Impact Centre

Global

Hatchery

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

ONRamp

Rotman School of Management

Startups

U of T Scarborough

UTEST

Startup companies from the ��Ƶ are racking up impressive performances at international pitch competitions – even as the pandemic forced the high-stakes events online.

“Two of the largest global pitch competitions that have happened in the last few months were both won by ��Ƶ startups,” says Jon French, director of U of T Entrepreneurship, the umbrella organization for U of T’s 11 entrepreneurship hubs.

“It’s a testament to the caliber of entrepreneurial talent at U of T and the fact that programming for student founders has not slowed down – it has ramped up virtually in response to COVID-19.”

U of T cleantech startup Genecis is one of the big winners. The company harnesses bacteria to turn food waste into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), otherwise known as biodegradable plastics that can used for everything from sustainable packaging to 3D printing.

Founded four years ago by U of T alumna Luna Yu, the startup was selected a Global Winner at this year’s Extreme Tech Challenge (XTC) in July – an event featured more than 2,400 competitors from nearly 90 countries.

“Winning at XTC over more than 2000 other startups really speaks to what we've been working on and the ability of our team to execute,” says Abdul Khogali, the company’s chief operating officer.

He added that the prestigious competition helped connect Genecis with potential investors, including Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang.

Genecis, founded four years ago by U of T alumna Luna Yu (far left), harnesses bacteria to turn food waste into biodegradable plastics (photo courtesy of Genecis)

U of T quantum computing tech startup Qoherent also notched a big win this summer – at Startupfest in Montreal, where it competed with over 500 startups from around the world and took home a $100,000 top prize.

Meanwhile, LSK Technologies, another U of T startup, won the $25,000 RBC Entrepreneur Award, the top prize at Toronto-based TiEQuest 2020 in June. Also at TiEQuest, medical device startup Steadiwear – which produces a tremor reducing glove designed for people with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease – walked away with the $2,500 Baylis Medical People's Choice Award.

Steadiwear also captured the Montreal Startup Festival’s highly sought Grandmother’s Choice Award, which is judged by a panel of seniors who serve as a kind of focus group for emerging products aimed at their demographic. At the same festival, U of T startup Integral Health, which is developing a smart digital assistant for surgeons, won the Next 36 Young Entrepreneur Award, joining an elite cohort of emerging company founders.

Daniel Szulc of U of T startup Integral Health, which is developing a smart digital assistant for surgeons (photo courtesy of Daniel Szulc)

While going virtual created enormous logistical challenges for pitch competition organizers, it also seemed to encourage a record numbers of competitors, making wins by U of T startups that much more impressive, according to French. He says entrepreneurship, innovation and research commercialization are more important than ever as Canada looks to bounce back from COVID-19 by rebuilding its battered economy.

“I'm looking at these virtual pitch competition victories as a proof that our companies are heading in the right direction,” he says.

The Genecis team says being nimble and adaptable have been key to its success this year – not only at XTC, but at the Novo Nordisk Innovation Challenge, where it captured the top prize of nearly $40,000, and at the 2020 Mondi Lead2030 competition, where it was also among the winners.

Khogali says the company – which earlier this year completed a program at Silicon Valley-based Y Combinator, one of the world’s premier startup accelerators – has shifted its initial focus away from manufacturing to the less capital-intensive business of licensing its process to industry partners.

He credits mentorship the team received from U of T professors and alumni, well as U of T incubators and accelerators such as The Hub at U of T Scarborough, the Entrepreneurship Hatchery and the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), for helping the Genecis team transform its ideas into a potentially disruptive business.

From left to right: Livia Guo, Assistant Professor Keith Pardee and Seray Cicek of LSK Technologies, which is developing a portable, “lab-in-a-box” technology to diagnose COVID-19 and other diseases (photo courtesy of LSK Technologies)

Qoherent founder Ashkan Beigi also says U of T played a key role in helping him grow his company, which aims to help scientists and engineers create wireless technologies and harness the power of machine learning.

Beigi says CDL, based at U of T’s Rotman School of Management, provided him with intensive entrepreneurial training, networking opportunities and a “road map” for the company. He also says the startup co-working space at U of T’s ONramp, shared with partner universities, provided him with an ideal working environment, albeit one he has had to abandon in recent months because of the pandemic.

“I’d love to go back to ONramp when we can because it’s a good space to be in, one of the best I’ve ever seen – and a great community to be part of,” he says.

Winning the Montreal festival suggests Qoherent is on the right track and underscores the value of the guidance he received from CDL and others, Beigi says.

Ashkan Beigi of Qoherent, which aims to help scientists and engineers create wireless technologies and harness the power of machine learning, says the Creative Destruction Lab played a key role in helping him develop the company (photo courtesy of Ashkan Beigi)

LSK Technologies, co-founded by U of T alumna Seray Cicek and Keith Pardee, an assistant professor in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, also credits U of T support as a key factor in the startup’s success. The company, which has also just been accepted into Y Combinator, received support from two of U of T’s campus-linked accelerators: H2i (Health Innovation Hub) and UTEST.

The portable, “lab-in-a-box” technology developed by the researchers was originally focused on other diseases, but the pair pivoted quickly to make COVID-19 a priority when the pandemic hit, Cicek says.

She is hopeful about getting their disease screening device to market early next year.

“We are looking forward to a world where we won’t be looking at a pandemic situation again,” Cicek says. “If we had been able to screen people better earlier this year, then perhaps we could be all meeting in person right now.”

