When Mann Parikh set out to build a company, he didn't begin with a product idea. He began by looking for a problem worth solving.

As a university student studying health sciences, Mann learned a needs-driven approach to innovation through a health ventures course that pushed students to understand real-world problems before building solutions. He cold-emailed more than 3,000 surgeons and spoke with over 300 of them about the challenges they faced in the operating room.

One issue surfaced again and again: surgeons needed a better way to identify nerves during surgery.

That insight became the foundation for NerView and its flagship technology, Nerve Sense, a handheld device designed to help surgeons visualize nerves without dyes, electrodes or markers, reducing the risk of accidental nerve injury during procedures.

Since incorporating in August 2023, NerView has developed five working prototypes, secured nearly $1 million in non-dilutive funding, filed patents and advanced toward its first-in-human clinical study. Along the way, the company has earned recognition across Canada's innovation ecosystem, including winning the $100,000 Ernsting Entrepreneurship Award at FACIT's Falcons' Fortunes pitch competition for its work advancing safer cancer surgeries.

Building a medical technology company while completing a master's degree came with its own challenges. Beyond developing the technology itself, Mann needed to establish credibility as a first-time entrepreneur, protect the company's intellectual property and build relationships with clinicians, advisors and investors who could help move the business forward.

That’s where Ontario’s innovation ecosystem played an important role.

Through programming supported by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Regional Innovation Ecosystem initiative, Communitech provides founders with access to commercialization support, expert coaching and strategic connections that help early-stage companies navigate complex growth challenges.

Throughout NerView's journey, Mann accessed Growth Coaching, participated in Communitech's MedTech Accelerator and HealthTech Pitch Showcase, and received intellectual property support through ElevateIP. Together, these programs helped strengthen the company's path to market, protect its intellectual property and expand its network within Ontario's health technology ecosystem.

One opportunity in particular helped move the company closer to an important milestone.

After participating in Communitech's HealthTech Pitch Showcase, Mann met an emergency physician, who connected him with the plastic surgeon now leading  NerView’s first-in-human clinical study as principal investigator. That relationship helped accelerate an important milestone in the company's path toward commercialization.

"Building a medical technology company as a student wasn't easy," says Mann Parikh, Founder and CEO of NerView. "The support I received through Ontario's innovation ecosystem gave me access to mentors, funding opportunities and connections that would have been incredibly difficult to build on my own. Every conversation and every introduction helped move us one step closer to getting this technology into the hands of surgeons."

The upcoming clinical study will provide critical insight into how Nerve Sense performs in real operating room conditions. Unlike laboratory or cadaver testing, the study will allow the team to evaluate how the technology holds up alongside factors such as patient movement, blood flow and the pace of surgery. The results will inform future product development as NerView continues toward regulatory approval.

Today, NerView remains actively connected to Communitech, drawing on its programming, coaching and networking as the company moves toward market.  Combined with support from partners across Ontario's Regional Innovation Ecosystem, that ongoing relationship has helped the company build momentum from an early-stage idea to a medical technology preparing for its first patients. 

FedDev Ontario's investment in the Regional Innovation Ecosystem initiative enables organizations like Communitech to provide entrepreneurs with specialized programming, mentorship and strategic connections that help innovative companies grow, create jobs and strengthen Ontario's economy. Learn more at https://www.feddevontario.gc.ca.