How Adaptiiv became a global MedTech company

From the Springboard Content Lab

Adaptiiv Medical Technologies was founded in Halifax in 2016 to make radiation treatment more accurate and humane for patients.

Dr. James Robar, a Chief of Medical Physics at Dalhousie University, invented software that improves the patient’s experience during radiation treatment.

The technology uses 3D imaging and 3D printing to produce devices that fit the patient’s body surface or within the anatomy of patients during radiation therapy for cancer treatment.

Early products include bolus, that is used to achieve a sufficient dose for skin, breast or head-and-neck cancer, and later developments include patient-specific brachytherapy applicators for gynecological cancers.

Early support helped startup spread its wings

Robar engaged Dalhousie University Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement (OCIE) to access early-stage Intellectual Property support and further investment from Springboard’s Innovation Mobilization fund.

This helped him secure intellectual property protection and funding for proof of concept and industry engagement activities.

“Springboard is the only one that combined proof of concept and patent and legal with industry engagement. It’s like they considered the whole lifecycle from ideation to commercialization. They guided the research through the whole process.” - Dr. James Robar, co founder of Adaptiiv

Dr. James Robar

With this foundational support, Adaptiiv leveraged further support from Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and other investors.

This support allowed Adaptiiv to develop a new platform as a service called Adaptiiv On Demand.

This funding has helped the company find new customers in the US, which represented half of its target market.

The company, headquartered in Halifax, now employs a workforce of 30 highly specialized employees. Its 3-D printed devices are being used in 18 countries worldwide.