Mark Elias and Emile Maamary are co-founders of Steadiwear, which makes a tremor reducing glove to help people with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (photo courtesy of Steadiwear)

For their part, Steadiwear co-founders Emile Maamary and Mark Elias say U of T’s expansive entrepreneurial ecosystem helped prepare them for high-pressure pitch and marketing competitions.

After spending early days working at the Impact Centre at the Faculty of Arts & Science, the pair are excited about getting a new, miniaturized version of their glove to customers.

“The original version essentially is like a sleeve that goes halfway up the forearm,” Elias says. “The miniature device doesn’t have any forearm elements and will be available for pre-order before the end of the year.

“It's a big difference when you’re competing in the market.”

Learn more about U of T Entrepreneurship

U of T and IIT Bombay to launch entrepreneurship program, shared innovation pipeline

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 19:50:10 +0000

U of T and IIT Bombay to launch entrepreneurship program, shared innovation pipeline

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/12/2020 - 15:50

Cutline

The new entrepreneurship program developed with the Indian Institute of Technology will be a key component of U of T's new Entrepreneurship Centre in Mumbai, India's financial capital (photo by Pramod Thakur/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

Topic

The ��Ƶ and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) are developing a new entrepreneurship program that will strengthen ties between the innovation ecosystems in Canada and India, benefitting startups in both countries.

The partnership will see the two top-ranked universities implement exchange programs for budding entrepreneurs, support research collaborations and develop a strong, two-way innovation talent pipeline.

The program will be an important component of U of T's new Entrepreneurship Centre in Mumbai, part of the upcoming U of T Centre in India, a wide-ranging collaboration that will also include the Indian affiliate of U of T’s School of Cities. Programming will include an innovation conference that alternates between Canada and India, startup competitions, workshops and sustained support for entrepreneurs.

There will also be opportunities for placements within the entrepreneurship hubs of select Indian companies.

“The ��Ƶ is delighted to build on our already strong relationship with IIT Bombay, an institution that’s recognized worldwide for excellence in teaching, research and innovation in the engineering and technology disciplines,” said Derek Newton, U of T’s assistant vice-president, innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship.

“As leading universities in Canada and India, each located in our respective countries’ commercial hubs of Toronto and Mumbai, this partnership will leverage our many commonalities, as well as our unique strengths, to promote research collaboration, knowledge-sharing and market access, while creating an environment where new business ideas can thrive.”

Poyni Bhatt, the CEO of IIT Bombay’s Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE), said the partnership will enrich entrepreneurship activities in both countries.

“SINE IIT Bombay is excited to work with U of T to leverage mutual synergies for startups from India and Canada,” she said. “We look forward to productive outcomes out of this partnership in the coming years.”

Both U of T and IIT Bombay are leaders in university-managed startup incubation.

Over the past decade, U of T has nurtured more than 500 startups that have secured more than $1.5 billion in investment. SINE, set up in 2004, has supported more than 150 startups that have raised more than $223 million in funding and created more than 4,000 jobs.

Exchange programs will be a central part of the new initiative, with U of T Entrepreneurship set to welcome IIT Bombay startups to Canada and curate their engagement with the Canadian innovation scene, and SINE doing the same for U of T startups in India.

Up to 30 U of T entrepreneurs will have the chance to go to India through the Mitacs Entrepreneur International program, allowing them to explore new business development opportunities. Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.

It’s an initiative that resonates with the entrepreneurs behind iMerciv, a U of T startup that developed a wearable mobility device for people with vision loss called the BuzzClip. Co-founded by U of T civil engineering alumnus and CEO Bin Liu and chief operating officer Arjun Mali, iMerciv received support from U of T’s Impact Centre accelerator, one of several U of T campus-linked entrepreneurship hubs. The company is active in India, where Mali’s family are longtime supporters of a school and orphanage for blind children – and where much of BuzzClip’s early testing took place.

Bin Liu, CEO of iMerciv, and Rylan Vroom, a digital accessibility expert who is one of iMerciv’s senior advisers (photo courtesy of iMerciv)

Mali said U of T’s partnership with IIT Bombay presents a great opportunity for entrepreneurs in both universities.

“The market potential in India is massive,” said Mali. “If your product is competitive when it comes to quality as well as cost, it can be a very large market for your business.

“That’s a key benefit for Canadian entrepreneurs who go and explore the Indian market.”

As for IIT Bombay entrepreneurs who get to take part in exchange programs in Canada, Mali said: “It’s about understanding how the culture and sales-cycle process work on this side of the world … learning how to take a company that’s growing in India and adapting that to make it essentially global.

“Toronto is a great stepping stone to go international.”

U of T Entrepreneurship Week: 10 startups to watch

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 21:45:09 +0000

U of T Entrepreneurship Week: 10 startups to watch

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 03/10/2020 - 17:45

Cutline

Catherine Chan of U of T startup Honeybee Hub, which connects researchers with study participants, speaks with attendees at the True Blue Expo in 2019 (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

Entrepreneurship Hatchery

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Medicine

Global

IBBME

Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Nutritional Sciences

Rotman Commerce

Social Entrepreneurship

From speeding the discovery of life-saving drugs to reducing the amount of plastic clogging the oceans, ��Ƶ entrepreneurs and their startups are engaged in tackling some of the most pressing challenges of the day.

Over the past decade, U of T has nurtured 500 startups that have secured some $1.5 billion in investment. Many of the companies were founded by students who sought to provide innovative solutions to problems. Others were launched by professors who were looking to implement their research in the real world.

What they all have in common is that they emerged from a university entrepreneurship ecosystem that’s ranked first in Canada and among the top 10 in the world.

