Scott McAuley

University of Toronto alumnus Abraham Heifets has spent the past seven years channeling his love of science and a desire to impact the world into Atomwise, a company that is applying the latest advances in neural networks to make better drugs faster.

He credits his graduate school experience as a remarkably good training ground for launching a startup. “As a scientist, especially a grad student, you have to figure out how to be scrappy and to answer a question,” said Heifets. “That is what a startup is. You have a whole series of hypotheses, and you have to run a whole series of experiments to prove or disprove them, iterate and do it again. As a scientist, the mental process is exactly the same.”

Yesterday, the Impact Centre hosted Heifets as the latest speaker in the RBC Entrepreneurship and Innovation Speaker Series. The event, supported by Canada’s largest bank, aims to engage and inspire U of T students to embrace a more entrepreneurial spirit as they work on their studies.

While the technology of machine learning might be complex, Atomwise is built on a simple idea. Pharmaceuticals is one of the only industries that builds and tests millions of prototypes – in this case individual molecules – to find one that could act as a drug. From automotive to construction to aerospace, new products are extensively simulated with computers before anything is ever built or tested. Atomwise is bringing this idea to drug discovery by repurposing the ideas behind image recognition algorithms to help companies narrow the number of molecules they need to test, bringing new life-saving saving therapies to the clinic faster.

Before raising over $50 million in funding and working with large pharmaceutical companies like Merck, Pfizer and Abbvie, as well as over 100 academic research groups, there was a lot of coffee and a desire to have an impact.

“In 2011, I was a PhD student,” said Heifets, “and the genesis of what would eventually become Atomwise was that a buddy of mine, Izhar Wallach, we would go get coffee together.”

“As a scientist, especially a grad student, you have to figure out how to be scrappy and to answer a question,” said Abraham Heifets (right) on Wednesday night at ONRamp. “That is what a startup is."

They would talk about the rising interest in machine learning, the new datasets that were becoming available and possible research questions.

But it was in 2012 that the pair decided to apply for Techno, the Impact Centre's training program for transforming scientific insights into startup companies, and began their startup journey.

The standing-room-only Speaker Series audience at U of T Entrepreneurship’s ONRamp heard about those early days of the company. “The first couple of years were really, really tough,” he said. “I have to say, without the Impact Centre Atomwise wouldn’t exist. Our first office was a closet, but it was an office, and that was a big deal.”

There was also the time when Atomwise almost broke up because they had come close to running out of money and Wallach was going to have to go back to Israel. But the Impact Centre was able to award him a commercialization post-doctoral fellowship for a year, and he was able to stay and continue working. “You always hear that startups have several near-death experiences, and this was one of them.”

Further grants and fellowships from the Ontario Centres of Excellence, the Ontario Brain Institute, and Grand Challenges Canada allowed the company to bootstrap its way to improving its technology, building partnerships, and developing a business plan. After participating in the Creative Destruction Lab's first cohort of companies, they applied to the Y Combinator accelerator program in California and received their first $6 million of investment in 2015.

“Atomwise is an excellent example of bringing the deep science being developed at U of T to society,” said Professor Cynthia Goh, director of the Impact Centre. “Their success is inspiring to other students, researchers and faculty who want to see their discoveries make an impact on the world.”

The company has since grown their team to 32 people, expanded their academic and industry partnerships, and completed a $45 million round of funding earlier this year. While they now call California home, Heifets quickly acknowledges their close connection to Toronto.

“There is incredibly strong machine learning talent, a lot more money has come up, and there is an international focus and a breadth of both the people who come here and the perspective that people have,” he said. “These are real advantages for both Toronto and Canada.”

“What is so inspiring is Abraham Heifets's wisdom, his perspective, and his ability to apply new thinking to a challenging problem,” said Professor Scott Mabury, vice-president, university operations at U of T. “Atomwise started with such a persuasive vision, grounded in their time at U of T, and demonstrated the critical role the Impact Centre played in connecting the team’s desire to address a hard problem with the folks who could help make it a reality.”

A U of T holiday gift guide

ullahnor — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 16:57:20 +0000

A U of T holiday gift guide

ullahnor Wed, 12/14/2016 - 11:57

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U of T's Happy Pops under the Christmas tree

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Been putting off holiday shopping? Need ideas for last minute holiday gifts? Students and alumni from across the University of Toronto are creating new and exciting products that can fit everyone on your list.

For the sweets lover: Think ice pops are only for the summer? Think again. Happy Pops ice pops are handcrafted in Toronto using all-natural ingredients. With a multitude of flavours, and at only 50–75 calories each, they make the perfect gift or desert for your holiday party. For those who want to indulge, they also have ice cream bars in festive flavours including peppermint, chestnut and cranberry-white chocolate cheesecake.

