Lila, the flagship product by VCycene Inc., is reimagining what home composting can be. While many countertop composters use heat to dehydrate waste, Lila is a true bioreactor—one that uses microbial digestion, AI, and over 20 real-time sensors to transform food waste into nutrient-rich compost. It’s a compact, intelligent system designed for everyday kitchens, and it’s changing the game in the growing cleantech and sustainability space.

We spoke with Huayi Gao, CTO and co-founder of VCycene, a seasoned entrepreneur with a background in deep tech and hardware startups. His experience in bringing advanced technology to market—combined with a strong understanding of IP—has been instrumental in shaping Lila’s journey.

“Even before we started the company, we were thinking about IP,” said Huayi. “We wanted to build a differentiated product, and we knew that required technology innovation—and protection.”

Why IP wasn’t just a checkbox — it was a launch strategy

Huayi and his co-founder, George Yin, understood from day one that protecting their technology was going to be key—not just to avoid copycats, but to enable long-term business growth. With Huayi’s previous companies, he had seen how lack of access to IP funding limited the ability to file and defend innovation.

So when they began developing Lila, they made IP an early priority. They performed market research, evaluated technology paths (aerobic vs. anaerobic processing), and began filing IP as soon as the concept was viable. But unlike before, this time they had access to ElevateIP—a program that could fund their vision for a much more comprehensive patent strategy.

“For my second company, we could only afford four patents because they’re very expensive,” said Huayi. “We didn’t have the programs back then.”

Through their legal partners, they learned about ElevateIP and quickly recognized the potential—not just to protect what they’d built, but to set themselves up for scale.

Building and protecting a world-class innovation

Lila used ElevateIP as a strategic tool, not just a funding source. The program helped them go far beyond the basics, expanding their patent portfolio while gathering insights that would inform future development.

With ElevateIP support, Lila was able to:

• File three new patents that branched from an original provisional application
• Fast-track one of those patents, which has now been issued
• Enter the national phase of their PCT application, opening the door to global protection
• Conduct a patent landscape review focused on microbial genetics, helping avoid conflicts and uncover untapped opportunities
• Reinvest freed-up capital into R&D, product development, and team growth

“This program let us build a stronghold—not just cover our bases,” Huayi explained.

The landscape review, in particular, was invaluable. It helped Lila map the competitive space and avoid filing in crowded IP territory—something larger companies can afford to ignore, but startups can’t.

“We don’t want to infringe or get rejected—we want to focus where there’s room to innovate,” said Huayi. “For startup companies, these patent landscape reviews are very useful.”

More patents, more innovation, more momentum

What really made ElevateIP a game-changer for Lila wasn’t just the protection—it was the freedom to grow.

By removing the financial burden of patent filing, the company could pursue ideas that might otherwise have been shelved. They expanded their portfolio to 11 patents—nearly triple what Huayi had been able to secure in his previous ventures. And they’re now exploring new R&D frontiers, including mutagenesis and microbial upcycling.

“We could actually be more innovative,” Huayi said. “We now have 11 patents protecting this mid-tier technology. That wouldn’t have been possible without ElevateIP.”

The support also gave Lila a stronger foundation to scale into new markets, pursue global partnerships, and lead in a competitive space where clean, circular, and decentralized composting is gaining momentum.

“$100,000 can really give you a big advantage,” Huayi emphasized. “Other programs don’t compare.”

Pay it forward: Lila’s message to other Canadian founders

Huayi has no hesitation when asked if he’d recommend ElevateIP. In fact, he’s already spreading the word to other founders across Canada.

“One hundred percent yes,” he said. “I’ve been broadcasting this program to other founders. It’s a win-win-win. We’re happy, the law firms are happy, and you’re happy seeing Canadian innovation flourish.”

In a global startup landscape where funding is tight and IP is more critical than ever, ElevateIP gave Lila the tools to scale smarter, protect better, and move faster—and that’s a win for cleantech, for consumers, and for Canada.