With Entrepreneurship Week underway, here’s a look at 10 exciting U of T startups to keep an eye on in 2020:

Structura Biotechnology

(photo by Chris Sorensen)

When researchers in the United States worked to create the first 3D, atomic-scale map of the part of the novel coronavirus that infects human cells, a key step toward creating a vaccine, they relied on software created by U of T startup Structura Biotechnology.

Structura’s cryoSPARC program, which uses artificial intelligence to create 3D visualizations of protein, was spun out of Ali Punjani’s PhD research in computer science at U of T and was designed by alumnus Suhail Dawood. The startup received support from U of T’s UTEST accelerator.

The software enables scientists to visualize images captured using cryogenic electron microscopy, a Nobel Prize-winning technique that enables the capture of high-resolution photos of proteins by shooting electrons at frozen samples.

The technique has already garnered the attention of several big drug companies, but Punjani’s sister, Saara Punjani, the company’s chief operating officer, said the use of cryoSPARC in efforts to battle the coronavirus is an exciting development.

“Part of the reason we got into it is, at the end of the day, because we are looking to make a difference,” she told U of T News.

Roll Technologies

(photo couretsy of Roll Technologies)

Founded by U of T Scarborough alumnus Richard Cao, e-scooter startup Roll Technologies recently deployed 200 e-scooters and 50 electronic bikes (e-bikes) in Kelowna, B.C. after securing a deal with the city.

Cao’s father works in the e-bike and e-scooter manufacturing sector in China. That helped Cao formulate the idea behind Roll Technologies and develop some of the necessary connections. He then went to The Hub, U of T Scarborough’s startup accelerator, and worked with Director Gray Graffam, who set about differentiating Cao’s company from others in the burgeoning e-mobility space.

Originally from Shanghai, Cao described e-scooters as “a popular and effective form of shared mobility – and one that provides a green solution to a common urban transportation problem.”

BenchSci

(photo courtesy of BenchSci)

BenchSci, which uses machine learning to help scientists find the appropriate antibodies for their experiments, is backed by investors including Google’s Gradient Ventures, and counts some of the world’s top pharmaceutical companies among its clients.

The company grew out of frustrations experienced by Tom Leung, who, while working on his PhD in epigenetics, had experiments fail because his antibodies weren’t detecting target proteins. In search of a better solution, Leung reached out to David Chen, who was doing doctoral research in neuroscience, and Elvis Wianda, who was doing his PhD in medical biophysics.

The trio initially worked with U of T’s Entrepreneurship Hatchery and Health Innovation Hub (H2i) to get BenchSci up and running. They were later recruited to the Creative Destruction Lab by then-MBA candidate Liran Belenzon, who eventually joined the company as CEO.

Going forward, Belenzon says he envisions BenchSci “playing a crucial role in transforming scientists into ‘super-scientists’ and helping them get cures to patients faster.”

Ecopackers

(photo courtesy of Ecopackers)

Conceived by CEO Nuha Siddiqui during her time as president of the U of T chapter of the social entrepreneurship club Enactus, Ecopackers is on a mission to reduce the world’s reliance on single-use plastics.

The company, developed with support from the Creative Destruction Lab, got its start manufacturing biodegradable packing peanuts made from agricultural byproducts. It has since expanded into producing eco-resins that can be used by manufacturers in place of plastic.

Unlike many existing bioplastics, Ecopackers’ resin is designed to be compatible with existing manufacturing technologies and processes.

“We were one of the only eco-focused companies out there that wasn’t going against the plastic manufacturers – we were actually trying to work with them to develop products that worked with their technology,” Siddiqui, a Rotman Commerce graduate, told U of T News.

The all-woman leadership team behind Ecopackers – which also includes chief technology officer Chang Dong and chief operating officer Kritika Tyagi – is now working on pilot products with manufacturers around the world.

Cohesys

(photo by Erin Vollick)

Spun out of research by Professor Paul Santerre at the Faculty of Dentistry and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME), Cohesys is a biomedical startup that has developed a better alternative to the rigid metal plates and screws used to repair facial fractures.

The company’s BoneTape is a flexible, adhesive and degradable material that holds promise in improving surgery times, reducing complications and boosting outcomes for patients who undergo facial surgery.

Supported by UTEST and the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), Cohesys raised a total of $1.4 million in funding as it looks to pursue preclinical animal studies, biotechnology industry magazine BioWorld reported.

“This is the only adhesive that sticks to wet bone,” Michael Floros, CEO of Cohesys and a recent IBBME post-doctoral researcher, told U of T News last year. “There is no other tape for bones or anything similar out there.”

Reeddi

(photo courtesy of Olugbenga Olubanjo)

As an international graduate student at U of T, Olugbenga Olubanjo regularly spoke with family and friends in his native Nigeria over the phone, only to have the calls cut short due to power outages back home. He decided to do something about it – and Reeddi was born.

The company, which was nurtured by the Entrepreneurship Hatchery, provides portable energy via capsules that can be charged at solar-powered stations. Customers rent the capsules at affordable prices and earn credits when they return them on time.

Reeddi wants to bring clean and affordable energy to communities in Nigeria and beyond, with Olubanjo saying the startup has attracted interest from organizations and communities in countries like South Africa, Indonesia, India and the United States.

“Anywhere where there’s an energy or electricity issue is where we come into play. We want to be in as many countries as possible,” Olubanjo told U of T News.

AmacaThera

(photo by Roberta Baker)

A gel-based drug delivery system developed by U of T startup AmacaThera could eliminate the need to prescribe powerful painkillers after surgery – and reduce the risk of developing opioid addiction.

