Caroline Petrucci | Contributor
Featured Image: From left to right — Aird & Berlis partner Randy Williamson with Nicholas Ledra, Tony Sabeta and Graham Topa. | Courtesy of YFile
BIOSA Technologies, founded by former York student Nicholas Ledra, took home the top startup award from York’s LaunchYU Program.
The panel of judges for this year’s competition consisted of four members: MaRS IAF investor and StandUp Ventures Snita Balsara; co-founder of InteraXon/Muse Trevor Coleman; founder of TutorBright Sunny Verma; founder and CEO of Parent Tested Parent Approved Sharon Vinderine.
Ledra and his company received the Aird & Berlis StartupSource Market Entry Award. This includes $12,500 cash and an equal amount in legal services offered by the Toronto-based law firm. The prize was awarded to the company that had the highest potential for commercial success.
BIOSA Technologies’ innovative technology focuses on enzymes used in the production of various products such as food, beverages and pharmaceuticals. Ledra and his company have found a way to increase the shelf life of these enzymes without the need for freezing.
Ledra is a graduate of the LaunchYU program, a four- month accelerator program for entrepreneurs. The program was introduced in 2014 and has received over $12.5 million dollars in funding since its start.
Aside from his entrepreneurial experience, Ledra has an MSc and a PhD in pharmaceutical science, alongside eight years of teaching experience and 12 years of research experience.
“Backed by years of experience, and cutting-edge technology, BIOSA Technologies will work with clients to deliver high quality, desired results. Our company hopes to achieve recognition within the scientific community by building a superior reputation for quality, reliability, and timeliness,” as stated on the company’s website.
The Aird & Berlis award was created by the law firm alongside partner, York alumnus and York board member, Randy Williamson. Williamson is receiving Innovation York’s Partner of the year award to honour his contribution to the growth of innovation at the university.
“We worked with York to create the Aird & Berlis StartupSource Market Entry Award precisely to acknowledge companies like BIOSA and York’s support for entrepreneurs like Nicholas Ledra,” said Williamson.
“BIOSA Technologies was chosen as the winner of this award because of its solid market traction and the high number of possible applications related to enzyme stabilization is massive,” says Rui Wang, York’s interim vice-president of research & innovation.
