Genesys Capital Announces Second Close of Genesys University Seed Fund, Welcoming Sunnybrook and UHN as Hospital Partners

Two of Canada's leading research hospitals join the fund, strengthening pathways from discovery to patient impact and supporting Ontario’s life science ecosystem

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genesys Capital, one of Canada's leading life sciences venture capital firms, today announced the second close of the Genesys University Seed Fund, welcoming Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and University Health Network (UHN) as hospital partners.

The addition of Sunnybrook and UHN builds on the fund's first close, which included the University of Toronto, McMaster University, Venture Ontario, the Temerty Group and RBC, to seed early-stage life sciences companies emerging from Canadian universities, hospitals and research institutes.

The Genesys University Seed Fund was created to close a persistent gap in Canada's innovation economy: the shortage of early-stage capital available to help promising health and life science discoveries move out of the lab and into clinical care. The fund invests in pre-seed and seed rounds for life science companies emerging from Canadian universities and hospitals, providing a critical source of risk capital to support the commercialization of Canadian innovation.

“Our first close proved that there is real appetite to support early-stage commercialization in an effort to build the next generation of Canadian life sciences companies,” said Kelly Holman, co-founder and managing director of Genesys Capital. “By partnering with Sunnybrook and UHN, we are deepening the connection between scientific discovery, clinical expertise and entrepreneurial talent. These institutions are home to some of Canada's most innovative researchers and clinicians, and we are excited to help accelerate the development of technologies that have the potential to improve patient care and create economic value.”

The participation of Sunnybrook and UHN further strengthens the fund's connection to Toronto's world-leading research and healthcare ecosystem. Together with the University of Toronto and other members of the Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN), these organizations play a central role in advancing scientific discoveries and translating them into real-world health solutions.

Entrepreneurs in the U of T community have, over the past five years, created more than 1,800 venture-backed startups that have raised over $27 billion and created more than 27,000 jobs. With 13 accelerator hubs across three campuses, the university is top five in the world for university business incubators and 1st in Canada for research-based startups. The university is particularly active in life sciences startups – the Health Innovation Hub (H2i) includes more than 340 active ventures.

“On behalf of the University of Toronto, I am pleased to welcome Sunnybrook and UHN to the Genesys University Seed Fund,” said U of T President Melanie A. Woodin. “Sunnybrook, UHN and U of T are academic and research partners through TAHSN, one of the most productive health sciences hubs in North America. These hospitals are critical to Canada’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and through this new partnership, we will further enable early-stage life sciences companies to advance our country’s world-class research, patient care and health economy.”

Research hospitals are not only centres of care and discovery; they are strategic national assets that help translate scientific breakthroughs into new medicines, therapies and technologies that improve patient care while generating broader economic and societal benefit.

University Health Network (UHN) is Canada's leading research hospital, the world's #2 hospital, and one of the top 20 research commercialization hospitals in North America. Home to Canada's largest hospital-based research enterprise, it is home to 1,250 principal investigators and 5,100 research staff and trainees, with $688 million in annual research funding. UHN Commercialization has helped launch 20 financed life sciences companies, including BlueRock Therapeutics, Trillium Therapeutics, and AVROBIO. Since 2018, UHN-incubated ventures have generated more than $5 billion in economic impact through six equity exits and raised more than $1.76 billion in financing, translating world-leading research into therapies, diagnostics, and technologies that improve patient care globally.

“Canada's challenge has never been scientific excellence. Our challenge has been translating that excellence into patient impact and economic growth at scale,” said Kevin Smith, President and CEO, UHN. “For generations, Canadian researchers have produced discoveries that transformed healthcare around the world, yet too often the companies, investment and economic benefits that followed grew elsewhere. Initiatives like the Genesys University Seed Fund help create stronger pathways from discovery to commercialization, ensuring more Canadian-born innovations reach patients, grow into globally competitive companies and generate high-quality jobs, investment and long-term economic value here in Canada.”

Within Sunnybrook, more than 400 scientists and clinician-scientists conduct over $170 million in research each year, generating discoveries and innovations that improve healthcare through translation, partnerships and commercialization.

“At Sunnybrook, we've seen firsthand how world-class research can lead to technologies and companies that improve lives and strengthen Canada's life sciences sector,” says Dr. Andy Smith, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “We know there is tremendous potential within our research community, but too many promising innovations struggle to advance because they lack early-stage capital. That’s why Sunnybrook is proud to join partners including U of T, UHN and McMaster in supporting the next generation of Canadian innovation, helping promising discoveries move from the lab to market while strengthening Canada’s innovation economy.”

To learn more about partnering with or investing in the Genesys University Seed Fund, please contact [e-mail].

About Genesys Capital

Genesys Capital is one of Canada's leading life sciences venture capital firms, with more than $400 million invested over the past 25 years across biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and medical technology. As a founding investor, Genesys has supported 20 exits representing billions of dollars in value and remains an active partner to many of the health startups it has funded.