For the health buff: Slouch no more and take work stress away with Posture Performance Apparel by Adrenalease. Using patented reflex bands technology, their Posture Performance garments engage your shoulder muscles and reinforce healthy correct posture. Get their Posture Shirt, Posture Tank or the new Posture Bra for your loved one this Christmas or to help fulfill your New Year’s resolution. Take advantage of their Christmas 20 per cent off sale and use coupon code "SAVE20."

For the restless: Give someone the gift of sleep this Christmas. Somnitude develops eyewear designed to promote sleep. The glasses are infused with a specialized pigment that filters 99 per cent of the blue light that causes sleep disruption. Made from a lightweight, shatter resistant polycarbonate material – the glasses are ideal for those who work on their laptops or use their phone at night. The glasses promote sleep the natural way, allowing you to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for your day.

For the snowbirds: If you are escaping the cold this Christmas and heading to the beach, QTemp is a perfect holiday gift for you, your friends and family. Created by Comfable, the QTemp pairs with your phone and lets you know when and how to seek sun protection based on your skin type and the environment. Even if you are staying in the cold, QTemp can help you to stay safe in the sun while enjoying winter sports.

For the charitable: Noemi and Cory are 8-year-old girls from a remote Indigenous community in Mindanao, Philippines. Their school has a board, a chalk and whatever the teacher can find in the community. For $20 you can enhance the learning experience of 20 kids with a kit to teach them how to purify water. The goal of Pueblo Science is to inspire children like Noemi and Cory to turn their childhood curiosity into a passion for lifelong learning and discovery that could break them out of the cycle of poverty.

Learn more about entrepreneurship courses, incubators and accelerators at the University of Toronto through U of T Entrepreneurship.

Bringing real conversations with entrepreneurs to U of T

ullahnor — Wed, 30 Nov 2016 20:52:17 +0000

Bringing real conversations with entrepreneurs to U of T

ullahnor Wed, 11/30/2016 - 15:52

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Panelists for a recent Entrepreneurship 100 included (from left to right) Zoran Duma, founder of NuVoxx; Cynthia Goh, director of the Impact Centre; Noureddin Chahrour, founder of AdrenalEase; and the Impact Centre's Charles Plant

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In an era of "Dragon’s Den", Silicon Valley and TED Talks, there's a growing interest in what it means to be an entrepreneur.

How do you start? What does it take? Do you need a business degree? Where do you go for answers?

“There has been a proliferation of entrepreneurship events and online resources to help you start a business,” says Cynthia Goh, director of U of T's Impact Centre, a development hub for early-stage startups in the natural sciences and engineering, and academic director for the Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at U of T. “But so many of them are one-sided. We wanted to create a dialogue between those who are interested in entrepreneurship and the people who have lived it.”

That's why the Impact Centre launched "Entrepreneurship 100: Conversations." The weekly series, which began on Nov. 17, runs until Dec. 1, bringing together diverse panels of experienced entrepreneurs to have candid conversations with the audience about entrepreneurship.

“I attended the event because I wanted to gain new perspectives about entrepreneurship from the panel of speakers,” says Kyle Wang, a fourth-year student in biochemistry and pharmacology. “I wanted to see how the founders of new startups dealt with challenges in the idea-development process and how they overcame those barriers.”

Attendees have the opportunity to ask panelists questions during a structured discussion moderated by Charles Plant, an experienced entrepreneur and educator with the Impact Centre, as well as during one-on-one networking. In addition to the panelists, entrepreneurs from U of T’s Campus Linked Accelerators (CLAs) attend the networking sessions to share their experiences.

“During the panel and the networking sessions, I was able to speak with a few founders on how to work with limited cash,” says Wang. “I also learned that bootstrapping, where companies grow without investment, is common for new ventures.”

The first two sessions of the series focused on what it takes to be an entrepreneur and where entrepreneurs get their ideas. The panel discussed the drivers that inspired them to start their businesses, how they deal with risk, their visions for the future and how to support others looking to start their own companies.

For many in the audience, the event provided the first exposure to the idea of starting a business.

“I learned that in order to be a successful entrepreneur, money is simply not enough motivation. You need to have three key ingredients – passion, determination and grit,” says Sakshi Khanna, a fourth-year book and media studies student. “What I found surprising was that someone as young as Leila Keshavjee could start her own company right after obtaining her degree, and that too, with a degree not related to entrepreneurship. I think it was reassuring for many students in the audience.”

Organizers say the most exciting part of these conversations is inspiring students who thought entrepreneurship wasn’t something available to them.

