No images? Click here
April 6, 2022
Dear member,
Have you often wondered about bringing together health innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, leaders, service providers, talent and enthusiasts in a monthly gathering? I am delighted to introduce the Health Innovators’ Meetup, a landing place for health innovators in Edmonton to collect and listen to scintillating panel discussions, ask questions from the floor and overall collaborate and collide on community discussions around health. Our first Meetup will bring together thought leaders from Edmonton to discuss The Power of the Community- and what it means for Health Innovation. Join us in person at the Health Innovation Hub on May 12, at 4 PM to add your valuable comments to the discussion.
Community is at the core of what we do. Our active engagement at the Industry Snapshot for Public Policy and Healthcare created opportunities for MBA students at the Alberta School of Business to learn about our companies and the support that we provide. Additionally, Marina, my stalwart right-hand, is volunteering for the Edmonton Startup Community Awards. This community-centred event is going to be a hybrid with an in-person celebration on May 19. Please consider registering for this event to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship in Edmonton.
Our work is getting recognized as the Health Innovation Hub continues to grow. As a community incubator, we welcome companies in different stages of growth. Our early-stage entrepreneurs have often mentioned to me that they learn best from the experience of their peers. I am sure that we will all have a lot to learn from Lumiio, one of our most recent member companies after they graduate from the first cohort of Plug and Play Tech Centre. As Blaine, this week’s Meet our Community member mentions, he joined the Health Innovation Hub “to be part of the Alberta health innovation community, to learn from others in our ecosystem and to give back where we can.”
In closing, I would like to thank you personally for being a part of our community and for taking the time to read our digest and give us valuable feedback. Please forward the digest to your network to support the momentum in health innovation across Alberta.
Paramita Chaudhuri Basu
Innovation & Entrepreneurship Manager
News from the Hub
Health Innovators' Meetup at the Health Innovation Hub
The guest speakers are confirmed, the meeting space is ready, and the catering is on the go! Join us on May 12 at 4 pm for our first Meetup to talk about the Power of the community - and what it means for Health Innovation.
Library Resources and Research for Entrepreneurs – a Case Study
Join us on April 8 at 2 pm for a second presentation about the Library resources where we will take a deeper dive by working through a case study to show you how you can utilize the resources and services of the libraries.
Health Innovation Hub at the Industry Snapshot for Public Policy and Healthcare
Our team participated in the Public Sector and Healthcare Industry Snapshot organized by the University of Alberta MBA Association a few weeks ago.
Health Innovation Hub volunteer representation at the YEG Startup Community Awards 2022
Marina, the Program Coordinator at the Health Innovation Hub, is part of the team of volunteers organizing the YEG Startup Community Awards 2022.
Lumiio in the first cohort of Plug and Play Tech Center
Lumiio has been selected to join Plug and Play Alberta’s prestigious digital health accelerator program, the first of its kind at the newly built Alberta offices. The graduation will be on May 31, 2022.
PulseMedica raises $2.6M as it prepares to launch laser treatment trial
PulseMedica has raised an oversubscribed $2.6-million seed round, which it largely plans to use to run its first clinical trial beginning in June.
Our Companies are Hiring
Head of Cell Sciences. The Head of Cell Sciences will oversee and manage the division of Cell Sciences at Future Fields - which exists to oversee the functional characterization of recombinant and insect-derived products and develop novel cell line and cell-derived products for commercial applications.
Test Engineer / Verification & Validation (V&V) Engineer. As a Test or V&V Engineer, your principal task will be to verify and validate the NÜPA Medical Device technology. The V&V Engineers will design, develop, and implement automatic test programs for design verification and production testing.
Meet our Community
Chief Executive Officer at Lumiio
1. What does health innovation/ innovation in health mean to you?
Health innovation to me means steps toward empowering patients to have the information and tools needed to own their health journey. My mental model of health innovation revolves around the 3 P's - proactive, predictive, and personalized.
- From a proactive perspective, we need to educate and incentivize people on understanding how important the day to day choices they make impact their health.
- Digital tools and technology are rapidly growing and have the ability to predict changes in health and disease progression that can inform real-time care. If we had the equivalent of a Check engine light notification for our health, I feel it would improve and save many lives.
