The 2024 Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition with M.C. Ian Keeling, a public speaking coach at Talk Boutique.
On May 8 six promising trainee-led ventures will take center stage at Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, competing in the Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition.
These emerging entrepreneurs from the University of Toronto (U of T) and its affiliated hospitals are translating bold scientific ideas into real-world biotech solutions with the potential to reshape how we treat conditions like hypoglycemia, stroke, spinal cord injury, neurodegenerative diseases and more.
Bridging Research and Entrepreneurship: Empowering the Next Generation of Biotech Leaders
Founded by Medicine by Design and now in its fifth year, the Building a Biotech Venture program helps bridge the gap between breakthrough scientific discovery and commercialization. The program equips researchers with immersive entrepreneurial training including workshops, mentorship and industry expert-led sessions to build investor-ready biotech ventures.
This year’s BBTV program is led by PRiME Next-Generation Precision Medicine, in close partnership with Medicine by Design, Health Innovation Hub (H2i), and Talk Boutique.
“At PRiME, we believe that innovation happens when great science meets bold thinking. Building a Biotech Venture is one of the ways we bring that philosophy to life — by investing in the people and ideas that will define tomorrow’s health-related breakthroughs,” says Akshita Vincent, director of strategy and partnerships at PRiME. “These ventures represent the future of precision and regenerative medicine – targeted, personalized, and transformative. It’s inspiring to see researchers evolve into entrepreneurs who are reimagining how we approach treatment and care.”
This vision is shared by Building a Biotech Ventures founding partner, Medicine by Design, which continues to play a central role in shaping the program’s success.
“There is world-leading regenerative and precision medicine research taking place at U of T and its affiliated hospitals,” says Allison Brown, senior vice president, Academic Engagement & Philanthropy, at Medicine by Design, part of CCRM. “Medicine by Design created Building a Biotech Venture in 2020 to steer researchers toward real-world impact that will benefit human health. Participating teams learn by engaging with a wide range of experts who help demystify the process of commercialization from start to finish. The teams leave the program with a solid venture blueprint, and many have continued to thrive and grow after the program ends.”
A record number of applications were received this year. Following a rigorous selection process, 10 selected teams advanced to the Venture Development phase and have since participated in a tailored entrepreneurial education program to refine their business strategies. With mentorship from industry experts and dedicated pitch coaching from Talk Boutique and the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), six teams were selected for the pitch competition, and are now prepared to present their ventures to a panel of esteemed judges representing biotech, commercialization, and venture capital.
“I think that we have seen this program grow significantly in terms of engagement from the young entrepreneurial minds in our community, and this year’s cohort is comprised of outstanding critical thinkers applying innovative solutions to real challenging problems,” says Paul Santerre, director of H2i and a professor at the Faculty of Dentistry and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at U of T.
Turning Research into Impact: Where the Ventures Go Next
The program has been a launchpad for numerous early-stage biotech ventures. Many past teams have continued developing their ventures beyond the program, securing follow-on investment and advancing their technologies toward clinical impact.
Michael Valic, co-founder, Twenty-nine Therapeutics, presents at the 2024 Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition.
One such success story is Twenty-nine Therapeutics. “With the award from the [Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition,] our team was able to complete a health technology assessment and competitive landscape analysis of our target markets. This analysis has helped shape our venture’s product development strategy, focus our value proposition, and ultimately, has led to the creation of a compelling business case for investors and industry partners,” says Michael Valic, co-founder, Twenty-nine Therapeutics. “The [Building a Biotech Venture] workshops were invaluable for providing me the tools and skillsets to pitch my venture with greater effect and success. In particular, the sessions led by Talk Boutique helped me to understand the fundamentals of storytelling and how to use storytelling devices to craft my pitch for maximal impact with different audiences.”
These lessons, he adds, continue to pay dividends, most recently with his second-place finish at the 2025 Desjardins Startup Prize during U of T’s Entrepreneurship Week. Since the program, the team has gained Health Canada approval to begin first-in-human clinical trials at UHN’s Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, received a major grant from the Terry Fox Research Institute, and won Best Poster in Oncology at the 2024 World Molecular Imaging Congress.
Shiron Lee, co-founder and CEO, Re:Pair Genomics, presents at the 2024 Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition.
Another such success story is Re:Pair Genomics. Following their win at last year’s Building a Biotech Venture Pitch Competition, the team earned additional recognition across U of T innovation circuits – placing in both the Hult Prize and Desjardins Startup Prize competitions, securing a $25,000 Tech@RBC Momentum Grant, and being selected as a venture in CABHI’s inaugural Ignite cohort.
“Thanks to the…research funding awarded to us at the [Building a Biotech Venture] Pitch Competition last year, we were able to purchase reagents for internal validation experiments and begin developing a catalog of compact promoters for various cell types. The recognition gained from the competition helped us secure additional funding and external collaborations. We couldn’t have gotten this far without the mentorship from all the Building a Biotech Venture workshops, addressing the importance of intellectual property, regulation, and market research,” says Shiron Lee, co-founder and CEO, Re:Pair Genomics. “This program allowed scientists like us to understand that there is more to a business than the technology itself. More importantly, we were able to refine our pitch with the help of a speaker coach. All these valuable experiences along with the prize award, have strengthened the Re:Pair team as we continue to make our way towards the market.”
