Capital BioVentures is an Ottawa Canada founded wet-lab accelerator program that removes hurdles for our Canadian innovators, while fostering a collaborative and cohesive ecosystem.
Capital BioVentures was founded by a group of passionate entrepreneurs, biotech professionals and institutional experts local to the Ottawa ecosystem. We have a singular focus: build more successful biotech companies that commercialize and scale in Canada.
We are offering seed-staged life science companies funding, access to dedicated drug and corporate development biotech professionals, access to high quality, equipment fit up lab space.
Our Vision: Capital BioVentures aims to build and sustain a thriving life science ecosystem in Ottawa, Canada. Core to the success of this mission – is the necessity to work together. Capital BioVentures was purpose built to achieve this mission.
1. We have independent and experienced leadership.
We are managed and directed by local biotech professionals who have experienced the challenges of launching and scaling life science companies.
We are a newly founded organization independent from institutional ties and unbiased in our support of local life science biotech companies.
2. We have an inclusive and collaborative business model.
Retaining biotech companies in Canada long term requires a thriving ecosystem – Capital BioVentures is building towards collaboration from investors, governments, existing non-profit organizations, colleges, universities and hospitals to join our network to create this ecosystem.
We have built an inclusive business model. We aim to partner with the entire ecosystem to deliver on our mission.
Founded by Ottawa local entrepreneurs who are excited to build and expand the life science ecosystem in Ottawa.
We’re offering eligible life science companies three pillars of support:
1. Access to high quality lab space
Capital BioVentures has partnerships with several Universities, Colleges, Hospitals, and Research Institutes across the Ottawa region where we have established dedicated wet-lab space for scaling biotech companies in the region. These wet-lab spaces are fit up with equipment, have access to institute core facilities (including animal housing) and resident companies will have access to shared board room, offices, lunchroom spaces. Please contact us to learn more.
2. Access to dedicated drug and corporate development biotech professionals
Capital BioVentures employs experienced biotech professionals to support life sciences companies in Ottawa, and across southern Ontario. We have a network of executives that span the entire functional spectrum from toxicology, CMC, regulatory, manufacturing to business development, corporate strategy, and financing. We will be offering expert-in-residence support to:
Scaling life sciences companies in Ottawa and southern Ontario
Tech transfer offices in the Ottawa and Eastern Ontario region
3. Access to capital
Capital BioVentures also aims to support a select number of Ottawa life science companies with non-dilutive grant support and/or equity investment.
Portfolio Companies
NuvoBio is a peptide therapeutics company dedicated to generating a pipeline of best-in-class peptides, driven by its innovative and highly differentiated drug discovery platform, DarwinAI. With the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, demand for peptide therapeutics is on the rise. NuvoBio's mission is to accelerate peptide drug development using its revolutionary approach. This technology not only speeds up drug development but also significantly reduces off-target risks, paving the way for safer and more effective treatments.
Rhythm Biotherapeutics Inc. is a preclinical-stage startup, pioneering novel biologic therapies designed to prevent and cure atrial fibrillation. The company's lead asset is an exosome therapy targeting postoperative atrial fibrillation, a serious complication of open chest surgery that results in increased morbidity and healthcare costs. Rhythm Biotherapeutics is dedicated to developing treatments that not only address this immediate concern but also contribute to the broader goal of eradicating atrial fibrillation.
Yellowbird Diagnostics is a clinical stage biotechnology company revolutionizing medical imaging. Our cutting-edge plug-and-play imaging dyes offer unparalleled diagnostic capabilities for common procedures. By revealing subtle, previously invisible biomarkers, we empower clinicians to detect early signs of diseases affecting vital organs such as the brain, heart, and kidneys. This enables more accurate diagnoses and timely interventions, leading to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.
Esphera is a synthetic biology company developing engineered exosomes for the delivery of specific payloads to target cells using a first-in-class proprietary multimeric fusion protein. We modify cells such that they make modified exosomes. These bespoke exosomes can be designed to have targeting moieties on their surface and a variety of protein or RNA payloads in their lumen. Exosomal therapeutics are a rapidly growing field that offers unique advantages for safe, targeted, versatile drug delivery.
HyliDx has developed a working prototype for a lab-equivalent, connected, at-home blood-testing system for potassium, to help control life-threatening hyperkalemia experienced by millions of chronic disease patients in Canada, the US, and EU.
Virano Therapeutics has a vision to bring vastly improved and safer gene therapies to patients. We're building a pipeline of Vector Potentiators (VEPO™) and vector therapeutics for high unmet need diseases through in-house discovery and partnerships with global gene therapy players.
