Five Brampton-based HealthTech startups are getting ready to put their ideas in front of investors, healthcare professionals and industry leaders as part of a major innovation event next month.

The companies are finalists in the Mitacs Health Innovation Showcase, which will be held at the Brampton Venture Expo (BVX) 2026 on Sept. 10 at The Rose Brampton.

The showcase is the latest step for the startups after they took part in the Brampton Venture Zone by Toronto Metropolitan University (BVZ), a Brampton-based incubator that helps early-stage companies develop their products and prepare them for the marketplace.

The five finalists — Athel AI, NewGen Health, DIA Labs, LOCVM and LBx Bio — were selected from 10 startups in the 2026 BVZ Launch HealthTech cohort following a showcase at TMU’s School of Medicine campus in Brampton on Aug. 13.

Their ideas range from technology aimed at detecting cancer earlier and monitoring asthma to bringing health screening into the home, easing the shortage of temporary physicians and using artificial intelligence to improve clinical care.

The companies will now pitch their ideas live at BVX, with three startups set to receive up to $70,000 in non-dilutive funding to help continue developing and commercializing their technologies.

The finalists are part of BVZ Launch, a four-month, non-equity program for HealthTech and wellness startups that are at the minimum viable product stage.

The program gives founders mentorship and commercialization support while helping them test whether their products meet a real market need. They can also develop relationships with healthcare and industry partners, potentially opening the door to early validation and pilot projects.

It is part of a broader effort to build Brampton’s healthcare innovation ecosystem, bringing together TMU’s School of Medicine, the City of Brampton’s Invest Brampton, entrepreneurs, researchers and industry.

Since launching in 2020, BVZ says it has supported 140 startups, facilitated 108 industry pilots and achieved a 77 per cent alumni continuation rate.

“Brampton has a unique opportunity to become a leading hub for healthcare innovation,” said Zied Etleb, senior director of Brampton Venture Zone by Toronto Metropolitan University.

Etleb said the city’s diverse population, TMU’s School of Medicine and growing connections between entrepreneurs, industry and other partners provide an opportunity to develop companies in Brampton while creating healthcare solutions that can have an impact well beyond the city.

The five finalists are tackling very different areas of healthcare.

Athel AI is developing an artificial intelligence-powered clinical operating system designed to give physicians decision-ready patient information before appointments, potentially reducing the administrative workload in specialty medicine.

NewGen Health is developing a platform that allows prenatal screening and chronic disease monitoring to move from the clinic into the home. Its technology turns urine testing into health data that can be tracked and used by clinicians.

DIA Labs is developing a medical device designed to monitor inflammatory biomarkers in people with moderate-to-severe asthma. The goal is to provide real-time information at the point of care to help doctors make more personalized treatment decisions.

LOCVM is a healthcare locum marketplace designed to help physicians find temporary work while allowing clinics to more efficiently find and hire verified doctors to fill staffing gaps.

LBx Bio is developing a point-of-care liquid biopsy platform designed to detect cancer quickly and at a lower cost, with the goal of bringing molecular diagnostics closer to the patient.

While the technologies are different, they share a common goal of addressing challenges in healthcare delivery, diagnosis, patient monitoring and clinical care.

The Mitacs Health Innovation Showcase is the HealthTech pitch competition taking place as part of BVX 2026.

The five finalists will present their companies and technologies to an audience that includes potential investors, healthcare professionals, industry partners and other members of the innovation ecosystem.

Beyond the opportunity to win funding, the showcase gives the startups a chance to put their ideas directly in front of people who could help them move from development to real-world use.

BVX, now in its sixth year, is expected to attract more than 1,500 founders, investors, healthcare leaders, corporate innovators, researchers, policymakers and other participants under the theme “Where Industry Meets Innovation.”

The event will also feature programming focused on robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as cybersecurity and defence.

The Health Innovation Showcase will run from noon to 1 p.m. on Sept. 10. BVX runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at The Rose Brampton, 1 Theatre Lane.

Admission is free with registration, and healthcare professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, industry partners and members of the public are invited to attend.


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