Montreal-Toronto AI Startups Have Broad Vary of Focus

Consists of Healthcare, Biomed, Textual content Evaluation, Authorized Analysis, Picture Evaluation, Drug Discovery, Schooling

Canada has made a dedication for a few years to the examine of AI at universities throughout the county, and at the moment sturdy enterprise incubation applications supported by Canada’s state and regional governments work to rework analysis into viable companies. This AI ecosystem has produced breakthrough analysis and is attracting high expertise and funding by enterprise capital. Here's a have a look at a collection of Montreal- and Toronto-based AI startups.

TandemLaunch, Know-how Switch Acceleration

TandemLaunch is a Montreal-based know-how switch acceleration firm, based in 2010, that works with educational researchers to commercialize their technological developments. CEO and Basic Companion Helge Seetzen was the founder and directs the corporate’s technique and operations. TandemLaunch has raised $29.5 million since its founding, in accordance with CrunchBase. The agency has spun out greater than 20 corporations and has been acknowledged for supporting ladies founders.

Seetzen was a profitable entrepreneur who co-founded Sunnybrook Applied sciences and later BrightSide Applied sciences to commercialize show analysis developed on the College of British Columbia. BrightSide was bought to Dolby Laboratories for $28 million in 2007.

TandemLaunch gives startups with workplace house, entry to IT infrastructure, shared labs for electronics, mechanical or chemical prototyping, mentoring, hands-on operational help and financing.

Requested by AI Tendencies to remark, CEO Seetzen mentioned, “TandemLaunch has a protracted historical past of constructing main AI corporations primarily based on applied sciences from worldwide universities. Instance successes embrace LandR – the world’s largest music manufacturing platform – and SportlogiQ which provides AI-driven sport analytics for sports activities. Many youthful TandemLaunch corporations are on the brink of launching game-changing merchandise onto the market similar to Aerial’s AI for movement sensing from Wi-Fi alerts which will likely be launched in a number of international locations as a house safety resolution later this yr. With tons of of AI builders throughout our portfolio of 20+ corporations, TandemLaunch is nicely positioned to capitalize on AI alternatives of all stripes.”

Different corporations within the TandemLaunch portfolio embrace: Kalepso, targeted on blockchain and machine studying; Ora, providing nanotechnology for high-fidelity audio; Wavelite, aiming to extend the lifetime of wi-fi sensors utilized in IoT operations; Deeplite, offering an AI-driven optimizer to make deep neural networks sooner; Soundskrit, altering how sound is measured utilizing a bio-inspired design; and C2RO, providing a robotic SaaS platform to enhance notion and collaboration capabilities of robots.

Be taught extra at TandemLaunch.

BenchSci for Biomedical Researchers

BenchSci provides an AI-powered search engine for biomedical researchers. Based in 2015 in Toronto, the corporate lately raised $Eight million in a sequence A spherical of funding led by iNovia Capital, with participation together with Google’s recently-announced Gradient Ventures.

BenchSci makes use of machine studying to translate each closed-and open-access information into suggestions for particular experiments deliberate by researchers.  The providing goals to hurry up research to assist biomedical professionals discover dependable antibodies and cut back useful resource waste.

“With out the usage of AI, fundamental biomedical analysis is just not solely difficult, however drug discovery takes for much longer and is dearer,” BenchSci cofounder and CEO Liran Belenzon said in an account in VentureBeat. “We're making use of and creating a lot of superior information science, bioinformatics and machine studying algorithms to unravel this downside and speed up scientific discovery by ending reagent failure.” (A reagent is a substance used to detect or measure a element primarily based on its chemical or organic exercise.)

In July 2017, Google introduced its new enterprise fund geared toward early-stage AI startups. Within the yr since, Gradient Ventures has invested in 9 startups together with BenchSci, the fund’s first recognized well being tech funding and first exterior the US.

“Machine studying is remodeling biomedical analysis,” said Gradient Ventures founding companion Ankit Jain. “BenchSci’s know-how gives a singular worth proposition for this market, enabling educational researchers to spend much less time looking for antibodies and extra time engaged on their experiments.”

BenchSci instructed VentureBeat is tripled its headcount final yr and plans so as to add 16 new hires all through 2018.

Be taught extra at BenchSci.

Imagia to Personalize Healthcare Options

Imagia is an AI healthcare firm that fosters collaborative analysis to speed up accessible, personalised healthcare.

Based in 2015 in Montreal, the corporate in November 2017 acquired Cadens Medical Imaging for an undisclosed quantity, to speed up growth of its biomarker discovery processes. Based in 2008, Cadens develops and markets medical imaging software program merchandise designed for oncology, the examine of tumors.

Enterprise-backed Imagia acquired Cadens Medical Imaging.

“This strategic transaction will considerably speed up Imagia’s mission of delivering AI-driven accessible personalised healthcare options. Augmenting Imagia’s deep studying experience with Cadens’ capabilities in scientific AI and imaging was extraordinarily compelling, to make sure our path from validation to commercialization,” said Imagia CEO Frederic Francis in a press launch. “That is notably true for our preliminary deal with creating oncology biomarkers that may enhance most cancers care by predicting a affected person’s illness development and therapy response.”

Imagia co-founder and CTO Florent Chandelier mentioned “Our mixed group will construct upon the long-term outlook of scientific analysis along with healthcare partnerships, and the vitality and focus of a know-how startup with privileged entry to deep studying experience and educational analysis from Yoshua Bengio’s MILA lab. We at the moment are uniquely positioned to ship AI-driven options throughout the healthcare ecosystem.”

In ready remarks, Imagia board chair Jean-Francois Pariseau said, “Imaging advanced significantly up to now decade when it comes to sequence acquisition in addition to picture high quality. We consider AI permits the creation of subsequent era diagnostics that may even enable personalization of care. The acquisition of Cadens is a vital step in constructing the Imagia platform and helps our technique of investing in floor breaking corporations with the potential to turn out to be world leaders of their area.”

Be taught extra at Imagia.

Ross Intelligence: The place AI Meets Authorized Analysis

Ross Intelligence is the place AI meets authorized analysis. The agency was based in 2015 by Andrew Arruda, Jimoh Ovbiagele and Pargies Dall ‘Oglio, machine studying researchers from the College of Toronto. Ross, headquartered in San Francisco, in October 2017 introduced an $8.7 million Sequence A funding spherical led by iNovia Capital, seeing a chance to compete with the authorized analysis corporations LexisNexis and Thomson Reuters.

The platform helps authorized groups type via case regulation to search out particulars related to new instances. Utilizing normal key phrase search, the method takes days or perhaps weeks. With machine studying, Ross goals to enhance the key phrase search, velocity up the method and enhance the relevancy of phrases discovered.

“Bluehill benchmarks Lexis’s tech and they're discovering 30 % extra related data with Ross in much less time,” said Andrew Arruda, co-founder and CEO of Ross, in an interview with TechCrunch.

Ross makes use of a mix of off-the-shelf and proprietary deep studying algorithms for its AI stack. The agency is utilizing IBM Watson for a few of its pure language processing as nicely. To construct coaching information, Ross is working with 20 regulation corporations to simulate workflow instance and check outcomes.

Ross has raised a complete of $13.1 million in 4 rounds of financing, in accordance with Crunchbase.

The agency lately employed Scott Sperling, former head of gross sales at WeWork, as VP of gross sales. In January, Ross introduced its new EVA product, a short analyzer with a number of the energy of the industrial model. Ross is giving it away without cost to seed the market. The device can examine the latest historical past associated to cited instances and decide if they're nonetheless good regulation, in a fashion just like that of LexisNexis Shepard’s and Thomson Reuters KeyCite, in accordance with an account in LawSites.

EVA’s protection of instances contains all US federal and state courts, throughout all apply areas. “With EVA, we wish to present a small style of Ross in a sensible software, which is why we're releasing it fully free,” Arruda instructed LawSites. “We’re deploying a very new solution to doing analysis with AI at its core. And since it's primarily based on machine studying, it will get smarter day-after-day.”

For extra data, go to Ross Intelligence.

Phenomic AI Makes use of Deep Studying to Help Drug Discovery

Phenomic AI is creating deep studying options to speed up drug discovery. The corporate was based in Toronto in June 2017 by Oren Kraus, from the College of Toronto, and Sam Cooper, a graduate of the Institute of Most cancers Analysis in London. The purpose is to make use of machine studying algorithms to assist scientists finding out picture screenings to study which cells are proof against chemotherapy, thus combating the recurrence of most cancers in lots of sufferers. The AI permits the software program to comb via 1000's of cell tradition pictures to establish these liable for being chemo-resistant.

Phenomic AI founders Oren Kraus, left, and Sam Cooper. Picture by Olympus Digital Digicam

“My PhD at U of T was taking a look at creating deep-learning methods to automate the method of analyzing pictures of cells, so I needed to create an organization taking a look at this situation,” said Kraus in an account in StartUp Right here Toronto.  “There are key underlying mechanisms that enable most cancers cells to outlive within the first place. If we are able to goal these underlying mechanisms that forestall most cancers coming again in whole teams of sufferers, that’s what we’re going for.”

Cooper is working in the direction of his PhD with the division of Computational Medication at Imperial School, London, and likewise with the Dynamical Cell Programs group on the Institute of Most cancers Analysis. His analysis focuses on creating deep and reinforcement studying options for pharmaceutical analysis.

An early analysis companion of Phenomic AI is the Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids, in a mission to check a hereditary childhood illness.

The corporate has raised $1.5 million in two funding rounds, in accordance with Crunchbase.

Be taught extra at Phenomic AI.

Erudite.ai Goals at Peer Tutoring

Erudite.ai is advertising ERI, a product that goals to attach a scholar who wants assistance on a topic with a peer who has proven experience in the identical topic. The corporate was based in 2016 in Montreal and has raised $1.1 million to this point, in accordance with Crunchbase. The agency makes use of an AI system to investigate the content material of conversations and particular points the coed faces. From that, it generates personalised responses for the peer-tutor. ERI is obtainable free to college students and faculties.

Erudite.ai is competing for an IBM Watson XPrize for Synthetic Intelligence, being certainly one of three high 10 groups introduced in December, from 150 entrants competing for $5 million in prize cash. President and founder Patrick Poirier was quoted in The Monetary Submit available on the market alternative, “Tutoring could be very environment friendly at serving to individuals enhance their grades. It’s a US $56 billion market. However at $40 an hour, it’s very costly.” Erudite.ai is gifting away its product, for now. The plan is to go dwell in September and host 200,000 college students by year-end. By mid-2019, the corporate plans to promote a model of the platform to industrial tutoring corporations, to assist them velocity educating time and cut back prices.

The corporate hopes to increase past algebra to geometry, then the sciences, in two years. “The AI will proceed to enhance,” states Poirier. “In 5 years, I hope we will likely be serving to 50 million individuals.”

Be taught extra at Erudite.ai.

Keatext Comprehends Buyer Communication Textual content

Keatext’s AI platform interprets prospects’ written suggestions throughout varied channels to focus on suggestions geared toward enhancing the client expertise. The agency’s product is alleged to allow organizations to audit buyer satisfaction, establish new tendencies, and preserve monitor of the influence of actions or occasions affecting the shoppers. Keatext’s know-how goals to imitate human comprehension of textual content to ship experiences to assist managers make choices.

Keatext Staff, founder Narjes Boufaden in foreground.

The corporate was based in 2010 in Montreal by Narjes Boufaden, first as knowledgeable companies firm. From working with shoppers, the founder recognized a spot within the textual content analytics trade she felt the agency might handle. In 2014, Keatext started providing a SaaS product providing.

Boufaden holds an engineering diploma in laptop science and a PhD in pure language processing, earned with the supervision of Yoshua Bengio and Man Lapalme. Her experience is in creating algorithms to investigate human conversations. She has printed many articles on NLP, machine studying, and textual content mining from conversational texts.

Keatext in April introduced a brand new spherical of funding, including CA$1.72 million to help industrial enlargement, bringing the corporate’s funding complete to CA$3.32 million since launching its platform two years in the past. “This funding will assist us acquire visibility on a wider scale in addition to to consolidate our technological edge,” said Boufaden in a press launch. “Web and intranet communication permits organizations to carry ongoing conversations with the individuals they serve. This offers them entry to an unlimited quantity of doubtless priceless data. Pure language understanding and deep studying are the keys to tapping into this data and revealing learn how to higher serve their audiences.”

Be taught extra at Keatext.

Dataperformers in Utilized AI Analysis

Based in 2013 in Montreal, Dataperformers is an utilized analysis firm that works on superior AI applied sciences. The corporate has attracted high AI researchers and engineers to work on Deep Studying fashions to allow E-commerce and FinTech enterprise makes use of.

Calling Dataperformers “science-as-a-service,” co-founder and CEO Mehdi Merai said, “We're an organization that solves issues via utilized analysis work in synthetic intelligence,” in an article within the Montreal Gazette. Among the many first shoppers is Desjardins Group, an affiliation of credit score unions utilizing the service to investigate massive information volumes, hoping to find hidden patterns and tendencies.

Dataperformers can also be engaged on a search engine for video referred to as SpecterNet, that mixes use of AI and laptop imaginative and prescient to search out particular content material. Firms might use the search engine to establish movies the place their merchandise seem, then market the product to the video’s viewers. The corporate is utilizing reinforcement studying to assist the video search AI to study by itself.

Be taught extra at Dataperformers.

Botler.ai Bot Helps Decide Sexual Harassment

Botler.ai was based in January 2018 by Ritika Dutt, COO, and Amir Moraveg, CEO, as a service to assist victims of sexual harassment decide whether or not they have been violated. The bot was created following a harassment skilled by cofounder Dutt.

Left to proper: Cofounders Amir Moravej and Ritika Dutt with advisor Yoshua Bengio. Picture by Eva Blue

She was uncertain learn how to react after the expertise, however as soon as she researched the authorized code, she gained confidence. “It wasn’t simply me making issues up in my head. There was a authorized foundation for the issues I used to be feeling, and I used to be justified in feeling uncomfortable,” she said in an account in VentureBeat.

The bot makes use of pure language processing to find out whether or not an incident might be categorised as sexual harassment. The bot realized from 300,000 court docket instances in Canada and the US, drawing on testimony from court docket filings, since testimony aligns most carefully with conversational tone. The bot can generate an incident report.

That is Botler.ai’s second product, following a bot made final yr to assist individuals navigate the Canadian immigration system.

Yoshua Bengio of MILA is an advisor to the startup.

Subsequent in AI in Canada sequence: AI in Edmonton

 

By John P. Desmond, AI Tendencies Editor

 

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