Developed in the lab of University Professor Molly Shoichet, in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry and IBBME, the gel is capable of significantly increasing the duration of anesthetics injected at the site of surgical incisions.

Whereas drugs delivered through conventional injections disperse in a matter of hours, AmacaThera’s solution is capable of keeping the anesthetic at the surgical site for up to three days.

“If this could obviate the need for people to take opioids in the first place, it would have a real societal benefit,” Shoichet told U of T News early last year.

AmacaThera is the third startup built on research from Shoichet’s lab. It received support from UTEST and the Creative Destruction Lab.

Honeybee Hub

Finding suitable participants for research studies can be an arduous and time-consuming process – something Honeybee Hub is looking to change.

Co-founded by CEO Catherine Chan (left) while she was pursuing her master’s degree in nutritional sciences, Honeybee Hub’s solution is an online platform that helps researchers find subjects for their studies and makes it easier for the public to find studies to participate in.

Chan got the idea while working on her master’s thesis and was encouraged to pursue it by her supervisor, Harvey Anderson, a professor in the departments of physiology and nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine.

She then partnered with co-founder Weiwei Li, who earned a master’s degree in applied science, with the company receiving mentorship and support from the Impact Centre.

“Researchers are spending too much time on advertising and administrative tasks rather than their expertise, and we want to change that,” Chan told U of T News.

Nanology Labs

(photo by Steve Southon)

Nanology Labs is a pharmaceutical startup that has developed a low-toxicity MRI contrast agent that can improve cancer detection.

Launched by Mohammad Ali Amini while he completed his PhD, Nanology Labs leverages over two decades of research in the lab of Amini's supervisor, Professor Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu in the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

The company’s innovative MRI contrast agent, called Manganescan, uses the element manganese, which naturally exists in the human body and is safer and less toxic than contrast agents made from gadolinium.

Built with support from numerous U of T accelerators including the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), UTEST and the Impact Centre, Nanology Labs has won several awards including the $25,000 top prize at the 2019 RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the True Blue Expo.

“If you want to be successful, create your own path,” Amini told U of T News last year. “This is what I’ve learned.”

Niu Body

(photo by Roberta Baker)

Co-founded by chemical engineering alumna Laura Burget, Niu Body creates skin-care products that are all-natural yet affordable.

Burget was inspired to start the company after taking a course on entrepreneurship and small business in her fourth year. She teamed up with Connie Lo, who has a background in business and accounting, and launched the company with an initial budget of only $4,000.

In just two years, the number of retailers carrying Niu Body’s products swelled from one to over 300.

“Consumers are demanding better quality, more natural ingredients and at an affordable price,” Burget told U of T News in September. “Our company’s mission is to create natural skin-care products that won’t break the bank.”

Burget credited her U of T engineering degree with her credibility in the business world.

“When I tell manufacturers and investors I have a chemical engineering degree, it tells them I know what I’m talking about and what I’m capable of.”

U of T Entrepreneurship Week: By the numbers

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 05 Mar 2020 18:49:58 +0000

U of T Entrepreneurship Week: By the numbers

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/05/2020 - 13:49

Cutline

The True Blue Expo, one of the most anticipated events during U of T's Entrepreneurship Week, will feature more than 60 startups (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Topic

The ��Ƶ is gearing up for its fourth annual Entrepreneurship Week, a celebration of U of T entrepreneurs and their startups.

Running from March 9 to 13, Entrepreneurship Week features an array of events hosted by U of T’s campus-linked startup incubators and accelerators, as well as other programming by U of T and its government and non-profit partners. There are startup showcases, pitch competitions, keynote talks, workshops, networking events and more.

Among the most highly anticipated events are the True Blue Expo, which will see dozens of startups showcase their innovations at the MaRS Discovery District; the 2020 RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship pitch competition, which offers $50,000 in prizes; and the RBC Innovation and Entrepreneurship Speaker Series, featuring entrepreneur, venture capitalist and Dragon’s Den judge Michele Romanow.

Here’s a rundown of some key numbers ahead of Entrepreneurship Week:

#1 RANKED U of T's ranking in research-based startups among Canadian universities

20 EVENTS Events making up Entrepreneurship Week

500 STARTUPS Startups created by entrepreneurs at U of T over the past decade

$1.5 BILLION Investment raised by startups at U of T over the past decade

1 – U of T’s rank in research-based startups among Canadian universities

10 – Startups vying for the RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

20 – Events making up Entrepreneurship Week

60 – Startups participating in the True Blue Expo

300 - Entrepreneurship-related courses offered at U of T

500 – Startups created by U of T entrepreneurs over the past decade

$1,000 – Prize money for the winner of the Startup Slam organized by the Impact Centre

15,000 – Size in square feet of ONRamp, U of T’s collaboration and co-working space for startups

$20,000 – Total prizes at Pitch With a Twist organized by ICUBE at U of T Mississauga

$50,000 – Total prizes at the RBC Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurship pitch competition

$1.5 billion – Investment raised by U of T startups over the past decade

Seven transformational things that happened at U of T over the past decade

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 21:19:44 +0000

Seven transformational things that happened at U of T over the past decade

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 12/20/2019 - 16:19

Cutline

(photo by Wei Fang via Getty Images)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

City & Culture

Indigenous Initiatives

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Black Grad

School of Cities

Artificial Intelligence

Boundless

Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab

Entrepreneurship Hatchery

Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work

Lester B. Pearson International Scholarship

Indigenous

Landmark

Meric Gertler

ONRamp

Research & Innovation

Research and Innovation

Rotman School of Management

Sustainability

Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre

Truth and Reconciliation

As we prepare to usher in a new decade, U of T News is looking back at some of the defining and impactful things that happened at the ��Ƶ over the past 10 years.