“To be honest, I had never given entrepreneurship that much thought earlier on,” says Khanna. This event put things into perspective for me, and I realized that it certainly might be an option in the future. The idea of innovating something and putting it out there really appeals to me.”

The final session of "Entrepreneurship 100: Conversations" is taking place from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday. The panel, made up of three entrepreneurs, will discuss what to do in the first 100 days of starting a company and who can help along the way. The event is free.

QTemp: a weather station you can wear

sgupta — Tue, 15 Dec 2015 05:13:30 +0000

QTemp: a weather station you can wear sgupta Tue, 12/15/2015 - 00:13

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Startup got started with Banting & Best's Impact Centre

Living in Canada means living with unpredictable weather. Neda Ghazi and Alireza Monam, co-founders of Comfable, have made it their goal to help people lead healthier and more comfortable lives with QTemp, a wearable weather station.

The compact smart device provides users with the temperature and UV index in their exact location in real time. Based on customizable settings, the device also tracks “safe sun time” and tells users how long they can stay outdoors before getting sunburnt or developing skin damage.

“We wanted to create a gadget that was easy to use but still had a positive impact on people’s lives,” said Ghazi, the chief operating officer. “Comfable has given us the opportunity to apply our PhD and postdoctoral research along with our passion for urban climate, sustainability and energy efficiency into a product that turns this aim into reality.”

QTemp works with a companion app that displays all the information collected by the battery-free gadget onto an Android or iOS device. The information provided is customizable, allowing users to select their individual skin type, altering the safe period of time you can spend in the sun.

According to Cancer Care Ontario, one in seven Ontarians will develop skin cancer, mostly because of overexposure to the sun. Ghazi and Monam (pictured at right) hope this product will increase awareness of sun overexposure and decrease rates of skin damage.

QTemp can provide data communities as well as individuals. The app provides a platform to generate a map based on data shared by users. The map includes precise temperatures inside and outside public spaces like stadiums, theaters or a local festivals. The bigger the community, the more detailed and more precise the map.

“Being an entrepreneur means trying your hand at a bit of everything,” Ghazi said when asked about the transition from academic research to consumer production. “It’s a fast-paced learning environment and always calls for a different type of skill from IT, product design to business development and marketing.”

The company has been leveraging the resources of the University of Toronto to help accelerate QTemp’s development. Both Ghazi and Monam participated in the Techno2015 hands-on summer workshop organized by the Impact Centre, one of U of T’s nine campus-linked accelerators. The company has also hired student interns through the Impact Centre’s IMC390 course, which is dedicated to internships in new ventures.

“QTemp is a wonderful innovation and a great example of a practical use of technology,” said Karen Sievewright, managing director of U of T's Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (BBCIE). “U of T’s Impact Centre has stayed true to its name, fostering Comfable’s entrepreneurial spirit and helping them create a product with a potentially huge retail impact.”

Interested in entrepreneurships and startups at U of T? Visit the BBCIE

Comfable recently launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for QTemp. By pledging $19 towards the project on Kickstarter, supporters will receive their very own QTemp just in time for summer, 2016. Comfable is also releasing a software development kit (SDK) so other developers can integrate QTemp into their work.

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Tiny device from U of T startup helps blind and partially sighted people navigate daily life

sgupta — Tue, 10 Nov 2015 10:56:55 +0000

Tiny device from U of T startup helps blind and partially sighted people navigate daily life sgupta Tue, 11/10/2015 - 05:56

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“The BuzzClip detects obstacles within the wearer’s immediate surroundings and provides intuitive vibrations at different frequencies depending on the distance to the object,” says Bin Liu (all photos courtesy iMerciv)

Scott McAuley

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Social Entrepreneurship

There's a story behind the Buzzclip – a clip-on device that detects obstacles in the path of blind and partially sighted people and uses vibration to alert them to obstructions ahead.

And the story begins in India.

That's where Arjun Mali spent years volunteering with his family at a blind school and orphanage. His late grandmother was one of the school’s largest supporters and he spent a lot of time helping prepare and serve food to the children.

“I used to spend a lot of time with kids that were the same age as me. We would play games and I would teach them bits of English and read them English books,” said Mali. “They especially loved Harry Potter.”

The orphanage provides a safe and secure environment for the children to live and learn, Mali said, but the stigma associated with blindness and the everyday chaos of Indian city streets means that many of the children grow up without ever leaving the compound. When they reach the age where the opportunity of college and further education is available, many students do not participate because they fear travelling outside.

Mali and longtime friend Bin Liu – a civil engineering grad from the University of Toronto with a minor in business – channelled these experiences into a startup designed to make an important improvement in the lives of blind and partially sighted people.

