The 7th Leadership Symposium: “From Lab to Market: Commercializing Deep Tech in Canada” (Keynote Speaker: Dr. Kyle Briggs, Entrepreneur in Residence, Faculty of Science, Ottawa University)

Introduction

We at the Academy for Leadership (ToTAL) are honored to welcome Dr. Kyle Briggs of the University of Ottawa to speak and answer questions from participants online at our 7th Leadership Symposium event.

Dr. Briggs is a biophysicist in the nanopore technology field and former CEO of NORTHERN NANOPORE INSTRUMENTS (NNI)*, a company spun out of his own research. He now supports students who seek to commercialize their research in the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa.
*NNI was acquired by OXFORD NANOPORE TECHNOLOGIES in 2023.

In his lecture entitled “From Lab to Market: Commercializing Deep Tech in Canada “, he will explain briefly about his research, share his experiences of establishing his own company, and discuss the challenges that scientists face when seeking to commercialize their research as well as different funding mechanisms for deep tech commercialization.

Anyone is welcome to attend, from those who are interested in nanopore technology or thinking of starting their own business, to those who have never heard of nanopore technology or never thought about starting a business before.

Note: This event is one of the certified events designated by the Center for Entrepreneurship Education.

About Dr. Kyle Briggs

DR. KYLE BRIGGS is a biophysicist, entrepreneur, and a Vanier Scholar. He currently has two roles, one as Entrepreneur in Residence for the Faculty of Science at the University of Ottawa, and another private initiative writing for www.caninnovate.ca. His writing is intended to shine a light on the challenges faced by early-stage Canadian companies in the hopes of driving positive change through effective policy development.

Dr. Briggs is the former CEO of Northern Nanopore Instruments, a nanotechnology company spun out of his doctoral research, recently acquired by Oxford Nanopore Technologies PLC, a UK-based company that was spun out from the University of Oxford.

Dr. Briggs holds a PhD (2018) from the University of Ottawa in nanoscale biophysics, and has more than 10 years of experience in scientific research and 4 years of experience building and mentoring deep tech companies with complex technology roadmaps. He has received numerous awards for this research, including the CMC Douglas R. Colton Medal for Research Excellence in 2020 for his work in solid-state nanopore technology.

Dr. Briggs is now involved in the startup community as a mentor and advisor focused on supporting companies across the interface between academic research and early commercial operations. To read more of Dr. Briggs’ thoughts on deep tech and Canadian innovation, visit his website on CanInnovate.

Dr. Kyle Briggs

Outline

Date & Time	Tuesday, July 22, 2025 　7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Method	Online via Zoom
Eligibility	Science Tokyo students, faculty or staff, members of the general public
Language	English
Fee	Free of charge
Registration	Please register from the following Zoom link. https://zoom.us/meeting/register/P2Tk__ucSiiOmn54wpJZow