It’s not the only aspect of Innovation Factory’s SOPHIE program, but for many start-ups and entrepreneurs in the life science space, the focus on commercialization is the main draw. The SOPHIE (Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical and Health Innovation Ecosystem) program provides financial support, training and mentorship as well as access to Hamilton’s life science institutions and some of Ontario’s leading Contract Development and Manufacturing Organizations (CDMOs). SOPHIE helps to accelerate the progress and development of small and medium businesses to commercialize new technologies and products.
“With Hamilton, there are natural efficiencies in the life science ecosystem,” explains Jayiesh Singh, CEO of Able Innovations, whose product the ALTA Platform™ was commercialized thanks in part to the support from Innovation Factory. “Because of Innovation Factory, the Synapse Consortium, and their programs, it’s easier to find the specific person you need to talk to at these larger, world-class institutions.”
That access was also crucial for FluidAI Medical as the company commercialized its Stream™ Platform, which monitors patients to predict postoperative complications. The platform may allow surgeons to predict anastomotic leaks up to 80% faster than current diagnosis methods, for example.
“We had an original idea for a sensor that would be left in the patient’s body post-op,” explains FluidAI COO and Co-Founder Amr Abdelgawad, noting that different stakeholders saw the need but weren’t entirely aligned on the solution and early concept. “We got a lot of feedback through participating in Innovation Factory’s Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition, which really changed our focus to something that surgeons and clinicians would want to use.”
FluidAI’s new nano-sensor device for digestive tract surgeries, called Origin™, now attaches externally to already-present drains and catheters, a change Abdelgawad credits to conversations with life science stakeholders he was able to meet through the SOPHIE commercialization program.
Innovation Factory’s SOPHIE program supports collaborative commercialization projects for Ontario-based life science companies. SOPHIE is funded by the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), to help technology companies develop, test, and commercialize innovative healthcare solutions.
In addition to training, mentorship and strategic connections, the comprehensive program includes several pillars: SOPHIE project grants, Canadian Medtech Alliance (CAMEDA) project grants, and the Synapse Life Science Pitch Competition.
“What we got through SOPHIE were very clear and direct conversations with big hospitals about what the procurement process would look like for our product,” says Singh about Able Innovations’ experience in the program. “Through our conversations with Hamilton Health Sciences, we were able to learn which departments we needed to convince, what resulting timelines would look like, and come to a better understanding of the logistics we’d need to hit.”
Because the ALTA Platform is not a traditional medical device, the patient-transfer device did not need clinical trials. “So, those conversations were incredibly valuable to us because there wasn’t a traditional blueprint to really follow,” Singh says.
Abdelgawad also credits the SOPHIE commercialization program with a portion of its success. “Clinical trials are expensive. For a medtech start-up, you need support to go through them,” he says. “SOPHIE gave us access to the right clinicians and the right research culture. It really lined everything up for us to get to this stage of commercialization.”
FluidAI is currently scaling up its manufacturing after successful trials, with a limited market release in Canada, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and United Arab Emirates. Recently, the company received additional support from FedDev Ontario to help satisfy demand from global markets. Through its manufacturing line in Kitchener, Ontario, FluidAI is meeting current demand for hundreds of Origin™ devices a month. “We’re at the point where clinicians can now call and order the Stream,” Abdelgawad says. “As still a smaller start-up, it’s an incredible place to be.”
“Interfacing with Innovation Factory provided us with great insights into our next steps,” Singh says of Able Innovations’ commercialization efforts. “Our contacts there greatly influenced our commercialization process and are now greatly benefiting us as we are moving forward.” Able Innovations is currently accepting ALTA orders from three Canadian hospital networks.
While Able Innovations and FluidAI are noteworthy success stories of commercialization coming through SOPHIE, they are not the sole successes: between 2019 and 2024, SOPHIE has supported more than 160 companies and 71 commercialization projects, which has led to 24 new products and services in the market, 37 new intellectual properties created or licensed and over 190 jobs.
Applications for SOPHIE commercialization project grants and CAMEDA manufacturing project grants are open.
For more information about the SOPHIE program or to apply, please visit sophieprogram.ca.
To learn more about CAMEDA or to apply, please visit cameda.org.
