce, advertising, and media.
  • The first annual MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards will be held on Tuesday September 8th (due to Labour Day holiday) at MaRS Discovery District, located at 101 College Street (south east corner of College and University). The event starts at 6:30pm. To RSVP for this event, please visit www.mobilemondaytoronto.com.
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    The first first annual MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards will be held September 8, 2009 at the MaRS Centre. MobileMonday is a partner of MaRS. MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards recognizse Toronto area marketing professionals for their effort in helping grow the use of mobile as a marketing channel. Sept 2, 2009
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    The first first annual MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards will be held September 8, 2009 at the MaRS Centre. MobileMonday is a partner of MaRS. MobileMonday Toronto Marketing Awards recognizes Toronto area marketing professionals for their effort in helping grow the use of mobile as a marketing channel. Sept 2, 2009
Cathy Bogaart

PhD student wins national entrepreneur award - The Globe and Mail - May 13, 2010 - 1 views

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    Vincent Cheung of Shape Collage, recent winner of the MaRS Up-Start Competition, was also named national champion for an award by the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneurship (ACE) organization. Congrats to Shape Collage, a MaRS client.
Assunta Krehl

Nine Toronto tech start-ups that want your money - Yonge Street Media - August 31, 2011 - 0 views

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    The Next36 had a competition, Venture Day, that challenged teams to create new mobile apps and pitch their ideas to investors. The event took place at the MaRS Centre.
Assunta Krehl

Meet with ten potential investors in one day at the CIX Top 20 event - Techvibes.com - ... - 0 views

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    On September 1st, 2011, Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) kicked-off their national search for Canada's Top 20 hottest innovative technology start-ups.Canadian startups have until October 14th to submit their applications to the CIX Top 20. The competition will take place on December 1st at the MaRS Centre.
Assunta Krehl

Test-tube industry - Canadian Business - 0 views

  • For Dr. John Evans, growing a strong biotechnology industry is much the same: cities must provide a nurturing environment where science and business can thrive together.
  • That's why Evans, former president of the University of Toronto and current chairman of Torstar Corp., is spearheading the $345-million Medical and Related Science initiative, or MaRS--a petri dish of sorts for commercializing science research. "A lot of intellectual property is being commercialized outside Canada," says Evans. "I think we've been slow in realizing just how important technology developments are to the economic future of the country. MaRS is an attempt to give this a kick into a higher gear." The centrepiece of the MaRS plan, which will officially launch May 12, is a 1.3-million-square-foot, five-building complex in downtown Toronto that will provide office and lab space for small and medium-size companies and incubators, including the not-for-profit Toronto Biotechnology Commercialization Centre. While Evans is reluctant to limit its scope, MaRS will generally focus on health-related technologies, from new drugs and genetic treatments to medical devices and imaging software. Branded a "convergence centre," it will also house a careful mix of support services: intellectual property lawyers, accountants, marketing experts, government funding organizations and venture capital financiers. Plus, start-ups will have access to all the latest equipment on site. For instance, MaRS is in talks with MDS Sciex to supply mass spectrometers, used in proteomics research.
  • But MaRS will be more than just a New Economy real estate development. Evans's intention is to funnel tenants' rent money into services--such as entrepreneurship seminars and angel-matching programs--that MaRS will offer to the broader biotech community. That's why MaRS's location is key: the centre will be built in the heart of what Toronto has dubbed the "Discovery District," a two-square-kilometre chunk of the downtown core, encompassing U of T and four major hospitals. From there, MaRS hopes to act as a network hub across Ontario, with links to research-intensive universities. "None of them," says Evans, "have the critical mass to put it all together on their own."
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  • MaRS's primary goal is to get Toronto and the rest of Ontario on the global biotech map. Evans came up with the concept in the late 1990s with Dr. Calvin Stiller, CEO of the labor-sponsored Canadian Medical Discoveries Fund, and Kenneth Knox, a former deputy minister for the Ontario government who's now CEO of MaRS
  • As far as schemes to support fledgling industries go, MaRS is refreshing. To start, it's a nonprofit corporation, not a government program, which will hopefully ensure that it runs more efficiently. The feds and the province of Ontario have each doled out $20 million for MaRS, and Toronto has donated in-kind $4.5 million. More than $12 million has come from a small pool of corporations, including Eli Lilly Canada and MDS, as well as individual donors like Joseph Rotman and Lawrence Bloomberg (who both sit on the MaRS board). U of T pitched in $5 million, and MaRS also did some innovative bond financing to round off the $165 million needed to build Phase I. "It was very important for us to not belong to anybody," says Evans.
  • Now MaRS's challenge is to get the word out. Its posted rate of $26 per square foot is very competitive for prime downtown real estate and is sure to attract attention, especially considering its customized lab space. But MaRS's success won't be measured by a low vacancy rate; getting the right mix of scientists, entrepreneurs and professionals is critical if it plans to commercialize some sustainable businesses. It won't happen overnight--in fact, it may be 10 years before anyone can gauge MaRS's impact. Seems growing a biotech industry isn't quite as easy as growing E. coli in a petri dish.
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    John Evans spearheads the MaRS project which will help to accelerate commercialization for scientific research. The official launch of the MaRS plan will happen on May 12, 2003.
Assunta Krehl