JN Nova is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the efficient development of innovative treatments that address significant unmet medical needs. The company’s lead product candidate, JN2029, is a novel biologic designed to protect patients with Long COVID, as well as those with IPF, ARDS, and AKI. JN Nova is collaborating with Canadian government labs and academic centers to accelerate the development of its companion diagnostics and therapeutic program for Long COVID, utilizing AI and machine learning tools. The company is aiming to enter clinical trials in 2025 to test JN2029 in human subjects, marking a significant milestone in the development of their therapeutic pipeline. JN Nova's approach integrates advanced technology with biopharmaceutical research to address critical health issues that currently lack effective treatments.
We’re building an inclusive and cohesive ecosystem in the Ottawa region.
Thank you to our partners for their collaboration and support!
Please reach out to partner with us, or learn more about our programming.
Anna Fritzsche is the Lab Operations Manager at Capital BioVentures (CBV), where she helps clients optimize their wet lab operations, provides training, and consults on experimental design. She brings extensive expertise in flow cytometry, including panel design, cell sorting, spectral cytometry, and nanoscale flow cytometry.
Before joining CBV, Anna worked as an Associate Scientist at Turnstone Biologics, contributing to the company’s tumor-reactive T-cell selection program and driving advancements in cancer immunotherapy. She holds an M.Sc. in Biological Science with a specialization in Immunology from the University of Konstanz in Germany.
Larissa Piko, PhD
Dr. Larissa Pikor has over 10 years of experience in the immuno-oncology field, with industry experience leading preclinical development, non-clinical safety assessment and product characterization of multiple early-stage immunotherapy products. In addition to her preclinical expertise, Larissa has experience with vendor management, market and gap assessments and has supported the development and implementation of Quality Management Systems for early phase biotech companies. Larissa received her Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Oncology from the University of British Columbia and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute with Dr. John Bell.
Maura Campbell, PhD
Dr. Maura Campbell is the President and CEO of the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO®), a not-for-profit, membership-based organization dedicated to advancing health technology innovation and commercialization. Dr. Campbell has more than 30 years of experience in all key areas of biotech, including private and public companies, universities and research institutes, and government-funded public sector research organizations.
With expertise in technology transfer and commercialization of intellectual property, Dr. Campbell has held various roles in senior management, most recently as the Vice-President of Intellectual Property and Contracts for Turnstone Biologics, which recently went public on the NASDAQ. She played a significant role in the company’s seed and Series A, B, C, and D financing, as well as the execution of two large pharma-licensing deals with AbbVie Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals International Co. raising over $450 million (U.S.) for Turnstone. Previously, Dr. Campbell served as Director, Intellectual Property at VBI Vaccines. Among the various roles she held in her career are Senior Research Program Manager, and Manager of Technology Transfer & Commercialization at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Director of Intellectual Property for PainCeptor Pharma Corporation, and Manager of Technology Transfer at the Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems National Centre of Excellence. Dr. Campbell has also served as an IP consultant to a number of Canadian start-ups including Neurochem, Conjuchem, Aonix, AMRIC and Sussex Research Labs.
Dr. Campbell received a Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Ottawa, and an M.Sc. and a B.Sc. in biochemistry from Queen’s University in Kingston. Most recently, Dr. Campbell accepted an appointment to the Ontario Life Sciences Council, joining eleven other industry experts to support a plan to make Ontario a top hub for innovation growth and life sciences investment.
David Stojdl, PhD
Dr. David Stojdl has more than 30 years of basic research and commercial drug development experience in academia and industry. David has made substantial contributions to the field of immunotherapy, notably discovering and advancing novel therapeutics based on oncolytic viruses, cancer vaccines and adoptive T cell therapies to first-in-man clinical trials. His prolific tenure as a Senior Scientist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Ottawa is marked by significant publications in top tier journals including Nature Medicine, Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell and Nature Biotechnology and has been cited over 11 300 times.
