Focus: The right stuff: health innovation at Waterloo
The underpinnings of investment, infrastructure, and talent have started to shape organization of health innovation at Waterloo, building on Waterloo’s academic, research, and commercialization strengths.
In August 2021, FedDev Ontario funded the Southern Ontario Health Innovation Partnership, led by Waterloo’s Velocity program. The investment is vital to developing the Innovation Arena. This infrastructure will co-locate health tech founders at the earliest stages of business building in an environment singularly focused on equipping and guiding new enterprises. New funding proposals that are already in progress are expected to amplify health tech capabilities at the Innovation Arena.
Sixteen existing health tech startups, many connected to research initiatives at Waterloo, are already working at Velocity, using their combined talent to advance health technology solutions. Meanwhile, Velocity is further refining supports for medical device and biotechnology startups by commissioning workflows to support commercialization of existing startups. More heath tech founders are on track to locate at the Innovation Arena, which is on schedule to open late 2023.
Jump to: AR Goal 1 | Advancing Research Goals
Spotlight on existing health tech Innovation Arena startups
HyIvy Health: using tech to support women’s pelvic health
Cobionix: using robots to improve health care productivity
Aiimsense: bringing diagnostic to first response for stroke treatment