March 25, 2025 – The winning pitch at FACIT’s sold-out annual Falcons’ Fortunes pitch competition and recipient of the $100,000 Ernsting Entrepreneurship award was delivered by Dr. Waël Hanna, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of NodeAI Diagnostics (“NodeAI”). The Hamilton, Ontario based start-up is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to improve the speed and accuracy in evaluating and staging non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The innovation is poised to address a long standing gap in lung cancer diagnostics that can better inform treatment decisions and ultimately improved patient outcomes.
Category: News
FACIT and OBIO® announce inaugural WeSEED cohort of women-led start-ups in joint seed capital and commercialization program
March 6, 2025 – The Women’s Synergistic Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (WeSEED) program leverages the combined, complementary capital, expertise and resources of OBIO® and FACIT. The resulting synergies provide a continuum of seamless support and lower barriers faced by women STEM leaders in accessing business training, advisory resources, networks and venture funding.
Idea to Investment Podcast: How FACIT’s support propels early cancer innovations
January 17, 2025 – FACIT’s David Koehler, Director of Fund Operations, appeared on TechAlliance’s Idea to Investment podcast along with Saumik Biswas, President, CEO and Founder of Tenomix Inc. based in London, Ontario. Tenomix’s advancements exemplifies how FACIT’s continuum of commercialization programs can strategically capitalize on homegrown talent and innovations to spur promising start-ups to grow roots in Ontario and bring cancer solutions to benefit patients sooner.
Read More from Idea to Investment Podcast: How FACIT’s support propels early cancer innovations
Esphera SynBio closes seed financing round to advance their lead designer cancer vaccine
January 7, 2025 – FACIT congratulates portfolio company, Esphera SynBio (“Esphera”), on successfully securing seed financing and strategic partners to continue developing bespoke cancer immunotherapies using their proprietary engineered exosome-based platform for improved vaccine efficacy.
Pitch Your Cancer Innovation at Falcons’ Fortunes 2025
December 12, 2024 – Call for entrepreneurs and scientists to pitch your Ontario-made cancer innovation for a chance to win the $100,000 award. Falcons’ Fortunes is FACIT’s premier event to celebrate and grow the entrepreneurial spirit within the cancer research community. Apply by January 17, 2025.
Read More from Pitch Your Cancer Innovation at Falcons’ Fortunes 2025
Wishing you a Happy Holiday!
December 12, 2024 – Season’s Greetings!
From the Ontario life sciences community, your friends at FACIT wish you and your family a safe and enjoyable holiday season.
We look forward to collaborating with you in 2025.
FACIT investment in cTRL Therapeutics focuses cell therapy R&D on Ontario for patients with cancer
October 10, 2024 – cTRL Therapeutics announced it is strengthening its research and development operations in Canada. Following an investment by FACIT, the company will establish a state-of-the-art laboratory and leverage Ontario’s world-leading cancer research network to accelerate advancement of its cancer therapeutics pipeline to benefit patients sooner.
Hyivy Health raises seed financing to modernize pelvic rehab to improve recovery from gynecological and colorectal cancers
September 27, 2024 – Hyivy Health announced the closing of a seed financing round to advance their game-changing Pelvic Health Rehabilitation System. Hyivy will now complete clinical trials and seek regulatory approval allowing their technology to benefit patients recovering from gynecological and colorectal cancers.
Radiant Biotherapeutics reaches milestone to advance its new class of therapeutics against complex cancers
September 11, 2024 – FACIT seeded start-up, Radiant Biotherapeutics (“Radiant”), announced the closing of Series A financing to advance the company’s proprietary multi-specific therapeutics for patients with complex cancers. Radiant’s unique multi-valent antibody platform, called Multabody™, generates best-in-class antibodies with superior potency against multiple target sites implicated in heterogenous diseases such as cancers and can potentially improve patient outcome.
FACIT portfolio company HDAX Therapeutics closes seed financing to target CNS cancers and neuropathies
September 5, 2024 – FACIT congratulates HDAX Therapeutics (“HDAX”) on the closing of a seed financing round to develop their best-in-class HDAC therapeutics for the treatment of a serious cancer conditions. Capital from the investor group, which included an investment from FACIT’s Compass Rose Oncology Fund, will empower HDAX to address the debilitating neuropathic pain frequently experienced by patients with cancer.