OBIO® Celebrates Women Leaders in Life Sciences and Health Tech with Investment in Block Biosciences and Launch of Entrepreneurship Training Program for Women in STEM

Author of the article:You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.TORONTO — In honour of International Women’s Month, OBIO® hosted a celebration of women leaders across the life sciences and health tech sectors. The event, supported by EY and FACIT, featured remarks by Chi Nguyen, Member of Parliament for Spadina — Harbourfront, and The Honourable Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity, a panel discussion on raising capital and scaling globally, and a pitch competition showcasing the nine women-led companies of this year’s OBIO® Women in Health Initiative (WiHI) Seed Program.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Get the latest headlines, breaking news and columns.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Top Stories will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againInterested in more newsletters? Browse here.Now in its third cohort, the WiHI Seed Program was established in 2023 to address the significant barriers that women-led companies face in accessing financing and wraparound supports. The cohort, 20/20 OptimEyes Technologies, Arche Biotechnologies, Block Biosciences, Fibra, Hada Medtech, NodeAI Diagnostics, NuvoBio, Savyn Tech and Virano Therapeutics, benefited from six months of advisory services, access to expert networks, industry resources & tools, and non-dilutive funding. To mark International Women’s Day, the cohort presented their business opportunities in a pitch competition on March 5, where Block Biosciences, a Hamilton-based company developing first-in-class therapeutics designed to intercept the spread of cancer to the brain, received an investment of $100,000 from OBIO® WiHI. The audience also voted Arche Biotechnologies as the recipient of a $10,000 non-dilutive Audience Choice Award. The company is developing a real-time fluid monitoring solution to enhance patient safety and care efficiency.said Amie Phinney, CEO and Co-Founder of Block Biosciencessaid the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.said the Honourable Charmaine Williams, Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.The event also commemorated the first anniversary of the Women’s Synergistic Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (WeSEED) program, co-delivered by OBIO® and FACIT. Both organizations have established track records in creating value through supporting female entrepreneurs and co-investing in women-led companies such as HDAX Therapeutics and Tenomix. The WeSEED program provides the participating women-led companies with the advisory and resources of both organizations, resulting in a continuum of targeted commercialization support.said Dr. Connie Chen, Senior Director, Strategy and Corporate Development at FACIT.The OBIO® WiHI is designed to increase the participation and advancement of women in the life sciences and health tech sectors. Since 2022, the initiative has supported over 370 women with training and/or on-the-job experiential learning. Building on this achievement and to address the under representation of women in ownership and leadership positions in life sciences and health tech, OBIO® announced a partnership with PRiME, the next-generation precision medicine initiative at the University of Toronto and BioLabs – University of Toronto to deliver an Entrepreneurship Training Program for Women in STEM: Health & Life Sciences. The program will run from March to June 2026 and provide commercialization training to 25-30 female innovators advancing technologies in health and life sciences.said Molly Shoichet, Scientific Director, PRiME.said Allison Brown, Site Head, BioLabs University of Toronto.The Entrepreneurship Training Program for Women in STEM will support up to 30 participants, providing foundational commercialization knowledge and access to a network of female founders with experience taking innovations from bench to bedside. “Now in its third year, the OBIO® WiHI Seed Program continues to demonstrate the tremendous potential of women-led companies in life sciences and health technology,” said Dr. Maura Campbell, President and CEO of OBIO®. “WiHI alumni companies have raised more than $28 million in local and international investment, demonstrating the strength of their innovations and the importance of targeted support for women entrepreneurs. We are proud to celebrate the achievements of this year’s cohort and to see Block Biosciences recognized with this investment. At the same time, we know there is tremendous talent among women in science and engineering, but the gap often lies in the transition from researcher to founder. Through our new Entrepreneurship Training Program for Women in STEM, delivered in partnership with the University of Toronto’s PRiME and BioLabs – University of Toronto, we are helping build the pipeline and ensure more women see founding a company as a realistic next step.” https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260331906577/en/ContactsDoriane ReySenior Manager, Marketing & CommunicationsOBIOSofia OuslisPress SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern OntarioPostmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. 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