Take your first steps toward entrepreneurship with the Building a Biotech Venture program, a program for trainees who are doing regenerative medicine- or precision medicine-related research in labs at the University of Toronto or its affiliated hospitals.

This year, Medicine by Design is offering this program in partnership with Precision Medicine Initiative (PRiME) as well as our foundational partners the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), a campus-linked accelerator at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine; and Talk Boutique.

Through a series of workshops over winter/spring 2022, teams will:

• Learn how to think about their research in terms of a product or business;
• Build a business canvas and develop their product or venture concept;
• Receive guidance from industry experts on intellectual property, clinical translation, and early-stage stage investment.
• Create a pitch deck and receive coaching on telling their venture story; and
• Receive regular mentoring from entrepreneurs throughout the process.

The program will culminate in a pitch competition in May, where the first-place team will receive $25,000 and the second-place team will receive $10,000 in research funding to advance their product concept.Click here to read about HDAX Therapeutics, the team who received research funding as the winner of last year’s pitch competition.

To learn more about the program and how to apply, please join us virtually on November 4, 2021, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EST for an information session. This session will provide an overview of the program and how to apply, as well as an introduction to H2i’s 10-point plan, which outlines 10 key elements of a business canvas.

Click here to read about HDAX Therapeutics, the team who received research funding as the winner of last year’s pitch competition.

If you have any immediate questions regarding this program, please contact Stephanie Hume (stephanie.hume@utoronto.ca).

This program will be offered virtually.

Building a Biotech Venture program breakdown:

• Phase 1: Program Information Session and Team Building 
  November 4, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
  This session will provide an overview of the program and how to fill out the business one-pager, which is required to enroll, as well as an introduction to H2i’s 10-point plan, which outlines 10 key elements of a business canvas.

This session will be followed by a team building session the week of November 15 for trainees to build or add expertise to their teams. Stay tuned for more details.

*Phase 1 of the program will be open to all trainees within the Medicine by Design and PRiME communities.

• Phase 2: Venture Development Workshops
  January-April 2022

The program will include workshops run by industry experts to help in scaling their ventures and prepare them for the pitch competition. The program will include workshops run by industry experts to help teams in scaling their ventures and prepare them for the pitch competition.

-Workshop 1: Mentor introduction Event (January)
-Workshop 2: Intellectual property (February)
-Workshop 3: Clinical translation and regulatory affairs (March)
-Workshop 4:  De-mystifying the pathway through to early-stage investment (March)
-Workshop 5: Pitching and presentation skills workshop (April)

*To apply to phase 2, teams must submit a one-page business canvas outlining their venture concept. Proposed product or venture concept must have an application to regenerative or precision medicine. Application documents to be provided post information session. 

*Each team must have at least one team member who’s current supervisor has a faculty appointment at U of T to be eligible for Phase 2.

• Session 3: Medicine by Design Pitch Competition
  May 2022
  Select teams will pitch for a chance to receive $25,000 (first place) or $10,000 (second place) in research funding.