“What really inspired this venture was meeting a 19-year-old student called Sunita who wanted to continue her education,” Mali said. “She would commute to a girl’s college about 35 minutes away from the orphanage and would constantly talk about her love of running.

“Everyday on her way back from school, she would try and find a place where she could safely run as fast as she could. It took her seven months to carefully find a route to a field that was big enough for her to run free. That’s when I decided that I had to do something, anything, even if it could make life a little bit better for her and many other incredible people like her.“

Through iMerciv, a company the two friends founded, they developed the BuzzClip: a small and discreet wearable device.

(Below, a six-foot-five user of the BuzzClip offers a video testimonial about how the device offers the kind of help a white cane cannot provide for someone who is tall.)

Mali and Liu developed their company at Techno2014, an entrepreneurship training program hosted by the Impact Centre, one of the University of Toronto’s nine campus-linked accelerators and part of U of T’s Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

“Every day, U of T entrepreneurs demonstrate the positive impact technology like the BuzzClip can have on people’s lives,” said Karen Sievewright, director of the BBCIE. “This social innovation addresses an important market need and I’m looking forward to seeing them exhibit their product at the university’s accessibility showcase at the end of this month.”

Since graduating from the Techno program, Liu and Mali have continued to build their company and experiment with different product models.

Interested in startups and entrepreneurship? Visit the BBCIE

“Due to the social stigma attached with visual impairment, for those who are partially sighted, there are no solutions at all,” said Liu. “Many of these individuals tend to opt out of using a cane or guide dog as they do not want to stand out in public or be perceived as someone that needs help.”

Last December, Mali returned to the school, Janta Adarsh Andh Vidyala in New Delhi, to test the BuzzClip prototype.

“It was extremely rewarding to go back to the orphanage and see the reactions when we tested our early prototypes. The kids and older students were amazed that they could so easily find people, walls, tables, chairs and navigate around the building like they have never done before.

“There was a lot of emotion and excitement as well as many questions, the main one being: why didn’t you bring this to us before?”

In addition to their work in India, Mali and Liu have been heavily involved in the local blind community. They regularly attend conferences as well as volunteer with organizations such as the Toronto Ice Owls, a hockey team for the visually impaired.

To raise funds for the first production batch of the BuzzClip, iMerciv launched its first crowdfunding campaign this month. The company raised almost 25 per cent of its $50,000 goal after only one day and has continued on to raise more half the goal of their campaign, which ends on November 21.

(Learn more about the crowdfunding campaign.)

Some of the perks available for supporters include obtaining a BuzzClip for themselves or providing one for a blind person in India.

“Our goal is to create a long-lasting impact for communities living with blindness or partial sight, empowering them to lead a confident and independent life,” said Mali. “With the support we receive through this campaign, we can make this goal a reality and change the lives of millions of people living with vision loss across the world.”

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U of T alumni startup Atomwise raises $6 million to leverage artificial intelligence for drug discovery

sgupta — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 13:40:49 +0000

U of T alumni startup Atomwise raises $6 million to leverage artificial intelligence for drug discovery sgupta Thu, 06/04/2015 - 09:40

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Atomwise has already used its technology to explore possible drugs for treatment of Ebola, replicating in the above image (image courtesy Atomwise)

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Developed through Silicon Valley’s Y Combinator and U of T’s Impact Centre

Atomwise, an alumni startup harnessing artificial intelligence for drug discovery in diseases ranging from malaria to multiple sclerosis, has raised US$6 million in seed funding.

The Wall Street Journal reports that investments came from a collection of science-focused venture capital firms, including Data Collective and AME Cloud. Atomwise also recently announced partnerships with industry players including Merck, Notable Labs and Harvard Medical School following participation in the prestigious Silicon Valley accelerator program, Y Combinator. (Read more about Atomwise at Y Combinator)

“Today medicines take about 12 years and $2.9 billion to develop. By eliminating vast swaths of experiments, we can make the drug discovery process faster, cheaper and better,” said Abraham Heifets, CEO and co-founder of Atomwise (formerly Chematria).

Influential startup-focused blog TechCrunch reported that “the system uses a specialized algorithm to run through millions of molecular structures in order to pin down the most likely combination for certain diseases,” adding that co-founder Alex Levy explained the process as similar to that of a brain’s neural network.

Atomwise received support early on from U of T’s Impact Centre, through its Techno program – part of a vast network of entrepreneurship support at the university, known today as the Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. (Read more about entrepreneurship at U of T)

The Impact Centre's Techno program was created to ensure graduate students and alumni have the skills and mentorship necessary to bring this kind of technology out of the university. Since 2010, Techno has supported the creation and development of over 70 companies, many of which continue to receive mentorship and other support from the Impact Centre team. (Read more about Techno)

Atomwise went on to further develop through Y Combinator in Silicon Valley, where it was named one of the top 10 startups of its cohort by TechCrunch.