The U of T community has left an indelible mark on the 2010s by making groundbreaking achievements in artificial intelligence, taking strides toward Indigenous reconciliation and promoting sustainability throughout its operations – to name just a few. Many of these initiatives have set in motion ideas and actions that will pave the way for the university’s success for decades to come.

Here’s a list – admittedly a non-exhaustive one – of transformational things that happened at U of T over the past 10 years:

Campus Transformation

The Myhal Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship on the St. George campus (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

The past decade has seen U of T complete numerous construction and renovation projects as it continues to grow its campuses, expand the facilities available to students, faculty and staff, and lay the groundwork for more ambitious campus-building projects to come.

To take one, high profile example: The Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering last year opened the Myhal Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, a building designed to foster multi-disciplinary partnerships, experiential learning and entrepreneurship opportunities. Named after alumnus George Myhal and his wife Rayla, the building features technology-enhanced active learning rooms, dedicated space for student clubs and state-of-the-art fabrication facilities for design projects.

U of T also laid the groundwork for the Landmark Project, a major initiative to revitalize the historic core of the St. George campus and enhance sustainability and accessibility. The project will feature the expansion of pedestrian-friendly areas around King’s College Circle, Hart House Circle and Tower Road, and will replace parking spots for cars with green spaces, granite paths and an underground parking garage.

The Landmark Project will make the historic centre of St. George campus more pedestrian-friendly and add new green space (rendering courtesy of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc.)

The St. George campus is also the proposed site of a 14-storey building constructed from engineered wood, which is prized as an innovative building material due its low carbon footprint, structural integrity, fire-resistant properties and aesthetic appeal. Another landmark building is proposed for 90 Queen's Park Crescent, providing a home to U of T's School of Cities as well as numerous departments from the Faculty of Arts & Science.

At U of T Mississauga, it’s been a similarly eventful decade for campus-building. In 2011, the campus unveiled the Terrence Donnelly Health Sciences Complex. In August, U of T Mississauga acknowledged the Indigenous history of the land, the future of the campus and the university’s commitment to reconciliation by revealing the name of its newest building: Maanjiwe nendamowinan. Sitting on the site the former North Building, Maanjiwe nendamowinan is home to humanities and social sciences and features a six-storey atrium and event space, as well as 40,000 square feet of new classroom space that’s outfitted with cutting-edge technology and hundreds of new study spaces.

Maanjiwe nendamowinan at U of T Mississauga boasts 40,000 square feet of new classroom space that’s outfitted with cutting-edge technology (photo by Drew Lesiuczok)

At U of T Scarborough, national-level athletes, Varsity competitors and intramural sports participants alike can all take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities on offer at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. After opening to the public in 2014, the facility hosted several competitions during the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. It is now home to numerous national sport organizations and high-performance centres, while also offering U of T Scarborough students top-notch fitness and wellness facilities.

Wheelchair basketball players practise inside the Toronto PanAm Sports Centre (photo by Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

U of T Scarborough also opened the new Highland Hall building, creating a striking new gateway to the campus in addition to doubling the amount of space dedicated to students and adding faculty and administration space. And it unveiled the 500-metre Valley Land Trail, which was designed to offer accessibility and year-long enjoyment of the ravine abutting the campus.

Finally, the university recently completed comprehensive renovations of research labs across its three campuses. Driven by nearly $190 million in funding from the university, province and federal government, the upgrades increased the amount of space available for research activities, improved electrical and internet connectivity and will create utility savings and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability and climate action

The rooftop garden at U of T Scarborough (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Sustainability has been a central theme of U of T’s efforts to revitalize and expand its three campuses.

One of the most ambitious initiatives is the planned installation of a massive geo-exchange field beneath Front Campus. The project, part of U of T’s Low Carbon Action Plan, will see boreholes drilled deep into the ground to allow for storage of surplus heat. It is projected to yield annual greenhouse gas reductions of 15,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2024.

Sustainable design is also a hallmark of U of T Mississauga’s Maanjiwe nendamowinan, which has a 20,000-gallon rainwater re-use system, energy-efficient mechanical systems, green roof spaces and a green-cleaning initiative, and U of T Scarborough’s Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre, which boasts eco-friendly features including 1,854 rooftop solar panels and underground cisterns to collect rainwater.

Physical projects aside, the university has also taken steps to incorporate sustainability into all levels of academia including working on developing curriculum pathways for sustainability-minded undergraduate students across the university.

At an institutional level, U of T has played a leadership role by engaging with the challenges posed by climate change on the world stage. In 2018, U of T joined 12 other leading research universities in North America to form the University Climate Change Coalition, which aims to mobilize resources, expand research partnerships and leverage expertise to help businesses, cities and regions implement research-driven climate solutions.

This year, President Meric Gertler attended the inaugural U7+ Alliance in Paris, where he briefed French President Emmanuel Macron on the alliance's commitment to sustainability. U of T has also hosted numerous speeches, conferences and symposia to further dialogue on climate change.

Artificial intelligence

U of T University Professor Emeritus ��Ƶ has been described as the “godfather of deep learning” (photo by Johnny Guatto)

Many predict that artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize everything from transportation to medicine – and some of the most exciting work is taking place at U of T thanks to pioneers like University Professor Emeritus ��Ƶ, a Turing Award-winner who is known as the “godfather of deep learning.”

