Elizion Tech - Startup of the Year - Business Services

Company: Elizion Tech
Company Description: Elizion Tech is a leading-edge materials and nanotech startup led by a team of engineers from the University of Waterloo. It strives to make the world better through the development of antipathogenic nanocoatings. Elizion is a people & planet centric company founded in 2020 that develops non-toxic, hypoallergenic, and sustainable products to improve PPE, disposable goods, and high-touch surfaces.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Startup of the Year - Business Services Industries

Nomination Title: Elizion Tech

Elizion tech was incorporated in July of 2020 and has assembled a team of the top materials scientists and engineers in North America to create a sustainable, inexpensive, efficient antimicrobial coating to make goods like masks more effective at control and preventing disease transmission. The company currently has an MVP in place and several preliminary contracts in place with four clients who plan on incorporating Elizion’s technology in the coming months. The MVP is already over 99% effective on coronavirus and E.Coli.

Income has been supplanted through numerous grant successes, in-kind contributions, and recent investor sponsorship. This has all been secured through Alia’s supervision and leadership for a total of US$1.5M to date (mid-2021). This value is projected to double by the end of the year and showcases Elizion’s quick growth as a medical nanotechnology company. In addition, numerous partnerships have been secured with the following top North American institutions and organizations: University of Waterloo, Centre for Advanced Materials Joining (CAMJ), Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, McMaster University CoE for Protective Equipment and Materials, Syracuse University, Syracuse Center of Excellence, Mitacs, Natural Products Canada, Biotalent Canada, York University, Bennett Jones, Osler Emerging High Growth Companies, and FoundersBeta.

In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Alia and her team took a hypothesis, “what if masks could be rendered antiviral with the application of a nanocoating,” and turned that hypothesis into a working physical technology in only 12 months ready to be introduced into the marketplace with four different clients in the US and Canada. Elizion Tech’s coating renders materials antimicrobial without danger to the wearer. It is derived from natural, eco-friendly ingredients. It can be applied not only to medical masks, but a variety of PPE and consumer goods like feminine care, incontinence products, performance athleticwear, and medical apparel, in addition to military PPE and air filtration technologies. Elizion’s XNanoTM coating is not only antimicrobial, but also odor-controlling. Elizion’s XNanoTM coating is low-cost and versatile, coming in nearly an order of magnitude (factor of 10) lower than competitor products.Antimicrobial test data already shows 99.2% efficacy of the X-NanoTM coating against coronavirus and 99.98% against E. Coli. Perhaps just as importantly, Alia’s leadership is a breath of fresh air in the world of business that has for too long shirked empowerment in exchange for simple bottom-line pursuits. Alia has a more nuanced take on human dynamics and has employed a bottom-up leadership style that prioritizes autonomy, mastery, and purpose for each of her employees. The result is a team of people who don’t feel stifled in the workplace setting and are motivated to do the best work of their lives.

Within a year of incorporation, Elizion Tech has distinguished itself from the pack. In discussions with major PPE manufacturers, when they learned of Elizion’s effective, environmentally-friendly, and biocompatible antimicrobial coating they were shocked that Elizion had come up with an MVP in six months with limited funds that many large players were unable to develop in a decade with ample resources. Other competitors have been flagged by health agencies for rushing to market, and in doing so, used respirable nanoparticles, noxious solvents, or making premature claims they were unable to substantiate. Elizion’s ethos is that speed should never compromise safety or quality, and this is demonstrated in Elizion’s high-quality product.

Elizion has taken multiple steps to de-risk the treatment entirely: Using only biocompatible raw materials throughout the research process, ensuring all required testing exceeds expectations, and prioritizing long term comfort for the customer while wearing the product (i.e. the coating on facemasks is odorless, preventing discomfort and nasal irritation to the wearer). This is due to the organizations knowledgeable and diligent CEO, Alia Rahman, and her leadership. Alia provides gentle guidance that invites discussion and rich brainstorming sessions, encouraging her staff to question everything, and never to acquiesce. She believes that the best product and business will come from collaborative debate, as she encourages the team to look out for each other’s blind spots. Alia urges the R&D team to make sustainable chemical choices, de-risking all components from a safety perspective, all the while ensuring product effectiveness.

Reference any attachments of supporting materials :

Summary of Elizion’s key R&D results are attached. This table demonstrates the effectiveness of the coating without impacting facemask breathability and performance. Link to the team page of the website showcases the equitable and diverse foundation of Elizion. In addition, the FoundersBeta article highlights that Elizion is indeed one of the top startups to watch for in 2021 in a community of over 7000 members. The follow-up article, "Top 27 Hottest Toronto Startups" was recently published in summer 2021 and shows Elizion is a strong and resilient startup. Elizion’s infographic promo document is also available here for an overview of the claims and the product. Elizion’s video pitch is included for reference on the importance of the work the team is undertaking.