Dedicated to unleashing the potential of neurotechnology and innovation, in September, the Ontario Brain Institute provided a total of $600,000 to six Canada-based entrepreneurs through the Neurotech Entrepreneurship to Validate Emerging Innovations (NERVE) program.

NERVE offers $100,000 each in funding to early-stage entrepreneurs, along with 12 months of training opportunities, personalized mentorship, and comprehensive support to help kick-start neurotech ventures. The 2023-24 year marked the second in a row in which the program, Canada's single largest award to catalyze early-stage entrepreneurs to commercialize brain-related technologies, was open to applicants from across the country.

2023 marks the second year that OBI’s long-running entrepreneurship program has been offered to applicants from across the country.

The six 2023 NERVE entrepreneurs are:

  • Sadegh Raeisi of Foqus (Toronto, ON), software that integrates with MRI equipment to reduce scan time without sacrificing image quality;
  • Bronwyn Bridges of PragmaClin (St. John’s, NL), a digital tool that assesses Parkinson’s Disease progression using depth cameras for motor data capture and surveys for patient-reported data;
  • Karina Gasbarrino of Sonaro (Montreal, QC), Vaso3D software that provides an artificial intelligence-based solution to speed up atherosclerotic plaque diagnosis and stroke prediction;
  • Michelle Lehman of Think Self-Management (Dartmouth, NS), a unique digital platform to provide healthcare professionals with evidence-based, self-management tools to improve the lives of people living with chronic conditions;
  • Tony Ingram of Axem Neurotechnology (Dartmouth, NS), a remote rehabilitation program supporting stroke recovery that is personalized using an innovative at-home neuroimaging system; and
  • Sakeena Mihar of Savyn (Toronto, ON), a digital neuropsychiatry therapy platform with the ability to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression symptoms.