In the entrepreneurial domain, Dr. Stojdl co-founded Jennerex Biotherapeutics, a vaccina oncolytic virus therapy company, which was later acquired by Sillajen for $US 160M. In 2014, David co-founded Turnstone Biologics to further the development of oncolytic virus
immunotherapies invented in his laboratory. In 2018, in addition to his role as a Board member, David accepted an operational role at Turnstone as the Senior Vice President of Research and Development, leading teams responsible for the development of three independent technology platforms from preclinical to successful IND filings. Under his scientific leadership,
Turnstone broadened its horizons by incorporating adoptive T cell therapy, procuring a cutting-edge TIL therapy technology now proceeding though clinical investigation in trials in the U.S. and Canada. Dr. Stojdl was promoted to Senior Scientific Fellow at Turnstone responsible for scientific and business strategy and technical diligence for the company. To date, Turnstone has raised over $US 430M in operating funds through pharma partnerships and private placements and recently completed an oversubscribed IPO on the NASDAQ market.
David remains an active contributor to the academic community through grant and manuscript peer reviews, and student and trainee mentorship. By blending his proven scientific and business acumen Dr. Stojdl remains focused on the development of innovative companies and commercial products for the advancement of meaningful medical therapies for patients in need.
Chantal Martin, PhD
Dr. Chantal Martin is a PhD-trained scientist from the University of Ottawa with 15 years of industry experience in the development and clinical launch of novel biological products, spanning oncolytic viruses, viral vaccines, cell therapies, peptide nanoparticles, and more.
Dr. Martin played a pivotal role in establishing the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Center (BMC) at the OHRI, leading quality, CMC, and analytics for QC and clinical correlates.
As one of the first hires at Turnstone Biologics, Dr. Martin led quality and analytics for CMC and clinical correlates, later focusing on Technical Operations for viral and autologous cell therapy programs. She has lead high performing teams of scientists and engineers in CMC, manufacturing and QC operations, as well as in development and product sciences.
Currently, she is an Executive-in-Residence lead with Capital BioVentures and a biotech consultant, supporting technical operations and CMC for biologic product development and clinical launches.
Jeffrey Smirle, PhD
Dr. Smirle is a co-founder and Executive Director at Capital BioVentures. Prior to launching CBV, he had a decade of experience developing key strategic partnerships for Carleton University across its faculty of science, and specifically in the biotech sector. Dr. Smirle was instrumental in bringing Turnstone Biologics to Carleton’s campus in 2019, and supported the design, construction, and operationalization of the dedicated biotech space at the University. Following Turnstone’s departure, he secured a new partnership with Virica Biotech to bring them to campus and support their growth in Ottawa. Dr. Smirle has an extensive background in intellectual property, commercialization, and the integration of scaling biotechnology organizations in public sector infrastructure. He received his PhD in Cell Biology in 2013 from McGill University.
Julia Pomoransky, PhD
Dr. Julia Pomoransky is a business development and product development professional with over a decade of experience in the life sciences biotechnology industry. She is a passionate entrepreneur and has participated in the start-up, financing, and operations of several organizations including Capital BioVentures. Dr. Pomoransky founded Prosilience Biotech Inc. – a life science organization that supports biotechnology companies with their business development initiatives. Her experience and contributions with start-up organizations has focused on business development but transcends additional functional areas including product development, program/alliance management, and GMP/CMC technical operations. Dr. Pomoransky was one of the first employees of Turnstone Biologics, (Nasdaq: TSBX), an immuno-oncology company with headquarters in San Diego. While at Turnstone Biologics, Dr. Pomoransky’s contributions to Business Development initiatives were critical for the growth of the company spanning acquisitions, licensing and clinical/research collaborations. In her former role with the BMC Dr. Pomoransky was successful at building a profitable organization, where she was responsible for business operations, technical operations and business development. Dr. Pomoransky received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Ottawa working with Dr. John Bell, and a B.Sc. in Biotechnology from Brock University.
Tazmeen Khan
Tazmeen Khan brings over 13 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, excelling as a dedicated Executive Assistant. Her career began at Cangene Corporation in Winnipeg, MB, where she developed her expertise in communications and public relations while working closely with C-suite executives. Collaborating with the company's Corporate Counsel and Legal Secretary, Tazmeen was instrumental in managing corporate communications.
Following Cangene’s acquisition by Emergent BioSolutions, Tazmeen served in various Executive Assistant roles. Her contributions were vital in areas such as finance, global commercial operations, strategic planning, culture engagement, and project management. She played a significant role in the Therapeutics Business Division, Innovation Council, and the Science & Innovation Team.
Tazmeen concluded her tenure at Emergent BioSolutions with the Global Communications and Public Affairs team as Corporate Social Responsibility Specialist where she oversaw the organization’s employee volunteerism programs and managed charitable donations across North America. Tazmeen continues to leverage her strategic communication skills and project management expertise to support the dynamic growth and innovation at CBV.
