Michael DiPaul

Trying something new here - welcome to the LinkedIn Edition of the Deep Tech Download.

As you may know, for the last few years, we've been sharing updates and opportunities from companies at UofT through the Deep Tech Download newsletter .

With an audience of 1400+ subscribers, 70%+ of whom are Investors or Industry, the newsletter has helped create great relationships and collaborations around the world - all it takes is an email michael.dipaul@utoronto.ca > or DM to get connected to these frontier startups!

This issue features EN CARTA DIAGNOSTICS (above) who are bringing PCR-level diagnostics wherever they're needed through their mobile molecular testing platform . From ready-to-use tests against validated targets, to new tools for virtually any DNA or RNA target, En Carta is among 20 deep tech startups featured in this edition, with additional opportunities and news from the ecosystem!

EN CARTA DIAGNOSTICS (SEED) Diagnostics for better care, everywhere.

With the rise of telehealth, accurate and quick molecular diagnostics at-home or in pharmacies will unlock a $27B market growing at 24% per year. En Carta Diagnostics' hardware and software products are as easy to use as antigenic tests and as precise as PCR diagnostics.

Co-founded by ex-Institut Pasteur and ex-Harvard Wyss Institute founders-turned U of T and BU profs. who have received significant NIH funding and are leading a recent $17M DARPA project .

Patented technology with 5 prototypes built. Published clinical data showing 98% precision against CDC gold standard (PCR) for Zika and Chikungunya .

Beachhead indication is Lyme disease where diagnostic is reaching clinical sensitivity and specificity, with tests to be sold at pharmacies.

Closing $2.8M Seed with $1.7M secured, with France's CentraleSupelec Venture leading.

EARLY STAGE OPPORTUNITIES ByteShape (PRE-SEED) Shaping every byte for efficient AI.

AI models are outpacing hardware capabilities, particularly in memory bandwidth and capacity. ByteShape automates the process of selecting optimal datatypes—e.g. int8, fp8, fp5, and int2—for neural network models, a task currently impossible to manage manually given the complexity of 200+ tensors. ByteShape's software tools and services for compression and quantization automatically learn and select optimal datatypes to accelerate inference and training.

The booming AI market is constantly seeking performance and efficiency improvements. ByteShape aims to lead with their solutions and become the marketplace for optimization developers to monetize and seamlessly deploy their work to model providers and users.

Unique, defensible IP portfolio delivering 10X improvement over current approaches.

Raising $2M Pre-Seed to expand team and finalize product development.

MYCOFUTURES (PRE-SEED) Circular and scalable leather alternative made with mycelium.

MycoFutures is a next-gen materials innovation startup creating a mycelium-based leather alternative. This is a material that is animal-free, plastic-free, and non-toxic, grown in just weeks from mycelium, the root system of fungi.

Bootstrapped prototypes and MVP.

8 LOIs secured.

Raising $550k Pre-Seed with $180K committed.

NEUROPEUTICS (PRE-SEED) Targeted therapies for neurodegenerative diseases.

Over 50M people live with a neurodegenerative disease, causing devastating personal and socioeconomic burden worldwide. Neuropeutics' patent-pending small molecule JRMS-22 prevents and reverses protein aggregation through a novel mechanism of action, providing therapeutic benefit.

30% disease pathology reduction shown after only 2 weeks of treatment.

Internationally-recognized team and board with extensive track record in drug development and commercialization, with expertise in disease research, diagnosis, clinical trials, and business development.

$13.1M in-kind investment secured to improve molecule's brain penetration and perform safety and toxicity studies for FDA-IND clinical trial.

Raising $1.5M Pre-Seed to achieve enhanced blood-brain-barrier permeability, build ADMET profile, and regulatory.

SIMLQ (PRE-SEED) Simulation and ML for automated process management.

Improving production, logistics, and service processes are critical to delivering high quality products and user experiences. SIMLQ's software uses ML and real-world data to automatically create and validate digital twins to test system interventions, improve process efficiencies, and reduce wait times.

Patent pending, multiple publications, $500K+ in grants, and an established MVP verified on real-life data sets in multiple domains.