“Pharmaceutical companies spend billions trying to discover new drugs,” wrote TechCrunch’s Josh Constantine. “Whether it charged a licensing fee for its technology or monetized its discoveries directly, Atomwise could make a fortune while making us healthier.”

Richard McAloney, director of technology management and entrepreneurship at the Impact Centre, said Atomwise has made tremendous strides since it first joined the U of T program.

“Abraham Heifets and the Atomwise team provide a fantastic example of the Impact Centre’s mission and the goals of our Techno program to bring science to society. I am confident that they will impact the world in a big way,” said McAloney.

Atomwise has also participated in The Next 36 and U of T's Creative Destruction Lab program at the Rotman School of Management and received significant grants from Grand Challenges Canada. The company’s projects on Ebola, malaria, measles and more have been featured in such outlets as Mashable and CTV.

Upon acceptance into Y Combinator, Heifets said he was excited to take on the challenges ahead:

“When you know that people's lives are at stake, it's easy to work hard. That's one of the benefits of working in medicine.”

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Y Combinator gives boost to U of T drug development startup

sgupta — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 09:02:53 +0000

Y Combinator gives boost to U of T drug development startup sgupta Wed, 04/08/2015 - 05:02

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Ebola replicating on a cell (image courtesy Atomwise)

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Backed by U of T's Techno, Impact Centre and Creative Destruction, entrepreneurs head to Silicon Valley

Its goal is to make better medicines, faster – and U of T startup Atomwise (formerly known as Chematria) just got a boost from Y Combinator, the prestigious accelerator in Silicon Valley.

Founded by alumni with expertise in high-performance computing and pharmaceuticals, Atomwise uses artificial intelligence to pre-test drugs in a computer system before testing them in a laboratory. The company received support early on from U of T’s Impact Centre, through its Techno program – part of a vast network of entrepreneurship support at the university, known today as the Banting & Best Centre for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

“Like in the Impact Centre, everyone [at Y combinator] is spending most of their time building their own companies independently,” said Abraham Heifets, chief executive officer and co-founder of Atomwise. “That's actually an advantage, due to the huge psychological support factor from having people who can empathize with the daily experience of building a company.

“Today medicines take about 12 years and $2.9 billion to develop. By eliminating vast swaths of experiments, we can make the drug discovery process faster, cheaper and better. Our field, computational biology, has a long history, but we've seen recent transformative changes in the amount of data, algorithms and computation,” said Heifets (pictured at right). “We recognized that these allowed new ways of tackling classic problems in early-stage drug discovery. But the idea is only the first step, of course; learning how to answer the daily questions between idea and company was not something covered in my PhD.”

Teams behind technologies as diverse as vibrational dampeners for high-rise buildings, infection control products for hospitals, and platforms for processing digital pathology images have all benefitted from Techno. The Atomwise team has been working hard to develop their technology while refining their pitch and business model since participating in Techno2012.

“It was amazing to be surrounded by people with such hustle and drive,” said Heifets. “The people at the Impact Centre are entrepreneurs themselves and, having been there before, know what is critical and what only feels critical.”

Richard McAloney, director of technology management and entrepreneurship at the Impact Centre, said Atomwise has made tremendous strides since it first came to the Impact Centre.

"This is an example of what hard work, passion and enthusiasm coupled with technical excellence can achieve,” said McAloney. “Abraham Heifets and the Atomwise team provide a fantastic example of the Impact Centre’s mission and the goals of our Techno program to bring science to society. I am confident that they will impact the world in a big way.”

Atomwise has also participated in The Next 36 and U of T's Creative Destruction Lab program at the Rotman School of Management and received significant grants from Grand Challenges Canada.The company’s projects on Ebola, malaria, measles and more have been featured in such outlets as Mashable, TechCrunch and CTV.

The company recently started a large evaluation project with pharmaceutical giant Merck and pitched to investors and partners at the Y Combinator Demo Day.

“Because the program has a fixed deadline, there's an incredible intensity to get as much done by Demo Day as possible,” said Heifets. “While at Y Combinator, we did little but eat, sleep, talk to customers and build the product. I learned that most performance barriers are just low expectations.”

Heifets is excited about the challenges ahead. “When you know that people's lives are at stake, it's easy to work hard. That's one of the benefits of working in medicine.”

(Do you have an idea that could create a big impact and are ready to learn what it takes to bring it to market? Apply for Techno2015.)

