MedTech Accelerator Announces First Cohort of Start-Up Companies

As reported in Betakit, L-SPARK, a leading Canadian start-up and technology accelerator that provides mentorship and access to investors, advisors, partners, and customers to high-growth companies, recently announced the eight start-up companies that are participating in its medical technology accelerator program. These eight companies are Chirp, Dispension, HelpWear, Home Health Systems, Hyivy Health, LocateMotion, NERv Technology, and Qidni Labs. The start-ups in this first cohort of companies offer a range of healthcare solutions from remote vital sign monitoring to wearable blood purification systems.

The TELUS L-SPARK MedTech Accelerator was launched in 2020 as a joint collaboration between Telus, Blackberry, Solace, and the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (“CIRA”). The accelerator is a six-month virtual program that provides business mentorship and facilitates relationships with healthcare organizations to Canadian healthcare start-up companies. As reported in Canadian Healthcare Technology, the accelerator provides the start-up companies with access to a technology platform, designed by Telus, BlackBerry, Solace, and CIRA, “that will enable medical devices to be securely connected from any location to facilitate data collection and analysis”.

The technology platform “allows innovators to quickly advance the creation, integration, and commercialization of connected medical devices and associated software” and, as a Canadian-made platform, will also strengthen the Canadian supply chain of healthcare solutions. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth applications are increasingly important. As Leo Lax, executive managing director of L-SPARK stated, “the ability to deploy various health monitoring devices that can securely connect patients and clinicians remotely will further enhance the accessibility of care”.

Author: Andrew Patel