Launched new website and software version-0 allowing for customer type definition, KPIs, and refined simulations.

Paid pilot in progress with Ontario emergency department. Additional commercial contracts in negotiation.

Raising $1M Pre-Seed for product dev, customer support, and business development.

SPERO ANALYTICS (PRE-SEED) Scalable IoT networks to remotely monitor emissions.

Spero Analytics builds and deploys IoT environmental systems for monitoring methane emissions in oil and gas facilities, pipelines, landfills, and mines. Measuring and pinpointing sources of fugitive emissions in a continuous, scalable, economical, and precise manner is a major challenge for companies seeking to track and cut their emissions in compliance with stringent new environmental monitoring rules like the Global Methane Pledge. Spero solves that by deploying a wireless mesh network that is power-efficient, requires minimal intervention, is sensor-agnostic, and can scale to cover massive facilities - even in remote areas with no cellular coverage.

Highly skilled team in IoT networking, including recent publications on scalable, cost-effective monitoring , with deep connections in extractives and waste management.

Secured Environment Canada as a paid client, deployed networks at 2 landfills, and raised $175K in VC funding over the last year.

Closing $325K Pre-Seed with $175K secured for product dev and data science.

TOOTHPOD (PRE-SEED) Functional dental chewable that reduces bacteria and inflammation, and helps rebuild enamel.

Tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic disease in the world and nearly 100% of the population has had cavities. Direct treatment of dental diseases cost $298B/year worldwide, 4.6% of global health expenditure. Toothpod gum cleans and protects teeth when a toothbrush or toothpaste is unavailable, while reducing bacteria and inflammation and helping to rebuild enamel.

2X plaque removal when compared to regular sugar-free gum, with anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and remineralizing agents.

Team has experience in dental labs, biomedical engineering, and previously launched an oral care product to 30K US retailers. Advisors include the head of Orthodontics at Harvard School of Dental Medicine where further trials are underway.

Clinics are requesting Toothpods and a dental supply organization supplying 400+ clinics , is ready to include Toothpods in their catalog.

Closing $750K Pre-Seed with $115K committed for production and go-to-market.

VERINOVI (PRE-SEED) Making hybrid work work by bringing AI to workplace strategy.

Organizations in the hybrid work era face many challenges: How much office space is needed and how should it be configured? How can we re-capture lost collaboration and re-ignite innovation? How do we improve employee engagement and mental health? With a new name (fka Verinova), Verinovi applies AI, ML, and sentiment analysis to corporate metadata and communications to help make evidence-based decisions and monitor impact.

Unique approach to measuring collaboration and sentiment that is compliant with GDPR and EU AI Act.

Recently completed Vector Institute cohort showing sentiment demo.

Ongoing discussions with several partners to uncover use-cases.

Raising $300K Pre-Seed with $50K secured.

Email michael.dipaul@utoronto.ca > or DM to get connected!

SEED ACRYLIC ROBOTICS (SEED) Robots and software that turn any idea into a masterpiece - not a print.

There is a massive $70B market between cheap, low quality art prints and expensive hand-painted originals. Acrylic Robotics enables precise brushstrokes on canvas for high-quality, lower-cost limited-edition paintings with artists, B2C commissions with genAI tools, and large collections for B2B clients like hotel chains.

First collection drove $25K in revenue in earned nearly 10M views, and doubled artist waitlist.

Pilots lined up with major distributors and partners including Wayfair, Wyndham Hotels, Artline Group, and more across hospitality, home staging, online marketplaces, galleries, and short-term rentals.

Recently featured at an AWS gen-AI event in San Francisco and kicking off a world tour with stops in Paris, London, Seoul, and more.

Closing $2M Seed, with $500K secured from Sequoia's Scout Fund, a US deep tech fund, and a well-known San Francisco generalist.

HyC LIGHT (SEED) Economically converting natural gas into carbon nanotubes and green hydrogen.

High prices for quality, scalable carbon nanotubes (CNTs) is impeding copper wiring replacement and decarbonization of the battery sector. Additionally, the growing demand for green hydrogen requires sustainable processes for industries such as fertilizer, transportation, and energy. HyC Light's patented, light-driven process converts natural gas (e.g. methane) to high-quality CNTs that are dispersible, thermally and electrically conductive, and have a narrow size distribution, and co-produces green hydrogen at less than $2/kg.

