The place to invent possibility

Erthos

This cleantech startup is at the forefront of addressing the global plastic pollution crisis.

Co-founded by U of T alumnae Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, Erthos has created a groundbreaking plant-based resin that’s a sustainable alternative to traditional single-use plastics.

What started as plant-based packing peanuts has evolved into an extensive product offering, ranging from cutlery to clothes hangers. As they partner with more companies, they continue to develop new products, working towards a planet free from plastic pollution.

To top off a successful 2023, Nuha and Kritika landed on the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Social Impact category.

HDAX Therapeutics

This life sciences startup is developing the first treatment for chemotherapy-induced nerve damage.

While chemotherapy kills cancer cells, it can also lead to incurable nerve damage—known as peripheral neuropathy—that causes pain, sensation loss and even paralysis. HDAX Therapeutics, co-founded by U of T alumnae Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul and Nabanita Nawar in Professor Patrick Gunning’s lab, is working to address this.

With promising results from pre-clinical studies, the team is working on a preventative drug that patients could receive alongside chemotherapy—potentially bringing relief to millions worldwide.

Pimyupa and Nabanita are included in the Forbes 2023 30 Under 30 Local Toronto list.

BlueDot

This startup uses artificial intelligence to flag potential infectious disease outbreaks globally.

BlueDot leverages more than a decade of research tracking and forecasting infectious disease outbreaks. Founder Kamran Khan is a scientist at Unity Health Toronto and a professor at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

His company combines advanced data analytics and human expertise to identify emerging health threats, famously predicting the Zika outbreak six months before it occurred and COVID-19’s emergence nearly a week before the World Health Organization reported it.

BlueDot is looking to the future (10 years to be exact), preparing to forecast the next global threat and working with health organizations and companies to find the best ways to keep the populations safe.

In 2023, BlueDot made the top 100 on Deloitte’s list of the fastest-growing companies.

Ardra Inc.

This cleantech startup is leading the way in a whole new era of culinary innovation.

Co-founded by U of T alumnus Pratish Gawand and professor Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, Ardra is reimagining the future of food.

Using bioengineering and precision fermentation, the company is creating new ingredients, including “heme”—a plant-based product with the same flavour, colour, grilling capabilities and even iron nutrients as traditional meat products. Their products are natural, vegan, halal, kosher and allergen-free.

As the team works to scale up their company, they know that being natural is not enough. The world wants sustainable and ethical ingredients without compromising all the flavour and nutrients, and Ardra plans to lead the way.