2024
Innovative use for ancient plant takes top prize in pitch competition
Liz Mahon and BryoSphere Biotechnologies won first place and $5,000 at this year’s Invention to Innovation (i2I) Pitch Competition for their work turning moss into sustainable biofactories to make bioactive ingredients for skincare.
The annual event at SFU’s Beedie School of Business celebrates entrepreneurial scientists who have completed the Invention to Innovation (i2I) Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization program. Five finalists are selected from the graduating cohort to pitch their science innovation to a panel of expert judges, competing for financial awards and invaluable mentorship opportunities.
“The i2I program has had a tremendous impact on our journey,” says Mahon. “It helped us to refine our core technology and sharpen our focus on the market needs. i2I has pushed us to think bigger about how we can realign our research to meet the real-world demands of the skincare industry. It has also been instrumental in preparing us to engage with public funders and global investors. i2I has been a key part of BryoSphere’s journey and I am excited for what’s coming next.”
Anh TranLy, co-founder of CO2L Tech (pronounced /kool tek/), was awarded second place and $2,500.
2024 Finalists
Co-Founder, BryoSphere (Chang Institute - Incubator Program)
Liz Mahon holds both an MSc and PhD in plant biochemistry and molecular biology.
Her work has focused on using biotechnology tools to address climate change issues. She is passionate about using her training to find sustainable solutions to real world problems.
BryoSphere Biotechnologies is turning moss into sustainable biofactories to make bioactive ingredients for skincare.
Co-Founder, CO2L Tech
Anh TranLy received her PhD degree in materials science from ETH Zurich in Switzerland before beginning a postdoctoral fellowship at Queen’s University. Recently honoured with the 2024 ACS’s Excellence Award in Green Chemistry and Sustainability, she is dedicated to translating laboratory innovations into market solutions and positive societal impacts.
CO2L Tech has developed an ECR system that effectively transforms impure CO2 emissions directly from industrial sources into valuable chemicals and products.
PhD Candidate (Queen’s University); Co-Founder, Gencorrex
Robyn Binsfeld is pursuing a PhD in neuroscience researching and developing gene therapy drugs to treat genetic neurological disorders. She specializes in pre-clinical development and testing of these therapeutics with the purpose of translating them to clinical use and commercial development.
Gencorrex is transforming rare disease by treating the cause with a novel gene therapy platform.
Founder and CEO, XRGeo Technology Inc.
Omar Chang completed an MSc at SFU investigating the applications of mixed and virtual reality in the mining industry. As an independent contractor, he has continuously developed solutions for geological and engineering challenges with institutions including University of British Columbia, SFU, and University of Urbino in Italy.
XRGeo Technology Inc. is a B2B hardware and software company that accurately captures 3D renders of core samples to optimize mine planning and core analysis.
Yang S. Liu
Chief Scientist, Become Health
Yang S. Liu holds a PhD in psychology and serves as a research scientist at the University of Alberta. He specializes in precision psychiatry, behavioral psychology, machine learning, and computational modeling. Liu developed the initial prototype of EarlyDetect.
Become Health’s EarlyDetect, is a cross-platform, scientifically validated, AI-enabled, patient-driven mental health screening tool that empowers clinicians to make accurate diagnoses early and improve clinical efficiency.
Finalists pitched their ideas to leaders in Canada’s science innovation ecosystems. This year’s panel of judges included:
- David Sanguinetti, COO,Foresight Canada
- Kristy Lonergan, Senior Director, adMare Academy, adMare Bioinnovations
- Doug Kinsey, Strategic Advisor; Chair, BC Technology for Learning Society; Vice-Chair, Quantum Algorithms Institute
- Kamaldeep Sembi, Director and IP Legal Counsel, Technology Licensing Office, SFU
“It was such a delight to celebrate our scientist innovators, hear such compelling innovation pitches, and catch up with i2I alumni, mentors, faculty and supporters,” says Elicia Maine, founder of the i2I program. “Special thanks to interim National i2I academic director, Jon Thomas, and to the whole i2I team for all they do to support Canada’s science innovation ecosystem,”
The year-long, part-time i2I program has empowered more than 500 scientists and engineers to develop and commercialize solutions for pressing global issues. It has allowed them to foster an entrepreneurial mindset, translating their research into impact.
In partnership with Mitacs since 2019, the program is delivered to cohorts at Queen’s University, Dalhousie University, University of Waterloo, University of Alberta and Memorial University, and to French-language cohorts in collaboration with Laval University and Polytechnique Montreal. i2I is also part of a pilot program with National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), Unlocking Innovation Potential with Venture Labs, SFU Innovates, and the Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship at SFU.
i2I is a key component of the thriving innovation ecosystem at SFU, which is recognized as Canada’s top university for innovation according to the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI), 2024 rankings.