With Digital Health on ‘Cusp of Breakthrough,’ RESI Taps Canada for First Time
The Redefining Early Stage Investments Conference is coming to Canada for the first time.
RESI on MaRS will take place on June 23 in Toronto, where Dianne Carmichael, Managing Director, Health Innovation & Venture Services, MaRS Discovery District, says early stage investment in life sciences and digital health is “on the cusp of a major breakthrough.”
The news follows the launch of Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS @ Toronto in May, which was also a first outside the United States, and in the same building RESI will take place, notes Carmichael.
“These initiatives offer a glimpse of how major strategic firms and investors in the health sector are recognizing the Toronto area’s resources, including the region’s pool of skilled talent, its recognized high quality of life, its world-class health research institutions, its strong entrepreneurial culture, and the generous tax incentives available for R&D locally,” she says.
Total venture deal activity for Canada’s life sciences sector hit $511 million (all values in Canadian dollars) for the first nine months of 2015, a jump from $422.5 million the year before.
As interest ramps up on the early stage investmenet front, MaRS says it is growing its support for entrepreneurs, including expanding its team of advisors with experience in early stage investment.
“RESI on MaRS will welcome innovators and investors from around the globe to engage in the heart of Canada’s rising health innovation hub in Toronto,” says Carmichael.