- No two humans are the same. When there are multiple potential treatments for a disease or pathways to improve quality of life and how would you know which one is best for you? Innovative tools and technologies leveraging data and AI/ML are emerging that can identify the right treatment for the right person at the right time.
2. In your opinion, what is the state of the health innovation ecosystem in Alberta, Canada and globally?
In Alberta and Canada, I feel we are rich in ideas and talent, but poor in capital backing to commercialize. There are definitely success stories and pockets of innovation. For example, the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM) recently released the results of its 2020 Canadian Licensing Activity Survey, placing the University of Calgary as the top startup creation institution, a key metric in the research and innovation ecosystem. Both locally and globally, I feel COVID-19 has forced us to innovate in many ways. Telemedicine is one that stands out for me. I have a son with complex mitochondrial disease who is in 10+ specialist medical clinics. We can now streamline the many appointments through virtual meetings that save our family significant time.
Globally, I am truly inspired by the innovation that is happening in health. Developing COVID vaccines is a great example of how quickly we can solve a complex health problem when we allocate adequate resources. Other areas that stand out are molecular technologies and omics with new gene-editing technologies such as CRISPR. Wearables is another area that is seeing rapid innovation that will play an increasingly important role in remote monitoring and predictive analytics.
3. What motivated you to join the Health Innovation Hub?
To be part of the Alberta health innovation community to learn from others in our ecosystem and to give back where we can. We are big on collaboration and continuously seeking partners to work together as we grow.
4. How would you describe yourself in one sentence?
I am a life-long extreme endurance athlete and an optimist on a mission to help make the world a healthier place.
5. What is the one thing that you are most excited about right now?
Wearables - they are able to passively collect rich continuous data and there is so much insight that can be gleaned to identify changes in health or disease state to inform real-time care.
Funding & Wage Subsidies
Technology Alberta First Jobs
Through this completely funded paid part-time work experience and industry engagement program, Technology Alberta is matching up to 50 Alberta Technology companies with 50 Alberta Students/New Grad Participants. The application deadline is April 11.
Startup TNT Investment Summit V
Applications for Startup TNT Investment Summit V are now open! Startup TNT Investment Summits help raise capital for companies and introduces new Angels to the opportunities presented by innovative startups.
Resources & Opportunities
Executive Programme in Digital Health & Innovation
The Executive Programme in Digital Health Innovation aims to support experienced Professionals and Executives who want to spearhead innovation in digital health.
Canada-South Korea R&D Partnering
A call for proposals is now open to Canadian SMEs interested in receiving funding to support bilateral industrial research and development (R&D) projects with organizations in South Korea.
Community News & Events
TELUS Community Safety & Wellness Accelerator (CSW) Demo Day
Tuesday, April 19 | 10:30 a.m. Join the TELUS Community Safety & Wellness Accelerator (CSW) virtually on Demo Day to get to know the first group of startups! These local and international technology startups are innovating in the areas of mental health and wellbeing, addiction, accessibility, safety, misinformation and more.
Companies Growing Companies – Learn with Best Buy Health & AGE-WELL
Thursday, April 28 | 12:00 p.m. The Companies Growing Companies series, brought to you by Invest Alberta and Health Cities, will feature interactive conversations and lessons with experts in fields needed in various stages of company growth: product design, system integration, marketing, and capacity-building.
Top 20 Pitch Night - Startup TNT Investment Summit V
Thursday, May 12 | 04:00 p.m. 60 pitches. 3 Zoom parties. 4 in-person afterparties. At the TNT Investment Summit V, the goal is to raise at least $1,000,000 for Edmonton, Calgary, and Saskatchewan startups while engaging with local angel investors.
Digital Economy Program Q&A
Tuesday, June 7 | 01:00 p.m. This webinar is an introduction to the Digital Economy Program for small business owners who still aren't sure how a free digital transformation isn't too good to be true.
Articles
BioAlberta, in collaboration with Deloitte Canada, released the 2021 State of the Industry Report.
The author analyzed top companies by revenue across four sectors, measuring seven equally weighted factors, then analyzed what leading companies were doing differently.
It’s tax season: With all of your receipts in hand, it’s time to start organizing them to file your tax return for your business.
Follow us:
Stay Connected:
We strive for excellence in our work. If you have any feedback on how to elevate the content and the design of the newsletter, we welcome your feedback here. Thank you in advance!