Ryerson Venture Zone in Brampton announces nine startups for first-ever incubator
BRAMPTON – March 19, 2021 – The Ryerson Venture Zone in Brampton (RVZ) has unveiled the list of nine startups that will be participating in their first-ever incubator program. RVZ is the newest incubator to join Ryerson University’s acclaimed Zone-Learning network. The startups will be launching high-potential technology solutions that address prominent health and wellness issues in Brampton and across the Canadian healthcare system
RVZ launched in September of 2020 as a pre-seed, non-equity incubator that helps grow early-stage technology startups into market-ready ventures. The zone fosters strategic connections between aspiring entrepreneurs, current founders, corporate executives and key industry partners to build solutions that address hyper-local issues in the Brampton community.
“There is a spotlight on the current gaps that exist across Canada’s healthcare system. With the collective help from Ryerson Venture Zone and our partners, these nine startups are going to fill in those gaps and create a lasting impact in the community.” said Usha Srinivasan (external link, opens in new window) , Director of RVZ Brampton. “We are giving founders access to our industry-leading partners in an environment that will foster direct communication, creativity and help develop strategic approaches to launching their solutions in the market. These ideas will support not only the Brampton community, but the Canadian technology sector as a whole.”
The incubator program kicked off on March 15th, 2021. Current startups include:
MedEssist (external link) - MedEssist turns local pharmacies into modern, proactive healthcare hubs within their communities. Through these healthcare hubs, MedEssist streamlines the process for vaccinations by matching available patients to doses as they arrive at healthcare sites.
Current Care Technologies (external link) – Current Care Technologies is the brain behind “Oh band”- a smart wearable device that is creating a new standard for hand hygiene. Using sensor-based technology, the Oh Band not only prompts users to wash their hands, but also ensures that each hand wash meets the WHO hygiene standard.
MedaKi Pharma (external link) - MedaKi connects individuals to local pharmacies through a map-interface and allows them to order non-prescription products such as Tylenol, vitamins, and feminine hygiene products online.
Ellerca Health (external link) - Ellerca Health is a lifestyle and behavioral health solution for people with chronic conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, providing comprehensive health coaching, health tracking and remote monitoring all through the convenience of an app.
Poktor Health (external link) - Poktor is a technology platform that helps patients understand their symptoms, provides self-care options and connects them with geolocation-based service providers such as pharmacies, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
rEVEN AI – Over 50 per cent of referrals from healthcare facilities never get completed. rEVEN is building a platform to address this problem.
Nymo - Nymo bridges the gap between dentists, patients, and their insurance companies by partnering with dental offices and helping to automate their insurance verification process.
DocTalk Inc. (external link) - Doctalk is focused on an application that dramatically improves the unique needs of physician resident education with a competency-based learning approach.
HealthBank (external link) - HealthBank is building the world's first financial and transactional operating system for the future of healthcare. Their technology eliminates real-time payments and other transactional friction between healthcare providers, pharmacy chains and insurance carriers.
These nine startups have each been awarded an RVZ Incubator Fellowship, a $20,000 non-repayable, non-dilutive grant, part of the RVZ Entrepreneurship Fund. RVZ does not charge a fee or take any equity in the companies it serves, and founders retain 100% of their own intellectual property.
The startups will spend six months validating their minimum-viable-product through weekly mentorship and will present their solutions to key industry partners such as Dynacare (external link) , William Osler Health System (external link) and SE Health (external link) , who will provide industry knowledge, early product feedback and guidance towards potential pilot opportunities.
Follow Ryerson Venture Zone in Brampton on:
Instagram: @rvzbrampton (external link)
Facebook: @rvzbrampton (external link)
Twitter: @rvzbrampton (external link)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ryerson-venture-zone-in-brampton/ (external link)
About Ryerson University
Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education. Urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the University is home to more than 46,000 students, including 2,900 Master's and PhD students, 3,800 faculty and staff, and over 200,000 alumni worldwide.
Media Contact
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