Hamilton, Ontario – January 16, 2025 – Innovation Factory is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2025 Synapse Competition, Ontario’s leading life science pitch competition. This annual event is a major highlight of Hamilton’s life science ecosystem, offering cash and prizes to support promising innovators in the field.
Since its launch in 2013, the Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition has welcomed over 130+ participating companies, awarded more than $1 million in prizes, and helped these companies collectively raise over $100 million in funding while expanding into more than 10 global markets. These accomplishments underscore the competition’s significant role in advancing life science innovations and fostering industry growth.
The 15 finalists, selected from a pool of more than 60 applicants, are working alongside post-secondary students, who represent the industry’s future innovators. Over the next three months, these teams will undergo intensive training, working together to develop comprehensive business and commercialization plans for their ventures. The Synapse Competition will conclude on March 26, 2025, with a final pitch event, where five of the 15 companies will present their innovations to a panel of judges and compete for a share of the prizes.
More than just a competition, Synapse is a platform for innovation, collaboration, and growth in the life sciences. It empowers companies to transform cutting-edge ideas into impactful healthcare solutions.
Meet the Finalists:
Atorvia: Atorvia is developing novel therapeutics targeting chaperone proteins discovered to play a key role in the regulated cell death pathway.
Bough Bioscience: Bough Bioscience is building a senolytic drug discovery platform that uses single-cell RNA sequencing, machine learning, and cellular models to identify, characterize, and target senescent cells, aiming to develop novel therapeutics for diseases linked to cellular senescence.
CELLECT Laboratories Inc.: CELLECT is a cutting-edge collection device that utilizes proprietary nanomaterial embedded within menstrual pads and tampons for HPV and Cervical cancer screening.
Creative Medical Solutions : Creative Medical Solutions develops an advanced uroflow device that integrates into standard toilets, streamlines data upload to electronic medical records, and improves efficiency and patient care in urology practices.
DIA Labs Canada: DIA Labs Canada develops AirSense, an AI-powered wearable device that continuously monitors asthma and COPD symptoms, providing real-time alerts to enhance patient management, improve compliance, and reduce healthcare costs.
Flow Robotics: Flow Robotics is developing a groundbreaking device that leverages continuum robotics and pressure-driven eversion to enable efficient diagnosis and treatment of small intestinal conditions, reducing procedure times, improving success rates, and enhancing patient outcomes.
LynxsurfBio Inc.: LynxsurfBio develops a connected handheld biosensor with AI-assisted analytics for routine, point-of-care blood testing, enabling early diagnosis, personalized treatment, and large-scale tracking of dementia and neurodegenerative diseases without the need for lab or hospital settings.
Medloaner (Canada) Inc.: Medloaner (Canada) Inc. provides an AI-powered platform that automates the tracking, sterilization, and inventory management of surgical instruments, enhancing efficiency, reducing costs, and improving patient safety in hospitals.
NewGen Health: NewGen Health’s product is an immuno-assay based platform to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD) in its earliest stages using just non-invasive urine samples.
Nuvia: Nuvia provides a revolutionary, non-invasive at-home scrambler therapy solution for women suffering from Post Mastectomy Pain Syndrome (PMPS), offering personalized treatment plans, progress tracking, and long-lasting pain relief through a connected app and device rental service.
Power of Play: Power of Play develops a child-friendly, 3-in-1 hand-strength measurement tool that provides objective, engaging assessments for pediatric rehabilitation, enabling therapists to track progress, guide treatment, and improve outcomes for children with hand injuries and developmental conditions.
Razroze: Razroze develops Doro, an AI-powered lifestyle app that uses conversational AI and a biopsychosocial approach to provide early intervention for mental health concerns, promoting emotional well-being, healthy habits, and personalized support to prevent symptom escalation.
Re:Pair Genomics: Re:Pair Genomics uses AI-powered software to rapidly design customized DNA “GPS” sequences, enhancing the safety and efficacy of gene therapies and accelerating development timelines for biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
SNAKE AI ASSISTED MEDICAL : The product from SnakeAI is an AI driven colonoscope, which can increase the speed, convenience, and ease of use for doctors, reduce pain of patients, and balance the demand and supply for hospitals.
Stoked Bio : Stoked Bio is a translational biotechnology company leveraging AI-driven discovery to develop novel small-molecule therapeutics for resistant infections and cancers, advancing candidates through preclinical development to prepare for first-in-human trials.
About Innovation Factory
Innovation Factory is a not-for-profit business accelerator, serving as the catalyst for technology innovation in the Brant, Halton, Hamilton and Norfolk regions since 2010. Innovation Factory provides business services, training, mentorship, and strategic connections to drive market adoption, leverage intellectual property, and increase revenues, investment, and jobs. Innovators can also access sector-specific resources including exclusive smart transportation test environments and data; and a formal life science and health innovation ecosystem.