Modular portable reactor is the first-ever carbon negative solar process to produce H2 and CNT on-site and at scale.

Raising $10M Seed to expand team and scale-up production.

KIMIA ANALYTICS (SEED) Revolutionizing PFAS detection with the world’s first mobile, ultra-sensitive mass spectrometer.

Kimia has developed a groundbreaking mobile testing platform for rapid, cost-effective quantification and analysis PFAS content in water, using the world's first compact, air-cooled mass spectrometer. The startup is targeting a $20B market, with $1B SAM in sectors affected by PFAS contamination, including military, airports, landfills, and manufacturing.

10X lower cost per sample to increase PFAS testing capacity globally and reduce lead times from up to 4 weeks to 1 day.

2 patents granted, 5 patents pending ; fully-functional prototype ready for commercialization.

Team has deep experience commercializing innovative technologies, including 80+ patents, 500+ publications, 3 startups and a successful exit.

Finalizing development agreement with major company with additional pilots in pipeline. Anticipating revenue generation by Q2 2025.

Raising $2M to establish pilots and complete commercial product development.

MAZLITE (SEED) Transforming automotive painting and industrial coating with AI spray automation platform.

Mazlite addresses inefficiencies in industrial spray and coating processes with predictive quality control through physics-based AI, inline sensors, and advanced process digitization. Their spray optimization platform helps massively improve product quality, enhance sustainability, and improve efficiency.

Validated through paid pilots with top automotive OEMs and industrial coating manufacturers.

First commercial projects underway with major OEMs.

Raising $3M Seed with over $500K secured for scale-up, sales growth, and product development.

OSTIA SCIENCES (SEED) Cutting-edge microbiome solutions and biotherapeutics to combat infectious diseases.

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the global challenge of antibiotic resistance, which threatens to cause 10M deaths annually by 2050. This issue is particularly pronounced in dental care. Ostia Sciences, leveraging cutting-edge research and proprietary technology, has developed a novel oral probiotic that fights resistant pathogens and supports immune health.

Proprietary oral probiotic strain produces a unique, patent-pending antimicrobial compound, Salivaricin 10 , that targets antibiotic-resistant pathogens while preserving beneficial bacteria - a breakthrough unavailable in existing products.

Secured key partnerships , including with Oral Science for distribution and Lallemand Health Solutions as CDMO, for rapid market entry and significant growth.

Closing $1.7M Seed with $1M committed to optimize manufacturing, conduct clinical trial, and secure Health Canada and FDA approval.

ROBOTIC ALGOMETRY (SEED) Revolutionizing preclinical pain testing through AI-powered robotics.

Current methods for preclinical drug efficacy testing give imprecise results with poor reproducibility. This affects pharmaceutical pipelines, lowering the success rate of costly clinical trials. Robotic Algometry's AI-prowered robot, RAMalgo , provides exquisite control of stimulation with different modalities, millisecond-precise response measurement, and unprecedented reproducibility, promising to improve the quality and translation of preclinical findings.

Developed by researchers for researchers. Significant inbound interest from several labs following peer-reviewed publication of results .

Raising $300K Seed for product development, launch, and customer support.

SALIBIOTICS (SEED) Probiotics for your mouth, from your mouth.

Dental caries are the world's most common chronic disease, imposing significant health and economic burden. While largely preventable, current therapeutic modalities are inadequate. Salibiotics is commercializing a novel, patented probiotic with potent antimicrobial activities against cavity-causing bacteria.

Versatile oral health ingredient showing favorable head-to-head efficacy vs. competitors to support a platform of B2B and B2C products.

Dentist founder supported by technical and business experts with existing supply chain networks.

Raising $3M Seed for dietary supplement/NHP regulatory work, clinical trials, manufacturing, and go-to-market.

VIROCARB (SEED) Transformational broad-spectrum antiviral therapy.

