investment Archives

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

Posted on January 17, 2025 (March 26, 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 (March 26, 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.

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

Posted on October 10, 2024 (March 6, 2025) 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.

Hyivy Health raises seed financing to modernize pelvic rehab to improve recovery from gynecological and colorectal cancers

Posted on September 27, 2024 (December 12, 2024) by Ricky

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

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.

Mind the Gap Canada!

Posted on June 27, 2024 (December 12, 2024) by Ricky

June 27, 2024 – Importance of FACIT and other seed stage venture groups in building the local innovation ecosystem. Life sciences commercialization in Canada has a seed venture financing gap where companies fail to establish local roots and intellectual property gravitates to the US, reinforcing the export of jobs and industry experience.

Newsweek: The New Era of Life Sciences 2024

Posted on May 15, 2024 (December 12, 2024) by Ricky

May 15, 2024 – FACIT President discusses early-stage investing in Canada in an interview with Newsweek’s Investment Reports and appeared in The New Era of Life Sciences 2024. FACIT is an innovative organization focused on bridging the gap between cancer research breakthroughs and their commercialization, thereby accelerating the journey of scientific discoveries from the laboratory to the marketplace.

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.

FACIT portfolio company Tenomix secures an all-Canadian investment round for colorectal cancer diagnostic

Posted on March 1, 2024 (March 20, 2024) by Ricky

March 1, 2024 – FACIT congratulates London, Ontario based Tenomix Inc. (“Tenomix”) on successfully reaching a key milestone in closing its latest financing round to help propel the medtech start-up. Tenomix’s bench-top device will save time and costs by automating the process of lymph node identification in resected tissue while providing more accurate cancer staging for better patient care.