Tracey Colella and Shehroz Khan will pitch their AI-powered platform for virtual cardiac rehabilitation to a panel of judges and a live audience at MaRS Discovery District
KITE Scientists Drs. Tracey Colella and Shehroz Khan will compete for a chance to win $250,000 at the Entrepreneurship for Cardiovascular Health Opportunities’ (ECHO) annual pitch competition.
Cardiovascular health start-ups will vie for the prize in front of a panel of judges and a live audience at MaRS Discovery District on Oct. 17.
The pair’s start-up company, AVA, was selected as one of the four finalists.
“We’re extremely grateful for this opportunity to share our vision for cardiac rehabilitation,” said Dr. Colella who is AVA’s co-founder and chief commercial officer.
AVA’s flagship product, which shares its name, is an AI-powered platform for virtual cardiac rehabilitation. The platform helps cardiac rehab patients perform their assigned exercises at home.
Clinicians can create a comprehensive library of personalized exercises for patients. They can record themselves performing prescribed exercises, which are then processed to generate digital avatars demonstrating the movements.
Avatars will provide real-time feedback to correct improper techniques and offer encouragement as needed. Clinicians can monitor patient's progress through the platform.
To use AVA patients simply log on to the platform on their computer or laptop and perform their prescribed exercises in front of the camera on their device.
“Our goal is to ensure everyone has access to care that will not only help them recover from a cardiac event, but thrive,” said Dr. Colella who is also an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Nursing at the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto.
ECHO is a national entrepreneurship training program designed to bridge the translational gap for cardiovascular innovations.
It is funded and organized by the Translational Biology and Engineering Program, at the University of Toronto and the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, in partnership with the Health Innovation Hub (H2i).