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The science of social impact: U of T startup, Pueblo Science, earns official charitable status

sgupta — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 09:28:32 +0000

The science of social impact: U of T startup, Pueblo Science, earns official charitable status sgupta Fri, 03/06/2015 - 04:28

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(photo courtesy Pueblo Science)

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Science literacy startup celebrates five years with “food science” gala on March 19

From the streets of Toronto to the classrooms of the Southeast Asia, Mayrose Salvador’s startup Pueblo Science puts knowledge in the hands of those who need it most: kids.

The startup works in Canada and abroad to inspire and develop young scientists through interactive workshops, camps and events such as “Science on Ice,” where experiments take place during university hockey half-time breaks. (Read more about Pueblo Science)

It all began five years ago when Salvador co-founded Pueblo Science with Professor Cynthia Goh. The startup developed through the Impact Centre, one of U of T’s entrepreneurship hubs now accepting applications for its summer program. (Read more about the Impact Centre)

The venture received official charitable status this year, which the Pueblo Science team will celebrate with a gala on March 19. The event is themed around “the Science of Food” and Salvador says it’s set to feature molecular gastronomy sampling, a mixology show, science tricks and live performances. (Read more about the gala)

Below, Salvador reflects on her experience bringing science to society through a socially-driven startup:

How has Pueblo Science grown since you started out?
It’s been an amazing journey. When we first began our work in 2011, we only had a handful of members and five brave volunteers signed up to train 100 teachers in the Philippines. Now we have over 250 volunteers in Canada and overseas, and our team of 20 instructors is gearing up to train 1,000 teachers in the Philippines and Thailand this spring.

This year, we celebrate our fifth anniversary. We are now a registered charity. Our training programs have expanded not only within the Philippines but also to countries like Bolivia, India and Thailand. In the Philippines, our programs have become very popular with teachers and are now supported by the federal Department of Education and the Department of Science and Technology. In Ontario, we have developed multiple partnerships with universities, community centers, libraries, and various other organizations to deliver monthly programs for students, parents and the general public.

What are you most proud of in the work and projects Pueblo Science has achieved?
I am very proud of the impact we are making in children’s lives in Canada and internationally. The very positive feedback from the teachers, the laughter and enlightenment that we see in students’ faces after they attend our programs makes our members and volunteers incredibly proud to do this work.

Some of these experiences are actually revealing a whole new set of possibilities to some children, and that can have a fundamental impact on how they see the world around them and what they pursue as a career in the future. Giving kids the long-lasting desire to be curious about the everyday and training educators how to create simple activities for their own classroom, that is very gratifying.

What’s surprised you on your journey developing Pueblo Science?
I knew when we started that I would have to learn many things to direct a charitable organization. But after five years, I am still amazed at how much more work is needed behind-the-scenes, beyond delivering our programs to kids and teachers. At the same time, I am also humbled by the generosity of the many people who have helped us over the years. They are very much willing to put in expertise, hours, and resources to help us along the way – and I am so grateful to all of them for their unconditional support.

How did U of T help you in developing your startup?
The Impact Centre at U of T gave me the foundational knowledge to start Pueblo through their entrepreneurship training programs and, to this day, their staff is still essential to our existence. The Impact Centre is our main source of advice, connections and much-needed resources when needed.

We also recruit many of our talented volunteers from U of T. Many departments have supported us by allowing us to use space for our activities. Our Science on Ice program with the U of T Varsity arena helped us connect with other Ontario universities. Collectively, these collaborations benefit over 10,000 kids every year in the province.

What are your hopes for Pueblo Science in the next while?
We hope to build our donor base and raise sufficient funds to deliver our programs this year as we envisioned it. An important part of this fundraising effort is our upcoming gala on March 19 (http://puebloscience.org/events/gala2015). This is a program that will definitely stimulate all five senses!

In the next few years, we would like to expand our programs to other countries that need our help. For this to happen, we need to attract volunteers and directors with the right skills to help or guide us in making the organization efficient and sustainable and support us in our vision to bring that "science spark" to places that need it most.

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12 ideas turning scientists into startup founders

sgupta — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 11:03:25 +0000

12 ideas turning scientists into startup founders sgupta Fri, 10/17/2014 - 07:03

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Illuster Tech developed their business around engineering education tools in the Techno program (image courtesy Illuster Tech)

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‘Techno’ program helps entrepreneurs from a research background build a business

All entrepreneurs face the same challenge of bringing their ideas to market, and the founders coming out of Techno’s entrepreneur development program are no different.

However, this particular group of entrepreneurs – immersed in ground-breaking, academic science and engineering-based research – must also learn to shift their thinking from researcher to businessperson as they enter the world of startup ventures.