Toronto firm wins award for less-invasive prostate cancer therapy -The Star - May 23, 2010 - 0 views

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    Profound Medical Inc, a MaRS client hopes to improve quality of life for men with prostate cancer by developing a faster, more precise treatment aimed at reducing side effects. Profound Medical won the $200,000 Premier's Catalyst Award for a start-up company with the best innovation. Avenir Medical Inc, a MaRS Client was named Ontario's Next Top Entrepreneur at the conference of the Ontario Centres of Excellence.
Cathy Bogaart

Rock Health - 0 views

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    Are you working to solve a health-related issue? Apply to join Rock Health, a group of dedicated individuals working to catalyze innovation in the interactive health space, and become one of the first start-ups to access the community of experts and seed-accelerator program.
Assunta Krehl

Pharmafocus.com - 0 views

  • Canada has always had to fight hard to attract talent and investment
  • MaRS Vital to Toronto's life sciences vision is MaRS (derived from Medical and Related Sciences) a non-profit organisation and business centre located in the heart of the city. Its core function is as a biotech incubator and business park, known as MaRS Discovery District. The venture was first established in 2000 to help foster and accelerate the growth of successful Canadian businesses and, after some uncertain times, it is now gathering momentum. A separate technology transfer office, MaRS Innovation, has also been established that, it is hoped, can be a world beater in its own right (see Turning good ideas into world beaters below). The location of the MaRS building in central Toronto is important, as it is just a stone's throw away from an existing cluster of universities and academic hospitals. MaRS has many links with other research-based organisations, including collaborations with three local universities, 10 academic teaching hospitals and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. MaRS occupies the Old Toronto general hospital, where insulin was first discovered by Best and Banting in 1921 and then developed for use in human trials. The 21st Century organisation can build on this heritage in patient-focused discovery and development. Formerly the head of venture capital firm Primaxis, Ilse Treurnicht is chief executive of MaRS Discovery District. She acknowledges the crisis in venture capital funding, and says Canada's sector has always had less access funds through this route than other countries. This is one of the drivers behind the search for a new approach. Treurnicht says the old models of building biotech and life sciences businesses have to be discarded, as they have failed to build companies with critical mass. She says MaRS' new 'Convergence Innovation' strategy of bringing science, capital and business together will pay off.
  • "We call our strategy 'Convergence Innovation' and what we are trying to do is move away from the old linear model of academics struggling in their spare time to build companies or entrepreneurs doing this in a very incremental way."It takes time and it has many risk points along the way. So using this Convergence centre model to create a much more dynamic organisation which can help accelerate good ideas towards the commercialisation." But she says Canada's geography and demographics are always going to be a challenge. "This is a very large country with a small population. If you think in terms of clusters and hub regions, Canada's business hubs are separated geographically, and there is not much in between in terms of people."That means we can't try to be a little United States, because we just won't show up on the radar. We have to take a different approach. We have to think about collaboration as our potential competitive advantage - that means using networks and associations to solve problems and build businesses."So as new opportunities emerge, we can take them to market faster and hopefully with a higher success rate." The centre currently accommodates numerous start up companies, as well as those providing legal and financial services to them. AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline also have offices on site. In all, MaRS provides mentoring for over 200 different companies across Ontario, and runs courses on entrepreneurship and preparing products for market.
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  • Transition Therapeutics is one of the companies based at MaRS, and is an example of a biopharmaceutical company that is taking a new approach to the science and business of drug development.
