FACIT and OBIO® announce inaugural WeSEED cohort of women-led start-ups in joint seed capital and commercialization program

Program supports women entrepreneurs in life science who are driving the advancement of innovations and healthcare

TORONTO, March 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Ahead of International Women's Day, FACIT and OBIO^® are pleased to announce the first cohort of women-led companies to receive investment and commercialization resources from the FACIT and OBIO^® joint Women's Synergistic Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (WeSEED) program.  A.I. VALI Inc., Genetics Adviser Inc., AiimSense Inc., Asima Health Inc., and Cura Therapeutics Inc. represent promising start-ups with differentiated solutions to improve healthcare access, patient impact and economic benefits for Ontario.  Building on FACIT and OBIO's successes in independently backing women entrepreneurs, the WeSEED program was launched to leverage the combined complementary capital, business expertise and resources of the organizations. 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.

Start-up A.I. VALI is commercializing software to streamline and improve endoscopy workflow in clinics and hospitals, with two market-ready products and a Canadian distribution agreement. Genetics Adviser is a digital health company transforming the genetic testing journey, offering a customizable, evidence-based platform to help scale the delivery of precision genomic medicine. With global collaborations and licensing agreements, Genetics Adviser is on track to expand international adoption of its leading clinical solutions. Both companies are recipients of FACIT's Compass Rose Oncology Fund investments under the WeSEED program, with A.I. VALI having advanced from OBIO's WiHI Seed Program.

AiimSense is a medical device start-up developing a portable brain imaging technologies for stroke, traumatic brain injury and brain tumor detection.  Early-stage cancer diagnostic start-up Asima Health is developing a pan-genomic approach to genetic cancer testing that is also accessible at the community level. Cura Therapeutics is developing cross-functional immunotherapy platforms capable of addressing multiple diseases mechanisms while reducing toxicity, with a lead cytokine fusion protein that activates and synchronizes major immune system mechanisms to destroy cancer cells. Through OBIO's WiHI initiative, as part of the WeSEED program, these women-led companies are recipients of dynamic entrepreneurship training and development resources to help better position them attract additional financing partners.   

All women-led companies in the WeSEED program benefit from both FACIT and OBIO's commercialization resources. OBIO^® and FACIT have established track records co-investing and working closely with different commercialization groups locally and globally, increasing value for Ontario life sciences intellectual property and driving economic impact. The WeSEED program aligns with government priorities to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women-led businesses. While diverse and independent seed stage programs and investors are key to addressing the unique needs of early-stage life sciences entrepreneurs, partnerships on targeted initiatives drives innovation and can make a difference for patients with cancer.

Quotes:

Dr. Maura Campbell, President of OBIO^® –

"We are delighted to announce the inaugural WeSEED cohort in partnership with FACIT. This exciting group of women-led companies is poised to transform the oncology landscape, and we look forward to supporting their commercialization journey with our best-in-class programming."

Dr. Connie Chen, Senior Director of Strategy and Corporate Development, FACIT –

"This fantastic inaugural cohort already demonstrates the benefits of leveraging the strengths of novel and inclusive public-private partnerships. Helping position and propel women-founded start-ups and healthcare innovation in Ontario to advance homegrown IP and secure financing was the driver for FACIT and OBIO^® to partner on the WeSEED program. It is very rewarding to see our organizations elevate the equity, representation, and positioning of women STEM leaders."    

About OBIO^®

Founded in 2009, OBIO^® is a not-for-profit, membership-based organization engaged in strategy, programming, policy development and advocacy to address the needs of the next generation of companies developing innovative human health products. OBIO^® supports early-stage and venture-backed life sciences and health tech companies enabling them to raise capital, hire and train industry-ready talent, facilitate the commercialization and market adoption of their technologies in health systems, and access infrastructure. OBIO^® advances its mission through collaborative partnerships with industry, the investment community, academia, the healthcare system and government. For more information, please visit www.obio.ca and follow OBIO^® on LinkedIn and X.

About FACIT        
FACIT is an award-winning commercialization venture firm that builds companies with entrepreneurs to accelerate oncology innovation, with a portfolio that has attracted more than $1.6 billion in investment to Ontario. Blending industry experience, capital and the unsurpassed clinician-scientist network of its strategic partner the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), FACIT capitalizes on the province's investment in research and healthcare to the benefit of the local economy and patients worldwide. Cancer Breakthroughs. Realized. facit.ca.

SOURCE FACIT Inc.