I’m happy to be back after catching up on my summer reading and planning for a very busy fall in the Medtech space here in Quebec.
I’m even happier to announce that Centech’s Summer 2019 Medtech Cohort was the most successful yet, with the promise of even greater things to come.
In May, at the beginning of the summer cohort program, 12 Medtech start-up hopefuls began the intense three-month acceleration process.
And just last week, eight of these Medtech start-ups pitched their business plans to a jury of Medtech entrepreneurial experts including Dr Robert Amyot (former CEO, CAE Healthcare), Dr Kevin Lachapelle, Cardiovascular Surgeon, McGill, Jean-Pierre Robert (PDG, CTS) and others.
I am pleased to report that a record five of these teams qualified for the next phase of business growth: the two-year Centech Propulsion Program, where access to work space, team-building, mentoring and financial support are provided in a highly structured and supportive manner.
The five successful teams (click each link to view their pitch deck) are:
1. Eli Science Inc. (womens’ health and natural contraception)
2. Perceiv.ai (AI-driven precision medicine for Alzheimer’s)
3. BodyForm 3D (digital imaging in podiatry)
4. Denovogen (surgical imaging)
5. BetaSense (diagnostic imaging in cancer therapy)
Several of these start-ups have not only obtained early results, but have also succeeded in initiating pilot projects in Canada and the USA. I believe that all five prospects have strong potentials to become sustainable, game-changing players in their respective fields.
A quote from one of the team leaders:
“I cannot emphasize enough how the mentorship and advice we received has
put us on the right track from the start.
The Medtech field can be a complex one, but his clear step-by-step method
helped us develop a strong understanding of the start-up milestones to achieve and
how to go from a compelling business case all the way to commercialization.
This highly valuable input played a key role in securing our pre-seed financing.”
As each of these teams prepare for this coming Fall, Centech expects the growing interest and momentum for Medtech start-ups in Quebec to continue. Up to 15 new candidates will be applying for the Fall 2019 Acceleration Cohort, and will be subject to jury review over the coming few weeks.
I am very excited about our short- and long-term prospects in Medtech innovation at Centech, in Quebec and across Canada. Let’s all continue to work together to make this happen.
And what’s next for the blog? A series of posts on on describing, mapping and optimizing Quebec’s Medtech Ecosystem will be forthcoming over the next several months, as well as some personal news on my own growing involvement with a number of different stakeholders in Medtech here in Quebec, and more. Should be exciting times!