McMaster entrepreneurs are solving real challenges locally and globally and their ingenuity will be in the spotlight at the third annual Made at Mac event.
Students, faculty, staff and alumni will gather at L.R. Wilson Hall on Wednesday, April 1 from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to celebrate McMaster’s entrepreneurship community and learn how their innovations are advancing Canada’s social and economic landscape.
“McMaster’s commercialization ecosystem is accelerating discovery and making our communities healthier, smarter and safer,” says McMaster President Susan Tighe.
“From developing new materials to new pharmaceuticals, our entrepreneurs are transforming cutting edge-innovation into real-world impact.”
Vice-president (Research) Gianni Parise, who oversees McMaster’s accelerated commercialization and entrepreneurship (ACE) initiatives, says the event reflects both progress and future ambition.
“We’re accelerating how ideas move from discovery to impact,” Parise says. “Made at Mac reflects how we’re strengthening the connected ecosystem that supports our students, staff, and faculty in taking that next step.”
Tighe will moderate a panel discussion featuring entrepreneurs whose startups are linked to McMaster, including:
- Ali Emadi, McMaster professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and founder and CEO of Enedym, a McMaster-based startup behind the development of the switched reluctance motor (SRMs), a type of electric motor that doesn’t use permanent magnets and eliminates the need for rare earth metals
- Mackensey Bacon, CEO of NodeAI, a McMaster startup using artificial intelligence to more accurately diagnose lung cancer and give patients a better chance of survival
- Manak Bajaj, a McMaster PhD student and founder of Wonder Guard, a smart catheter bag powered by artificial intelligence that rapidly detects the presence of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections.
Made at Mac will feature a Startup Showcase that will highlight a selection of ventures from the following McMaster innovators:
- NeuroSpritz: With the goal of transforming how brain activity is measured, Integrated Science student Lucas Monter’s startup is creating wireless, spray-on sensors and smart software that will make brain testing faster, more comfortable and more accessible for patients and researchers.
- Sensible Vascular: Purvish Soni and Kevin Macwan are the founders of this startup that is developing a first-in-class thrombectomy system designed to remove brain clots caused by strokes without injuring the blood vessel or the clot by integrating multiple critical functions into one streamlined device, empowering stroke physicians to deliver faster, safer and more effective care.
- ELO: Founder Adam Hepburn’s ELO is committed to creating the best gaming equipment on the market, including a mobile gaming controller that transforms any phone into a full-fledged gaming console and extended reality (XR) glasses that create a virtual 180-inch HD monitor in front of your face.
- Neuro-Mod: Co-founder Stevie Foglia will be highlighting this startup’s Augmented Reality Sensorimotor Training (ARST), the first rehabilitation platform that uses augmented reality and AI to relieve pain and improve function in chronic neck pain, which affects one in five Canadians.
- LIVESENS: Engineering students Ali Hamdy, Jase Jin and Eddy Su are the co-founders of this startup that uses mobile sensors mounted on vehicles to capture real-time data about environmental metrics, traffic patterns and pedestrian activity to inform decisions on a range of urban issues, including transit, infrastructure, economic investment and urban design.
- Arche: This platform from founder and CEO Laura Vanier aims to transform how clinicians monitor and manage patient fluids through an automated platform that converts manual, qualitative measurements into continuous, quantitative datasets that enable early detection of patient deterioration.
- Better Bionics: Ahmed Ibrahim founded this startup to create better prosthetics by combining AI-guided generative design, validated multi-material 3D printing, and modular electronics to improve fit consistency, comfort, and usable function while cutting down on the time and effort it normally takes to generate prosthetics.
- Block Biosciences: Agata Kieliszek is co-founder of this company that is working on a first-in-class precision medicine that would be taken proactively by patients after a diagnosis of lung, breast or skin cancer, to prevent secondary metastatic brain cancer, which happens when cancer cells from another part of the body travel to the brain.
- ReFem Technologies: Co-founders Shruti Cheetu and Mikaela Morelli will showcase a women’s health medical device startup focused on modernizing gynecologic care through patient-centred innovation, with a flagship product in contraceptive care.
- Nurse Jenn: After 18 years working as an emergency room nurse, Jenn Johnson founded Nurse Jenn to support nurses at the point of greatest risk for burnout and attrition through reflective journals, 24/7 AI mentorship, and resilience-building programs.
- NerView Surgical: This startup from founder Mann Parikh is developing technology to support precision and safety in neurosurgical procedures through real-time insights that significantly reduce the risk of intraoperative nerve injuries and improving patient outcomes.
Attendees will also have an opportunity to learn more about programs and opportunities to support commercialization at McMaster and connect with fellow innovators, investors and entrepreneurial enthusiasts.