HealthSpark
Vector’s four-month collaboration program pairs Southern Ontario health-tech startups with machine learning experts to turn breakthroughs into outcomes
Where AI ambition meets health action
HealthSpark connects you with the expertise, mentorship and ecosystem access to build AI that’s technically rigorous and clinically grounded.
HealthSpark gives you access to:
Training
Workshops and training opportunities to build your capabilities
Expertise
A dedicated AI Engineering team to collaborate with you in developing and refining your solution
Mentorship
Team mentorship from experts
Networking
Value-add events and connections as part of Vector’s ecosystem
Current HealthSpark members
Following the 2026 Call for Project Proposals, Vector Institute is pleased to have welcomed the following companies to the HealthSpark program for 2026 – 2027:
Revolve Surgical is advancing a next-generation surgical robotics platform designed to make robotic assistance more accessible across operating rooms, from outpatient centres to academic hospitals. Their bedside, zero-footprint system preserves direct surgeon control while integrating AI-driven assistance to support precision, reduce barriers to adoption, and expand access to advanced surgical care.
Through the HealthSpark collaboration, Vector Institute and Revolve Surgical will work together to advance foundational AI capabilities for real-time assistance and optimizing workflows during surgical tasks.
Banting AI is a clinical trial intelligence platform for academic medical centers, cancer centers, and research networks. The platform structures every trial protocol once into a reusable data layer, “parse once, generate many”, which then powers downstream workflows including feasibility, ethics review, budgeting, and document drafting. The result is faster trial activation and meaningfully less administrative burden.
The HealthSpark collaboration will advance Banting AI’s protocol-aware automation across additional clinical trial workflows, with a focus on accuracy, compliance, and driving efficiency for research teams.
MedEssist helps local pharmacies operate as technology-enabled care sites, supporting clinical assessments, diagnostics, and prescription treatments through collaboration between pharmacists, nurses, and physicians. Their platform is used in over 750 pharmacies across Canada and the US to streamline workflows and expand access for a wide range of medical treatments.
MedEssist’s HealthSpark project will focus on automations: both within the platform and between external systems even when application programming interfaces (APIs) are unavailable or have limited functionality. The project will use AI agents that combine computer vision, robotic process automation, and large language models (LLMs) to automate tasks such as documentation, data entry, billing, prescription refills, and data gathering from external sources
Past cohorts include
IDENTOS partnered with Vector Institute’s HealthSpark program to develop an AI-powered navigation tool that connects patients with community services using natural language. In four months, IDENTOS deployed its client-ready AI solution, created and preserved five new jobs, trained more staff in AI, and developed new intellectual property in Ontario.
Verto Health‘s patented AI technology delivers Digital Twin journeys for Population Health, powering 11.5M+ patient visits across 100+ sites and 25+ health systems. Verto transforms data from any source into near real-time patient journeys to improve care and reduce administrative burden for providers.
The HealthSpark initiative will accelerate Verto’s development of an AI-driven model that unlocks a new era of personalized care and better population health management for Canadians.
MedMe Health is Canada’s leading pharmacy clinical services platform, trusted by 4,500+ pharmacies, including 70% of enterprise chains. MedMe equips pharmacies to launch, manage, and grow their clinical services through a SaaS platform that transforms them into community health hubs. MedMe’s AI Clinical Assistant, the first and only pharmacy-specific scribe, automatically fills clinical documentation, marking the company’s first step toward an AI-powered workflow solution tailored to pharmacists. The company aims to tap into Vector’s expertise to build complementary AI-driven patient concierge capabilities.
Tenomix Inc. is reshaping the future of pathology to enable physicians and the Canadian health system to deliver better and more timely cancer care. Its novel technologies harness robotics, imaging and AI to streamline pathology workflows and enhance precision, enabling faster, more efficient, and cost-effective diagnosis and subsequent treatment. The company is working with the HealthSpark team to advance AI innovation that will help power the next generation of precision cancer diagnostics.
Discover how HealthSpark alumni are advancing healthcare AI across Canada. Explore case studies.
Program details
Program overview
- The HealthSpark program supports startups and scaleups based in the Southern Ontario region of Canada
- Preference is given to companies at a stable growth stage that have an active and functional product or service that they aim to enhance with AI, or a well-defined plan for developing a new AI-driven product or service
- Selected companies collaborate with Vector to establish clear milestones for AI product development and sign a milestone-based agreement to ensure alignment and accountability
- Selected companies are paired with a dedicated AI Engineering support team from Vector to provide hands-on support and technical expertise over a four-month intensive development period
- Selected companies are invited to participate in programs, networking opportunities, and events hosted by Vector and its partners
Past focus areas
- Advanced Diagnostics: AI solutions that enhance diagnostic accuracy, efficiency, and clinical decision-making, including applications in image-guided therapy, digital pathology, genomics, and multimodal diagnostics.
- Access to Care and Care Delivery: AI solutions and applications that improve how patients access, navigate, and engage with health care services, including primary care, emergency departments, virtual care, and care delivery workflows.
- Mental Health and Neurological Health: AI solutions and applications that support prevention, early detection, monitoring, and personalized care for mental health and neurological conditions, including digital therapeutics and decision-support solutions.
Program eligibility
- Must be an incorporated company in Canada and based in Southern Ontario
- Must be active participants in Vector’s FastLane Program or commit to joining the program upon proposal acceptance; Vector Bronze sponsor companies are eligible to participate in the program
- Must have at least 10 full-time employees and no more than 500 full-time equivalent employees
- Must commit at least two (2) full-time technical employees for the duration of the development period of the program (four months)
- The proposal must be focused on developing and commercializing a technology that utilizes AI/ML, and that has a fundamental impact on the health sector
- The proposed solution must demonstrate the ability to scale
Want to join Vector’s HealthSpark program?
Applications for the 2026/27 cohort are now closed.
Thank you for your interest. Please stay tuned for program updates and future opportunities in 2027. Should you have any questions that are not addressed on this site, please email us
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