Over their years of studies, Techno’s entrepreneurs have honed medical breakthroughs, industry upstarts and social innovations based on research from the cutting edges of the physical sciences.

And, while they have explosive ideas, these academics face unique challenges in learning to pitch, market and develop a business model as they step from the lab and into investor meetings.

“Each participant comes with their own academic and technical expertise,” says Cynthia Goh, director of the Impact Centre, the entrepreneurship hub that produces Techno. (Read more about the Impact Centre)

Building a program that focuses on a research-based starting point is the reason scientists and engineers with a focus on the physical sciences – chemistry, physics and other areas grounded in the physical world – have turned to Techno’s intensive four-week program since 2010. During this time it has helped more than 50 companies translate innovative university science into benefits to society.

“Over the course of Techno we work with everyone to ensure that the market they have chosen is one where they can have an impact,” said Goh.

The end goal of Techno is to give these science-minded entrepreneurs the tools to continue building, developing and launching a dynamic startup grounded in research or skills gained during their thesis work.

On November 5, 2014 from 3:00 to 8:00 p.m. the Impact Centre will host a public TechnoShowcase at the MaRS Discovery District to highlight the exciting new products from companies that have participated in the last five years of Techno. (Read more about the TechnoShowcase)

The latest Techno cohort recently presented their startup concepts at the close of the fifth annual workshop. Here are some highlights of the ideas pitched by the student entrepreneurs:

Kids building robots, with Soapbox Robotics

“I’ve never seen anybody so passionate about robots,” said Cynthia Goh of entrepreneur Don Pasilino’s concept that combines the principles of Lego, programming and imagination to result in an introductory robotics kit for children.

Looking forward, Pasilino says he aims to partner with after-school programs and with existing computer science programs, and to widen the target demographic to kids as young as four, who would benefit from simple kid-friendly tools that could be understood as a “colouring book for robotics.”

Making every surface safe, with AllergenFree

With peanut allergies on the rise, this company wants to eliminate the anxiety felt by those affected and ensure that peanut and other allergen residues are properly removed from surfaces. AllergenFree is developing a gentle product that removes trace peanut allergens from tables and other surfaces, making restaurant tables, desks and other public places safe.

Creating seeds of sustainability, with BinhiVida

Entrepreneur Conception Ponce is developing a new way for farmers to plant, which she says will improve farming conditions in the developing world and, specifically, the Philippines. Her innovation is a combination of fertilizer and seed in one, reducing the time and capital it takes for subsistence farmers to tend their crops. By zeroing in on this under-served population of subsistence farmers, as well as locally sourcing materials to make them more affordable, BinhiVida will serve a market not addressed by industry leaders Monsanto and Syngenta while turning subsistence farming to sustainable farming.

Hacking dusty, dirty solar panel problems, with CleanMePV

Solar panels are a great energy option for homes and businesses in and around Saudi Arabia. But when a dust storm sweeps in and covers the panels with sand, there’s up to a 50 per cent reduction in efficiency. CleanMePV is developing a mechanical device to effectively clean these solar panels. Their product requires no water (a precious resource in the desert), does not scratch the panel surface, and can be cleaned panel-by-panel rather than in only set shapes of panel-arrays. Ahmed Balawi, the entrepreneur behind it, is also thinking ahead as to whether this device could also work for snow.

Listening for cancer cells, with Echofos Medical

Mike Moore, a biomedical physics grad student, is developing a diagnostic tool that utilizes sound waves to detect tumour cells in a patient's blood sample. The technology provides an early warning system for tumour formation in the body, prior to any symptoms. Using information collected with the device, doctors will be able to formulate a better cancer therapy plan for their patients, ultimately leading to a better survival rate.

New tools for teaching young engineers, Illuster Tech

The University of Toronto lined up as the first customer for this educational platform that, according to the alumni founders behind it, transforms the way students learn electronics. Their package of printed circuit boards, combined with software and a PDF instruction manual, is now being used by more than 400 students as their introduction to electronics, updating their hands-on learning from decades-old and obsolete ‘bread boards’ to industry-standard circuit boards. (Read more about Illuster Tech)

Simulating human tissue in a petri dish, with RHEO Biotech

During Oleg Chebotarev’s master’s research in U of T's mechanical and industrial engineering department, he developed a research tool that simulates human tissue and blood. He now wants to take his technology beyond the lab and help pharmaceutical companies reduce the development costs for new drugs by reducing the need for costly animal and human testing. In recognition of the commercial potential of his work, Chebotarev was recently awarded a $32,000 U of T Heffernan Commercialization Fellowship, which supports researchers turning technologies developed in university labs into businesses.