  • Now Toronto's MaRS Innovation (MI) has been launched to try to guide and accelerate these promising ideas out of the wilderness and onto the market. MI is a not-for-profit technology transfer company that will channel all the best ideas to come out of Toronto's renowned academic centres. In the Toronto and Ontario area there were between 14-16 different technology transfer offices in the different institutions, and MaRS Innovation resolved to bring these interests together into a single entity after industry partners told them it was an inefficient way to do business. Bringing together the different institutions under one umbrella organisation has been an arduous task for MaRS, but the reward could be considerable for all parties. MI now oversees probably the largest intellectual property pipeline of its kind, representing about $1 billion in annual research spending. This means MI will be a unified route for all of Toronto's academics and their institutions when they want to develop and commercialise a bright idea. Most importantly, investors from industry who are looking to collaborate will now be able to deal with just organisation and one IP process. MI will cover patentable ideas across a broad range of areas, and not just life sciences - the discovery pipeline in physical sciences, information and communication technology, and green technology ('cleantech') will all be funnelled through MI. MI now represents three universities, 10 academic teaching hospitals and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. MaRS Innovation, with support from MaRS and BioDiscovery Toronto, will advance commercialisation through industry partnerships, licensing and company creation.
  • ts chief executive is Dr Rafi Hofstein. Hofstein has been headhunted from Israel where he was chief executive of Hadasit, the technology transfer company of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem and chair of the publicly-traded company Hadasit BioHolding. He brings this considerable experience in technology transfer to what he thinks is a groundbreaking enterprise."MaRS Innovation is a unique global initiative, and I must commend the institutional leaders in Toronto for pulling this innovation powerhouse together to strengthen commercialisation output." He adds: "I believe this is going to modernise the whole notion of tech transfer." He says the scale and diversity of MaRS Innovation's remit puts it into a league of its own. Other research clusters elsewhere in the world have attempted similar projects before, but have been thwarted by the difficulty in bringing parties together. MaRS Innovation will also help launch and grow new spin-off companies and incubate them for 2-3 years to ensure a strong commercial footing. Hofstein says MI will also fund proof of concept trials which will persuade major pharma companies to invest in their development.
  • MI has just announced its first two commercialisation deals with academic partners in the city. The first is with the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute of Mount Sinai Hospital to develop stem cell from umbilical cords to treat cardiovascular disease, diabetes and neurological disorders. "With the Toronto area identified as a world-leading cluster in stem cell research, we are extremely excited to have identified this technology as our first commercialisation opportunity," said Dr Hofstein.
  • "Our partnership with MaRS Innovation on developing methods for using stem cells for diseases such as diabetes will allow us to work towards advancing care for these critical conditions."
  • The second collaboration is between MI and The University of Toronto (U of T) and involves a novel sustained release formulation of nitric oxide (NO) for applications in wound healing, including diabetic ulcers. "There are 300 million diabetics worldwide, of which some 15% develop troublesome foot ulcers. This wound healing technology is extremely exciting, making it an early commercialisation opportunity that MaRS Innovation has identified as being a potential win for some 45 million diabetics globally," said Dr Hofstein.
  • "This is one of many new commercialisation ventures that will be initiated by MaRS Innovation, our partner in commercialisation of research with 13 other academic institutions across the Greater Toronto Area," said Paul Young, U of T's vice-president, Research. "We at U of T are delighted that this innovation from Dr Lee will be taken to the marketplace to the benefit of society and the economy of Ontario and Canada." By aggregating the leading edge science of its institutional members and being a one-stop commercialisation centre for industry, entrepreneurs and investors, MI could really help put Toronto and Canada on the map."MaRS Innovation is deeply committed to facilitating strategic research collaborations with industry partners, strengthening the innovation capacity of Canadian industry through adoption of new technologies, and launching a new generation of robust, high-growth Canadian companies that will become global market leaders," added Dr Hofstein. "We look forward to working closely with all of our institutional members and to continue to jointly announce exciting commercial opportunities."
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    Canada has always had to fight hard to attract talent and investment. As stated in Pharmafocus.com, "MaRS Discovery District helps to foster and accelerate the growth of successful Canadian businesses." MaRS Innovation has also been launched to accelerate ideas onto the market.
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