In bid to build upon its early lead in the field, U of T partnered with government and industry to launch the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in 2017 and is now attracting several of the most promising AI researchers from around world. Toronto, in turn, is benefiting from the arrival of global tech companies keen to establish an AI footprint in the city. For example, Google, Uber, Samsung and NVIDIA have all established or expanded AI labs in Toronto that are headed by U of T researchers.

U of T is also addressing AI through a multi-disciplinary lens following the launch of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society. Set to be housed in the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre, the institute leverages U of T's unique strengths across a wide range of fields to explore the role of humanities, social sciences, public policy and law in a rapidly changing technology landscape.

A global, inclusive student experience

Students at U of T were the first in Canada to organize a Black Grad event in 2017 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

By embracing diversity and expanding its international presence, U of T over the past decade has continued to further its reputation as an inclusive institution with a truly global outlook.

U of T’s student body has played a proactive role in this regard. For example, in 2017, U of T students organized Black Grad, Canada’s first ever graduation celebration for Black students. Black Grad has since gone on to become one of the most highly anticipated convocation-related events on the calendar. After two years of being held at Hart House on the St. George campus, Black Grad 2019 was hosted at U of T Mississauga in June and organizers say the first Black Grad of the new decade could be held at U of T Scarborough.

The year 2017 also saw the launch of the Lester B. Pearson International Student Scholarship, which brings some of the most talented and driven students from around the world to U of T. The 2019 cohort comprised 36 students drawn from 27 countries.

U of T has also continued to expand its international footprint by way of research agreements with academic and industry partners around the world. Meanwhile, the university’s commitment to equity and diversity has also been formalized in the Institutional Strategic Research Plan, which aims to ensure an inclusive environment and increase the presence of marginalized groups such as Indigenous Peoples, racialized persons, LGBTQ individuals and persons with disabilities.

Truth and Reconciliation

Skahendowaneh Swamp, a chair of Indigenous knowledge at the Chanie Wenjack School for Indigenous Studies at Trent University, is flanked by U of T President Meric Gertler (right) and Kelly Hannah-Moffat, vice-president of human resources and equity (photo by Lisa Lightbourn)

In early 2016, U of T President Gertler and Vice-President and Provost Cheryl Regehr established U of T’s Truth and Reconciliation Steering Committee in response to the federal Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s call to Canadians to engage in ongoing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.

The report produced 34 calls to action focusing on the following areas: Indigenous spaces; curriculum; students and co-curricular education; faculty and staff; research ethics and community relationships; and institutional leadership and implementation.

Since then, U of T has moved forward with a range of initiatives including the creation of the Master in Social Work, Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency program at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work; organizing an Indigenous Mentoring Day to match Indigenous job-seekers with employers at the university; and the appointment of academic advisers for Indigenous research and Indigenous curriculum and education.

The university is also launching an Indigenous Landscape project, to be installed on 4,500 square metres of Hart House Green, in response to the Truth and Reconciliation Committee's call for a “prominent, visible space at the very centre of the St. George campus be dedicated as an Indigenous space.”

“Indigenous students will be able to walk through campus and see an outdoor space and know it was created for them, with them and with their needs in mind,” said Shannon Simpson, U of T’s new director of Indigenous initiatives and co-chair of the Indigenous Landscape project.

The project is being planned on the basis of in-depth consultations with Indigenous groups at U of T and First Nations communities with historic ties to the area.

Innovation and entrepreneurship

U of T’s ONRamp co-working and collaboration space opened to entrepreneurs in 2017 (photo by Kenneth Cheung)

Over the past decade, U of T entrepreneurs have created more than 500 startup companies that have secured over $1.5 billion in investment and helped establish the university as an engine of Toronto’s thriving innovation scene.

U of T alone is home to more than 10 campus-linked accelerators that cater to startups at various stages of development. They include the Creative Destruction Lab, which was founded at the Rotman School of Management and has since expanded to seven other locations in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.; the Entrepreneurship Hatchery, which serves entrepreneurs in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering; ICUBE, based in the Institute for Management and Innovation at U of T Mississauga; and U of T Scarborough’s The Hub. Others include: UTEST, DCSIL (Department of Computer Science Innovation Lab), H2i (Health Innovation Hub), Impact Centre and InnovED.

Many entrepreneurs from U of T and partner universities work out of U of T’s ONRamp, a 15,000-square-foot space that opened in 2017 and offers co-working and collaboration spaces – not to mention ready access to downtown Toronto’s vibrant business community.

Unprecedented community support

The soon-to-be-built Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre will accelerate innovation in Toronto and Canada by creating the country’s largest university-based innovation node (rendering by WEISS/MANFREDI)

In March, U of T received $100 million from Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman – the largest single donation in its history. The funds are being used to support construction of the new Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre that will anchor U of T's growing cluster of AI scientists, biomedical experts and entrepreneurs.

But that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to supporting the university over the past decade.

Spanning a period of seven years, U of T’s Boundless campaign raised $2.6-billion from more than 104,000 donors in nearly 100 countries. The generous contributions from individuals, families, corporations and charitable organizations will go towards an array of initiatives aimed at accelerating research and educational opportunities, enriching the student experience and transforming the university’s three campuses to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.

What's more, the campaign saw endowments for student aid and student support cross the $1-billion mark for the first time in the university's history.

In an interview with U of T News this past summer, David Palmer, U of T's vice-president, advancement, said the Boundless campaign’s success suggests the best is yet to come.

"People ask me all the time: 'Have we exhausted the capacity of our donors and the time and efforts of our volunteers?' And I have to say we all feel we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of what we are capable of together, and what our donors and volunteers are so generously willing to do for us," Palmer said.

"We think there’s a very, very exciting future ahead of us right now."

