ECHO PITCH 2026
Event Details
What: ECHO PITCH 2026
When: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Time: 2:30 to 8:00 pm ET
Where: U of T Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus (2nd Floor Auditorium; 108 College St, Toronto, ON M5G 0C6)
What can you expect?
- Watch six health innovators pitch their groundbreaking technologies and ideas.
- Connect with entrepreneurs, scientists, clinicians, business leaders and investors from across the health innovation ecosystem.
- Gain insights from a multi-sectoral panel of judges and an expert keynote speaker.
- Enjoy an afternoon of innovation, networking, food and refreshments.
Join us to learn, network and set your entrepreneurial spirit free! Space is limited, so register early to reserve your spot!
ECHO PITCH is co-hosted by the Temerty Medicine Commercialization & Partnerships Unit and the Translational Biology & Engineering Program (TBEP) at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.
About ECHO
Entrepreneurship for Commercialization of Health Opportunities (ECHO) is a specialized entrepreneurship training program, led by veteran entrepreneurs and consultants across a variety of sectors, and designed to bridge the translational gap for health innovations.
Ventures participating in this 12-month virtual training program receive entrepreneurship training, mentorship and support to create and grow their high-impact, health-focused startup. They also gain access to partnership and funding opportunities.
Launched in 2018, ECHO has supported over 85 ventures and 220 venture team members, awarding over $1.7 million in funding to help transform cutting-edge health research into real-world solutions. Led by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine's Commercialization & Partnerships Unit at the University of Toronto, ECHO is funded and organized in partnership with the Translational Biology & Engineering Program (TBEP) at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research.
ECHO PITCH 2026 will feature a keynote presentation followed by pitch presentations from our six venture finalists. The event will conclude with a reception and award announcement.
| Time | Details |
|---|---|
| 2:30 – 3:00 pm | Registration & Networking |
| 3:00 – 3:10 pm | Opening Remarks |
| 3:10 – 3:55 pm | Keynote Presentation |
| 3:55 – 5:15 pm | Pitch Competition: General Health Stream
|
| 5:15 – 5:45 pm | Break |
| 5:45 – 7:00 pm | Pitch Competition: Cardiovascular Stream
|
| 7:00 – 7:45 pm | Dinner & Networking Reception |
| 7:45 – 8:00 pm | Award Presentation & Closing Remarks |
John H. Wong, MD MSc MBA FRCSC
Dr. John H. Wong is co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fluid Biomed Inc., a medical device company of 30 people based in Calgary, Canada, developing a bioabsorbable neurovascular stent to treat brain aneurysms. He is an associate professor in the Departments of Clinical Neurosciences and Radiology at the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. He serves as Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery and maintains an active surgical practice dedicated to treating patients with brain aneurysms and stroke.
Dr. Wong received his medical education and neurosurgical training at the University of Alberta. After fellowship sub-specialization in neurovascular surgery at Yale University and interventional neuroradiology in New York City, he was recruited to Calgary in 2001. Dr. Wong has authored 95 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has served on several grant review panels including for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
He has previously held several leadership roles including Head of Neurosurgery at the University of Calgary, President of the provincial Alberta Neurosurgical Society and President of the Canadian Neurosurgical Society. Dr. Wong completed an MBA at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in Finance and Entrepreneurship & Innovation and was recognized with the Dean’s Leadership Award.
A2O
A2O is developing a first-in-class astrocyte reprogramming therapy that generates new oligodendrocytes to promote remyelination, restore function and prevent progression in demyelinating diseases.
ECHO - General Health Stream
Neuropeutics
Neuropeutics is developing first-in-class, disease-modifying small molecules targeting the root causes of neurodegenerative diseases, beginning with ALS, with the potential to halt disease progression, extend survival and improve quality of life.
ECHO - General Health Stream
Aortico
Aortico transforms routine aortic imaging into a personalized assessment of aortic dissection risk, giving clinicians a better way to triage growing patient populations. By identifying high-risk patients missed by current assessment, Aortico supports earlier life-saving intervention, more confident clinical decisions and more efficient use of hospital resources.
ECHO - Cardiovascular Health Stream
Sensible Vascular
Every 4 seconds, someone has a stroke. The speed and effectiveness of treatment can determine whether a patient recovers. Today’s thrombectomy devices struggle to balance rapid access to the clot with efficient removal. Sensible Vascular is developing a next-generation thrombectomy system designed to overcome these limitations, helping physicians restore blood flow faster and give patients the best chance at recovery.
ECHO - Cardiovascular Health Stream
Heprion
For patients diagnosed with prion disease, or those who carry a familial mutation that predisposes them to these disorders, Heprion—short for Harnessing evolution for the treatment of prion diseases—is developing a first-in-class intravenously delivered gene therapy that leverages a biological phenomenon refined through evolution to target the root cause of neurodegenerative diseases, including prion diseases. This approach is designed to halt disease progression by blocking pathological protein aggregation and holds the potential to be therapeutic for other neurodegenerative diseases.
ECHO - General Health Stream
ArteraNova
ArteraNova’s NanoSmooth is a next-generation vascular healing platform that directly addresses the core biological and safety limitations of today’s drug-coated balloons and drug-eluting stents. Unlike paclitaxel and sirolimus, their non-cytotoxic, smooth muscle-selective therapeutic peptide, conjugated with a nanoparticle, selectively arrests migrating smooth muscle cells without hindering endothelial recovery. Delivered by an angioplasty balloon, NanoSmooth provides targeted therapy to prevent restenosis while reducing toxicity, thrombosis, repeat interventions and reliance on blood thinners—supporting safer procedures and better outcomes in peripheral and coronary artery disease.
ECHO - Cardiovascular Health Stream