When Stevie Foglia was three years old, his father was in a car accident that left him with a spinal cord injury and severe neuropathic pain.
“I’ve seen the effect this kind of pain can have on a person and their family. My dad has tried every drug and treatment and nothing has worked. It’s a matter of living through his pain every day,” says Foglia, postdoctoral fellow in the School of Biomedical Engineering.
This experience inspired Foglia to go into research for pain management with the goal of developing novel therapies that can be effective without life-altering side effects.
To help make his vision a reality, Foglia was awarded McMaster’s inaugural Postdoc Entrepreneur Fellowship in 2024. The fellowship provides $75,000 in salary support, giving postdocs more time to focus on turning their research into commercial ventures.
Foglia’s company, Neuro-Mod Inc., was born out of his doctoral research, which included work in non-invasive brain stimulation, as well as using augmented reality (AR) to deliver physiotherapy exercises.
AR makes therapy more engaging and accessible for patients, who can train in the comfort of their homes, Foglia says.
“We built this AR therapy and did this study in chronic neck pain, and we found great results in terms of pain management and improved function. The first thing patients asked us after the study was, ‘Where do I get more of this?’
“It opened our eyes, and me and my supervisor, Dr. Aimee Nelson, realized the importance of translating research to the market. Because if you can’t bridge that gap, your work may not end up helping the people it’s intended to serve.”
Alongside the fellowship, Foglia is participating in Lab2Market, a national network that provides innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship skills training for students and researchers.
Lab2Market’s 16-week Validate program gives participants the chance to test and evaluate their ideas.
Seventy-eight interviews with patients and clinicians validated what Foglia had found in his research: Many patients lack effective pain treatment or get help through physio, but find it challenging to get to a clinic.
With validation secured, Foglia is now involved in Lab2Market Launch, a 16-week program designed to help entrepreneurs successfully launch their ventures.
Neuro-Mod is preparing for a pilot launch in physiotherapy clinics in September, and aiming for a full launch next year.
Foglia says he’s grateful for the wraparound support provided by McMaster’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
“There is a nice synergy between the support McMaster provides their entrepreneurs and programs offered through Lab2Market,” he says.
“Coming from a STEM background, I didn’t really have training or expertise in how to build and launch a product. Lab2Market gives you guidance and knowledge on that pathway. It helps give you confidence in your product and in yourself as an entrepreneur.”
The deadline to apply for the 2025 Postdoc Entrepreneur Fellowship is Sept. 28, 2025. Join the upcoming online information session on August 27, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. to learn more.
The deadline for the upcoming Lab2Market Launch program is Sept. 26, 2025. Join upcoming information sessions through the Lab2Market Luma calendar.