Taking the stress out of decision-making, with DIRAC Analytics

Ed Harris’ innovative decision-making software connects consumers and producers by asking users to detail the qualities of a product they’re searching for, and pairs that search with both the most accurate result as well as a few sponsored options.

Combining the addictive powers of Farmville and science education, with Fidchell Games

Mathematics student Maria Berejan saw potential in all the time users waste planting strawberries in the app called Farmville, so she set out to combine gaming’s fun and inviting qualities with nuggets of knowledge from the world of the sciences. The company’s first game uses a creative sandbox space to teach users the basics of optics – a branch of physics that teaches the behaviour and properties of light. She is positioning her game's appeal to both the online learning market and the behemoth market of mobile games.

Sticking it to hiccups through a convenience story candy, with Sticcups

Enterprising high-schooler Alexandra Goh-McMillan presented her tasty solution to a common nuisance – hiccups. She explains her business model as “by teens, for teens” and is seeking placement for her hiccup-calming candies in local corner stores.

A new way to look at welding, with Enceladus Imaging

You know that bright halo of light and sparks that explode when a piece of metal is being welded? This company has developed a camera that allows users to see both this welding arc as well as the seam of the weld they are working on. Enceladus’ camera combines high dynamic range imaging with high speed photography to help users make clean, precise welds and reduces the need to expose inspectors to the dangerous working space in automated welding facilities. (Read more about Enceladus Imaging)

Building smart, wearable guidance systems for the visually impaired, with Immerciv System Tech

Arjun Mali has spent the past few years volunteering with the visually impaired for years and developing new tech-based solutions to help them be more independent. His wearable products make users aware of obstacles, changes in elevation and more with a hands-free, vibration feedback system that could change the very nature of their mobility.

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Changing the way kids and teachers think about science

sgupta — Thu, 10 Jul 2014 10:17:47 +0000

Changing the way kids and teachers think about science sgupta Thu, 07/10/2014 - 06:17

Cutline

Through Pueblo Science, students and teachers explore science through hands-on activities and experiments

Scott McAuley

Author legacy

Scott McAuley

Subheadline

In the Philippines, Pueblo Science leads the way

Thanks to the work of social entrepreneur and University of Toronto alumna Mayrose Salvador, hands-on science activities could soon become a regular feature of the Philippine school curriculum.

With Professor Cynthia Goh, Salvador co-founded Pueblo Science in 2011. Based at the University of Toronto’s Impact Centre, Pueblo Science develops science experiment kits and provides teacher training in underprivileged communities in the Philippines so students can learn about science using locally available materials.

Scott McAuley of the Impact Centre spoke with Salvador about the challenge of sparking students’ interest in science, especially in schools that lack funds and facilities.

How did you get involved in providing science education in developing countries?
Following my science education from the University of the Philippines and the University of Toronto, I realized that many of the normal practices of my childhood rural community in the northern Philippines were detrimental to our health and the environment. For instance, if we were thirsty while in the river we would just make a small hole beside the riverbank, wait for the water to become clear and then drink from it. Stomach aches and fevers were common ailments but most instances were blamed on bad spirits that may have been encountered along the way. These practices are still very prevalent in many Philippine communities and I believe that I can help bring change, starting with better science education.

What’s been the reaction in the local communities to Pueblo Science?
Teachers are very enthusiastic about the activities that we present in the two-day or three-day camps. They appreciate that the materials used to deliver hands-on activities in their classrooms are all locally available and are affordable or even free. Based on teacher reports, their students show increased interest in science every time they use our activities. Students are more engaged and are actually asking more questions, which is a great step towards a positive scientific attitude.

What inspired Pueblo Science?
Prof. Cynthia Goh and I started Pueblo Science because of our desire to give back and initiate positive change in remote villages of developing countries. Our other members and volunteers joined the team because of their own desire to give back, their love for science and the promise of a great travel experience. Our focus on a fun and gratifying experience for our volunteers has allowed Pueblo Science to greatly expand its membership over the years. In addition to Canadian volunteers, we now have many local volunteer scientists and educators in the Philippines and other countries. These volunteers provide support in our international locations but also bring science camps to their own students

How does it feel to bring this program back home to the Philippines?
I am very thankful that I was lucky enough to get a good education. To be able to share that knowledge with the younger generation gives me hope that one day the Philippines will become a country of problem solvers who are able to understand that science, technology, innovation, and sustainability are all linked together.

What is the one message you hope participants take away from your program?
We want teachers and students to think of science as something fun and relevant to their daily lives that can be used to think outside the box to solve problems in their communities. We believe that having a better understanding of the world that surrounds us, is the single most powerful and long lasting way to make positive change in a society.

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