U of T startup aims to make world more navigable for pedestrians, especially those with vision loss

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 13:54:03 +0000

U of T startup aims to make world more navigable for pedestrians, especially those with vision loss

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/14/2019 - 08:54

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Bin Liu, CEO of iMerciv, and Rylan Vroom, a digital accessibility expert who is one of iMerciv’s senior advisers (photo courtesy of iMerciv)

Topic

Research and Innovation

Startups

Whether you are driving or hopping in an Uber, you probably depend on a navigation app to get where you need to be.

But as handy as these tools are, they have significant drawbacks that leave behind many potential users, especially those with accessibility needs who travel on foot. ��Ƶ Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering alumnus Bin Liu aims to change that.

“Anything physical has an impact on the way we travel,” says Liu. “Potholes, narrow sidewalks, low hanging tree branches, construction – none of these things are considered by current solutions.”

Liu has spent a lot of time thinking about barriers to mobility. Five years ago, while studying civil engineering with a minor in engineering business, Liu met Arjun Mali, the future co-founder of their company iMerciv, at a poker game. The two students quickly discovered that they shared a love of entrepreneurship, as well as experience working with people who have impaired vision.

“I had recently learned that my dad has glaucoma, and Arjun grew up working at an orphanage and school for the blind in India,” says Liu. “We wanted to see if we could do anything to help.”

Initially, the pair planned to approach the challenge with a mix of hardware and software. But after talking to potential users they met through CNIB, they decided to focus on the hardware first.

The result was the BuzzClip, a discreet, wearable device that detects obstacles using ultrasound. Through haptic feedback in the form of a buzz that can be felt through the skin, the BuzzClip provides early warnings about objects up to three metres away.

“Canes and guide dogs are extremely useful, but they can have trouble detecting things that are above the waist,” says Liu. “Our sensor fills that gap.”

Mali and Liu developed their company with the support of the Impact Centre, one of U of T's many campus entrepreneurship hubs.

The BuzzClip has been a great success, with more than 3,000 units sold so far through a network of distributors in North America and Europe. Now, after five years and a lot of learning, the iMerciv team feels that the time is right to return to the software side of the problem.

MapinHood is a new navigation app designed especially for people with low vision. It maps obsctacles that affect pedestrians, from sidewalk construction to low-hanging branches (photo courtesy of iMerciv)

Their first step will be to gather information about potential hazards – from the quality of street lighting to the unevenness of pavement – that are ignored by current navigation apps.

Liu and his team have started using open-source information, but going forward they plan to fill in more details via crowdsourcing – that is, by asking volunteers to log hazards in real time using a simple app.

Based on this data, the team will then build a routing engine that is optimized for pedestrians, not vehicles. Through the use of artificial intelligence, the algorithm will be able to adapt to the travel preferences of individual users, including those with visual impairments.

“Every individual has different levels of mobility training and skill sets,” says Liu. “Over time, our app learns the user's preferences and provides personalized routing for them based on what is most important to their needs.”

Development of the app — which the team is calling MapinHood — will be supported in part by Microsoft’s AI for Accessibility program, which aims to harness the power of AI to amplify human capability for the more than one billion people around the world with a disability. iMerciv is one of 11 organizations that joined the program on Oct. 17.

Liu says the funding will help with both refining the optimization engine, and with the data collection. On the latter, the team plans to work closely with the network of volunteers identified through their partnership with CNIB, an approach that Liu says has been key to the success of iMerciv so far.

“No matter how many market research reports you read, there is no substitute for talking to real people,” he says. “They can give you small hints and details that really add up to paint what is sometimes a very different picture. Getting that early on saves you a lot of time and effort down the line.”

Startup built by U of T alumni helps researchers recruit participants for research studies

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 15:24:55 +0000

Startup built by U of T alumni helps researchers recruit participants for research studies

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 10/18/2019 - 11:24

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Weiwei Li and Catherine Chan, both U of T alumni, built their startup after Chan experienced challenges recruiting and managing participants for research studies during her master's degree in nutritional sciences (photo courtesy of Honeybee Hub)

Topic

��Ƶ alumni Catherine Chan and Weiwei Li have developed a digital solution to reduce the time and money it takes for researchers to find suitable participants for their research studies. At the same time, they’ve also created an innovative way to encourage stronger public participation.

Chan has first-hand experience with the challenges of participant recruitment and management. As a master’s student in the department of nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, she spent much of her time looking for people to participate in her study on how faba bean pasta affects glycaemia, satiety, and metabolic control in young adult males.

Frustrated, she saw other university researchers spending a large portion of their time and budget on recruitment.

“Researchers are spending too much time on advertising and administrative tasks rather than their expertise and we want to change that,” says Chan.

“The goal of human-based research studies is to get important data that will help researchers create a better community for everyone to live in. Difficulties in recruitment delay research outcomes that could change lives.”

Chan’s solution was Honeybee Hub. Instead of paper notices on cluttered bulletin boards and ads on public transit and radio, the startup provides a platform where academic researchers can post research studies that are actively recruiting participants. At the same time, the general public can use Honeybee Hub to find interesting studies to join.

Chan (left) first got the idea as she was writing up her master’s thesis. With encouragement from her supervisor, Harvey Anderson, a professor in the departments of physiology and nutritional sciences in the Faculty of Medicine, Chan was accepted into Techno, the entrepreneurship training program at the Faculty of Arts & Science’s Impact Centre – one of several entrepreneurship hubs on campus.

“Catherine made a fantastic first impression – she came with a passion to solve a problem experienced by people at U of T and beyond and was absolutely determined to solve it,” says Leo Mui, the Impact Centre’s manager of entrepreneurship programs.

