Canadian Technology Accelerator – San Francisco Health

Do you want to scale up your health or life sciences company in San Francisco? This region, including Silicon Valley, is home to one of the most important clusters of medical innovation in the world. It is also known for its strong venture capital ecosystem and high concentration of business and startup leaders. The Canadian Technology Accelerator (CTA) business development program will help advance your company’s commercialization goals and increase access to local opportunities to successfully expand into the United States (U.S.).

Important dates

Who should apply

We are looking for high-potential, growth-stage companies in:

• biotechnology
• diagnostics
• digital health
• genomics
• drug discovery
• medical devices
• precision medicine
• therapeutics

Companies must:

• have a minimum proof of concept and clear strategy for accessing this market
• be seeking venture capital ( post-seed to series A) or alternative financing, partnerships and customers within the next 12 months
• have a CEO or founder who is committed and able to participate in virtual advisory meetings and preparatory work, as well as in all virtual kickoff and closing programming

The Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) supports equality and diversity in trade. We strongly encourage companies led by Canadians of all backgrounds and orientations to apply.

What we offer your business

Upon acceptance, your business will benefit from:

• tailored guidance delivered virtually from experienced mentor teams built around company-specific issues that include:
  • regulatory and reimbursement pathways
  • accessing finance
  • client acquisition
  • building your team and corporate negotiating strategy
• connections to local venture capitalists and potential partners
  • major healthcare providers and research centres such as:
    • Kaiser Permanente
    • Sutter Health
    • University of California San Francisco (UCSF)
  • major corporations such as:
    • Johnson & Johnson
    • Pfizer
    • Merck
    • Genentech
    • Asetellas
  • Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) like Rock Health and Verily
• in-market innovation days in San Francisco and Silicon Valley
• strategic business intelligence, advice, and training to better engage with the local market delivered through weekly masterclass sessions

Program

The program will offer customized virtual support from September to December 2021 for three hours per week. We will establish tailored priorities at the beginning of the program to develop your business strategy as well as advance your market entry, investment and customer acquisition objectives. You will participate in:

• advisory meetings
• masterclasses
• opening and closing events
• and more

Following the guidelines for COVID-19, we will continue to reassess any in-person attendance for the CTA Digital Health in the U.S. However, if a visit to the U.S. is possible, companies should plan to spend a maximum of seven days in the country.

What you will gain

Graduates of this CTA will gain:

• a deeper understanding of the commercial opportunities for your technology in the market
• guidance on entering and navigating the U.S. market
• potential investment, pilot projects, partnerships and long-term sales in the U.S.
• the opportunity to present to and get noticed by potential buyers, strategic partners, and investors
• enhanced network development with relationships built to last outside of the program.

Contact us

Learn more about the CTA by contacting:

Nicole Sanders
Trade Commissioner, Life Sciences
Canadian Technology Accelerator —San Francisco
Nicole.Sanders@international.gc.ca

Testimonials

"CTA was a great program. The mentors in CTA were directly related to the business and contributed to our business strategy. We got introductions to potential partnerships investors that will secure the long-term viability of our business. I will be recommending this program to other Canadian companies in the future." Serenity Bioworks Inc., San Francisco Life Science CTA 2018-19

“Excellent program. The depth of the engagement for an accelerator program was the best we've experienced so far.” MIMOSA Diagnostics, San Francisco Life Science CTA 2020-21

“While working at the CTA in San Francisco we built countless relationships that have led to numerous strategic partnerships, including an excellent partnership with a major consultancy. We will continue to maintain a presence in-market as we work toward raising funding and continue to foster ongoing relationships with partners.” Affinio Inc., Silicon Valley CTA 2014-15