ViroCarb is taking a pioneering approach to address the urgent need for effective treatments of existing and emerging viruses. By impairing RNA processing, a crucial cellular process essential for the replication of multiple viruses, ViroCarb is marking a paradigm shift in antiviral drug development.

Unlike current antivirals that are highly tailored for a specific virus, ViroCarb’s preclinical drug candidate GPS543 is a single oral treatment that is highly active against multiple viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and influenza. It shows no toxicity in rodents with excellent oral bioavailability and does not induce drug resistance, a major cause of clinical failure of current antiviral therapies.

Team comprises internationally-recognized scientists, experienced drug developers, and accomplished business professionals.

Raising $1.5M Seed to advance toward IND-enabling studies by 2026. Interest expressed by a pharmaceutical partner.

XATOMS (SEED) AI and quantum chemistry to to develop innovative water treatment solutions.

1 in 3 people lack access to safe drinking water while invisible pollutants cause 3.5M deaths annually. Xatoms uses a patent-pending AI and quantum chemistry process to accurately predict 3D models of photocatalytic structures for new water treatment materials that can efficiently neutralize bacteria, viruses, and contaminants.

8 new patent-pending materials developed to eliminate contaminants including chemical pollutants and biological pathogens like DDT, E. coli, and Cholera.

$500K secured in non-dilutive prizes at Startupfest in July .

Among the final 6 out of 9,400 startups that compeed for the prestigious Hult Prize in London this September.

3 signed LOIs and $1.8M in projected revenue with 70% margins from collaborations, pilots, and B2B sales with water and filter companies and aid organizations.

Raising $1.6M Seed with $650K secured to scale ongoing pilots and expand market reach.

Email michael.dipaul@utoronto.ca > or DM to get connected!

LATER STAGE COSM MEDICAL (SERIES A) AI and 3D printing for precision gynecological care.

Cosm’s digital gynecology platform leverages novel diagnostics, AI, software, and 3D printing to create patient-specific devices for unique bodies and needs. Their first in-market product, Gynethotic pessaries, are the world's first Health Canada & FDA-cleared personalized gynecological prosthetics for pelvic floor disorders such as prolapse and incontinence, which affect half of all women in their lifetime. Beyond pessaries, Cosm is on their way to making ‘Invisalign for Gynecology’ a reality, with expansive opportunities from obstetrics to elderly care.

Clinical study results demonstrating improved symptoms and satisfaction vs. current standard. The American Urogynecology Society (AUGS) response called Cosm’s work a “translational success” and reiterated the need for innovation .

Positive clinical results for Gynethotics Recovery, helping women heal post-surgical and post-partum through tissue remodeling, to be presented next month at AUGS.

20+ active provider customers (Urogynes, PTs, OBGYNs, etc.) with 300+ leads across North America.

2 employer health benefits insurance coverage letters received toward ~80% patient coverage in Canada.

Raising $10M Series A for early commercial and market access.

eLeapPower (BRIDGE) Reimagining EV charging, driving, and mobility.

eLeapPower’s award-winning Smart Inverter combines power, charging, and electronics components into one modular unit, significantly reducing cost, size, and weight for EVs. Their technology speeds up charging, lowers CO₂ emissions, and enables charging directly from renewables. eLeapPower - headquartered in Canada and considered a trusted supplier in China - is a valued partner for automotive companies around the world.

Team includes over 40 engineers from top automakers and OEMs, including Tesla, GM, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Magna, and BorgWarner.

65 patents and growing with complementary hardware, software, and IP.

Projecting $10M revenue over next 12 months from full series production of initial vehicle line.

Closing $7.4M Bridge with $4.7M secured ahead of Series B.

NXLITE (SERIES A) Nano-thin energy and solar control coatings to improve window efficiency and insulation.

NxLite's advanced energy control window coatings keep summer heat and winter cold outside. Based on nontoxic, earth-abundant materials, NxLite is the only company in the world that offers a solar coating that is open-air stable and will not oxidize or corrode when exposed to oxygen. They are also the only company in the world that can provide energy control coatings on Polymeric substrates like PMMA and PC.

Retired all technical risk and have full-scaled manufacturing capabilities.