“We were delighted to help her start her company.”

Chan soon partnered with Li, who received two applied science degrees from U of T’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, to found Honeybee Hub.

The Impact Centre provided Honeybee Hub with mentorship and workspace through its startup incubation process.

Recognizing the importance of data security, Chan and Li built an anonymous and encrypted chat feature to ensure secured communication. By replacing other instant messaging platforms, social media chats and third-party emails, participants can join studies without the risk of compromising their online identities.

Heartened by the willingness of U of T researchers to use their website, Chan and Li plan to launch a mobile app in November to better communicate with potential participants and busy researchers.

“Recruitment for research study participants was challenging because people didn’t know what opportunities existed and they aren’t aware of how rewarding it can be to take an active part in research,” says Chan. “The participants from my pasta study asked me where they could join more studies but I had no idea where to direct them.

“Now, I can tell them to visit HoneybeeHub.ca.”

U of T pharmacy grad co-founded startup that promises to help detect and treat cancers

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 06 Jun 2019 18:54:47 +0000

U of T pharmacy grad co-founded startup that promises to help detect and treat cancers

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 06/06/2019 - 14:54

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“Our nanoparticulate system uses manganese and can simultaneously detect cancer using MRI and improve radiation therapy by sensitizing cancer cells,” says Mohammad Ali Amini, the co-founder and CEO of Nanology Labs (photo by Steve Southon)

Topic

Global

Innovations & Partnerships Office

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Research & Innovation

UTEST

When Mohammad Ali Amini receives his PhD from the ��Ƶ this week, he will also be celebrating the successful rise of Nanology Labs, the startup he launched while completing his research at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy.

Based on technologies invented in the lab of Professor Xiao Yu (Shirley) Wu over two decades, Nanology is developing an innovative low-toxicity MRI contrast agent that circumvents the limitations of other MRI contrast agents currently available to detect and treat brain cancer.

“Our nanoparticulate system uses manganese and can simultaneously detect cancer using MRI and improve radiation therapy by sensitizing cancer cells,” says Amini.

Manganese, an element that already exists in the human body, is safer and less toxic than MRI contrast agents made of gadolinium, which comes with a U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning.

In addition to concerns about toxicity, current MRI contrast agents are not sensitive enough to catch cancer early, says Amini. “We lack means for early-stage brain cancer detection in clinics. Roughly 65 per cent of brain cancer patients are diagnosed at later stages and, in North America, roughly 20,000 people a year lose their lives.”

Patients would receive an injection of the agent, which passes the formidable blood-brain barrier. It then illuminates and oxygenates the tumor to improve radiation therapy performance. To date, Amini has seen promising results in various pre-clinical models. The goal is to move the technology toward first-stage clinical trials.

Connecting with U of T’s Innovations & Partnerships Office and several U of T-based accelerators, including the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), UTEST and Impact Centre, helped Amini understand how a technology could be translated into commercialization and patient care. He got advice on how to conduct market research, write a good business plan and effectively explore the feasibility of his idea.

“It’s a very challenging path and it is a huge learning curve for scientists – you have to be persistent and passionate and believe in yourself and the technology,” says Amini, who completed a degree in veterinary medicine in Iran before joining Wu’s lab in 2013.

He also credits Wu, who is both a co-founder of Nanology Labs and his doctoral supervisor, for providing him with the necessary support and opportunities.

During Wu’s 25-year academic career, her lab has invented many delivery technologies with issued or pending patents.

“However,” she says, “there is a huge gap between patenting technologies and developing nanomedicine products to provide benefits to patients. Trainees, like Mohammad, with a strong passion to lead a startup to develop technologies into products, are extremely valuable. I am delighted to see the success that Nanology has achieved at this early stage under his leadership.

“Mohammad has set a role model for other trainees who may explore entrepreneurship as their career path, especially with an aim to commercialize technologies for which they have been involved in the invention.”

Nanology is the first startup to come out of the Wu lab.

While Amini has entertained offers to pursue a post-doctoral degree from other institutions, he has decided to stay the course as CEO and co-founder of Nanology Labs.

Since June 2018, Nanology Labs has picked up significant funding support from several entrepreneurship pitch competitions, including $50,000 from the Ontario Brain Institute's ONtrepreneurs program, $25,000 from MaRS HealthKick Pitch Competition 2019, and the $25,000 first prize at this year’s RBC Prize for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, an annual pitch competition and finale of the True Blue Expo, the capstone event of U of T’s Entrepreneurship Week.

The financing Amini has secured will help the company manufacture the agent formulation and lead to additional pre-clinical studies for safety evaluation. He will also be part of the Creative Destruction Lab’s (CDL) Super Session, an annual showcase of CDL’s graduating early-stage tech companies. The CDL Super Session 2019 is taking place June 12-13 at U of T’s Rotman School of Management.

When he began his PhD six years ago, Amini did not envision he would be leading a startup company. His takeaway?

“If you want to be successful, create your own path,” he says. “This is what I’ve learned.”

Like TIFF for tech: Collision conference shines a spotlight on city’s booming innovation scene

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 16 May 2019 16:26:48 +0000

Like TIFF for tech: Collision conference shines a spotlight on city’s booming innovation scene

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 05/16/2019 - 12:26

Cutline

U of T President Meric Gertler and alumnus Allen Lau, the CEO of Wattpad, will be among the conference's more than 600 speakers, while several U of T startups will be in attendance (photo courtesy of Collision)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Global Lens

Schwartz Reisman Innovation Centre

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence