The UCeed Child Health and Wellness Fund is creating opportunities for innovators in the child and maternal health space.
The UCeed Child Health and Wellness Fund was one of the first funds established within UCeed and is Canada’s first early-stage investment fund of its type. Established in 2020 with support from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation (ACHF), the fund provides financial support in developing and scaling to startups focused on innovation in child health.
Meg Bregazzi, a Calgary-based venture capital investor, is both, a director on the ACHF Board, and one of two ACHF representatives on the UCeed Child Health and Wellness Fund Investment Advisory Group. She says her passion for life science innovation, along with her career in finance, has made her particularly suited to this endeavour.
“Being on the advisory group provided me the opportunity to do both, to combine supporting innovation in life sciences and investment in discoveries and innovation,” says Bregazzi.
UCeed’s Investment Advisory Group comprises seasoned and respected leaders from the business, science, health and venture investing spaces. These advisers provide strategic guidance to the UCeed team, support with investment decision-making and critical feedback to startup companies pitching to UCeed for investment.
“I see success begets success, and that ripples through the community,” says Bregazzi. "The University of Calgary, a national leader in launching startups, is the perfect environment to translate innovation into successful companies. And those companies, with investment and support from UCeed, are able to attract more capital, attract grants, advance science, and also attract others to foster innovation in Calgary."
The Child Health and Wellness Fund helps accelerate the development of life-saving and life-changing innovations for child and maternal health. In addition to the financial investment, UCeed also connects companies with experts who provide much-needed advice around regulatory compliance, product development and go-to-market strategies. This combination of access to critical early-stage capital and subject-matter expertise helps translate these innovations from discovery to market-ready technologies faster.
The fund has invested nearly $1.5 million in 12 portfolio companies including Sequence2Script, which is developing software to help doctors better prescribe medication to children and adults based on their genetics. Another portfolio company, Trexo Robotics, is creating wearable robotic devices designed specifically to improve mobility for children with walking impairments.
“I think UCeed is proving there’s a strong potential for venture philanthropy to support innovation and bring it to the community to show that the researchers can bring their innovations and make a difference to children's health and maternal health,” says Bregazzi.
