Portfolio Archives

Idea to Investment Podcast: How FACIT’s support propels early cancer innovations

Posted on January 17, 2025 (January 17, 2025) by Ricky

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.

Esphera SynBio closes seed financing round to advance their lead designer cancer vaccine

Posted on January 7, 2025 (January 7, 2025) by Ricky

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

Posted on December 12, 2024 (January 17, 2025) by Ricky

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.

FACIT investment in cTRL Therapeutics focuses cell therapy R&D on Ontario for patients with cancer

Posted on October 10, 2024 (October 15, 2024) by Ricky

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.

Radiant Biotherapeutics reaches milestone to advance its new class of therapeutics against complex cancers

Posted on September 11, 2024 (December 12, 2024) by Ricky

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

Posted on September 5, 2024 (December 12, 2024) by Ricky

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.

FACIT-seeded Fusion Pharmaceuticals acquired for up to US$2.4B by AstraZeneca

Posted on March 20, 2024 (September 5, 2024) by Ricky

March 20, 2024 – FACIT’s portfolio company Fusion Pharmaceuticals is being acquired by AstraZeneca for a total transaction value of up to $2.4 billion. Congratulations to the team at Fusion for building value over the last decade that will have a lasting impact on patients with cancer and the Ontario economy.

New Innovative Cancer Technology Wins 2023 Falcons’ Fortunes Pitch Competition

Posted on March 31, 2023 (September 25, 2023) by nicole

March 31, 2023 – The winning pitch for the 10th anniversary Falcons’ Fortunes pitch competition and the $100,000 Ernsting Entrepreneurship Award was delivered by Dr. Sumaiyah Rehman, co-founder and CEO of DTPx Therapeutics.

FACIT’s Prospects Fund invests in two emerging Ontario diagnostics for colorectal and prostate cancers

Posted on September 16, 2021 (September 13, 2024) by jeremy

September 16, 2021 – September 16, 2021 – Both innovations were previous finalists in FACIT’s 2021 Falcons’ Fortunes pitch competition.

FACIT leads seed round in Nanology Labs

Posted on May 18, 2021 (July 4, 2024) by jeremy

May 18, 2021 – May 18, 2021 – FACIT deploys Ontario First capital, enables rising local start-up to reach critical value inflection point. FACIT has previously supported Nanology, spun out of the University of Toronto, through both its early-stage Prospects Oncology Fund and seed-stage Compass Rose Oncology Fund.