Active joint development and POCs with partners including one of the world's largest beverage companies and a leading advanced glass manufacturer.

Over $400M in commercial contracts in negotiation.

Raising $10M Series A with $2.4M committed to expand pilot installations and commercial operations .

Email michael.dipaul@utoronto.ca > or DM to get connected!

NEWS RADIANT BIO closes $35M Series A to advance therapeutic pipeline Radiant’s Multabody platform enables multi-valent, multi-specific antibodies with the potential to transform treatment of cancer, inflammation, infections, and other heterogeneous diseases. The round was co-led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Amplitude Ventures, and includes BDC, abrdn, FACIT, Alexandria Venture Investments, and TIAP.

HDAX THERAPEUTICS closes oversubscribed $3.2M Seed HDAX is pioneering a next-gen dual-binding mechanism that targets HDAC6 to deliver safe, effective, and long-lasting therapeutics for neurological and cardiometabolic diseases. The round will support preclinical candidate nomination and pipeline advancement.

QUANTUM BRIDGE secures strategic investment from Juniper Networks and receives supplier authorization for Canadian Government's fast-track procurement program Quantum Bridge's patented Distributed Symmetric Key Exchange (DSKE) stands at the forefront of post-quantum encryption, using a trustless architecture and pre-shared random data to protect communications against current and future threats.

MESOSIL closes $1.6M Seed Commercializing IP from the Faculty of Dentistry and Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Mesosil has developed silica-based biomaterials that prevent infection and disease and extend the lifespan of dental and medical devices.

ODAIA launches new GenAI and AI Agent solutions ODAIA's AI helps pharmaceutical commercial teams spend less time analyzing data and more time engaging with the right healthcare professionals. Precise, relevant, and timely insights are crucial for understanding HCP needs, improving patient care, and building brand loyalty in a competitive market.

In May, ODAIA joined the Veeva AI Partner Program to accelerate GenAI adoption in healthcare and became the first company to offer a GenAI solution for Veeva Vault CRM .

In September, ODAIA launched 3 new AI Agents for Pharma Sales: Engagement Intelligence , Targeting Intelligence , and Performance Intelligence . These tools integrate seamlessly with existing processes and provide real-time insights.

TABIAT launches in first paid US Hospital and joins Texas health accelerator With a focus on early detection of deterioration, Tabiat delivers clinically-relevant insights to doctors and patients to prevent readmissions and reduce acute events, potentially saving hospitals $383B annually. The digital health platform, powered by existing billing codes, delivers health monitoring and proactive care at home by leveraging AI to predict health changes days in advance.

Beachhead target is COPD, 3rd leading cause of death worldwide with over $15B readmission cost/year.

Validated through 3 successful pilots across 5 hospitals.

Recently accepted into the VelocityTX and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas Community Health Accelerator .

First fully paid US hospital launching in Q4 2024. Platform (with billing integration) fully developed and ready for deployment.

Email michael.dipaul@utoronto.ca > or DM to get connected!

AROUND THE ECOSYSTEM WAABI, founded by Prof. Raquel Urtasun, raises $200M Series B to launch self-driving trucks The round was led by previous investors Khosla Ventures and Uber (where Prof. Urtasun previously worked as chief scientist of the self-driving division), and includes NVIDIA, Volvo Group, and Porsche Automobil Holding.

COHERE closes $500M Series D at $5.5B valuation Co-founded by Alums Aidan Gomez, Ivan Zhang, and Nick Frosst, Cohere is the leading AI platform for business.

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Michael DiPaul

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada 2K followers 500+ connections

About

Services

Experience

University of Toronto

View Michael’s full profile

Other similar profiles

Jai Subramaniam

Keith Loo

Komal Sanghvi, CEM

Vida Morkunas

Pierre Hanna

Bobby P.

Jose A. Garcia, Ph.D., P. Eng., MBA

📸Victoria Morton

Jeyda Fox

Darcy MacPhail (He/Him)

Vidur Kalive

Greg Paseshnik

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Erika Truchon

Damilola Junaid, MBA

David Ticoll

Vivian Tong

Ejaz Aman

Kia Carayannopoulos

Jessie L.

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
2K followers 500+ connections